downcycling
Recycling into inferior materials
Downcycling is recycling that produces materials of lower quality than the original.
When plastic bottles become park benches or fleece fabric, the material degrades with each cycle and eventually becomes unusable.
The term contrasts with upcycling, which creates higher-value products from waste.
Most plastic recycling is actually downcycling.
Handling material again
Capable of being molded
- paperPressed pulp for writing
- textilesWoven or knit materials
- cardboardRigid paper for containers
- PETNuclear medicine imaging
polystyrene · cotton · polyester · glass · rubber · foam · insulation · fiberboard
Closed-loop production model
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- closed-loopSystem with feedback control
- lifecycleStages from beginning to end
- single-useFor one application only
reprocessing
Handling material again
plastic
Capable of being molded
PET · polystyrene · cotton · polyester · glass · rubber · foam · insulation · fiberboard · fleece
cradle-to-cradle
Closed-loop production model
- end-of-lifeNearing death phase
- closed-loopSystem with feedback control
- lifecycleStages from beginning to end
- recyclingrecyclable, MRF, single-stream, curbside, curbside pickup
- waste managementwaste, trash, garbage, rubbish, refuse
- sustainabilityreduce, reuse, sustainable yield, waste management, carbon footprint
- Plastic RecyclingHDPE, PET, PS, PVC, bottles
- waste reductionreuse, refill, repair, refurbish, repurpose
- textile recyclingclothing banks, fabric scraps, clothing donation, collection bins, shredding
downcyclingupcycling
Improving discarded materials' value
creative reuse · repurposing · upcycle · remanufacturing · refurbishment
cycle, recycle, upcycling, recycling, recycled, recycles, upcycle, upcycled, downcycle