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Tag: upcycling

  • 5 ways to upcycle an old step ladder – Growing Family

    5 ways to upcycle an old step ladder – Growing Family

    Collaborative post

    Do you have a broken old step ladder somewhere deep in your garage? Or perhaps your trusty step ladder is on its last legs? Before you throw it out, have a read of this article where we share 5 different ways you can upcycle an old step ladder into a beautiful and functional piece for your home.

    modern living room with ladder shelving

    1. Storage shelves

    Whether you’re looking to display ornaments, photo frames or the kids’ crafts, an old step ladder can be easily transformed into a unique shelving unit.

    You can give the ladder a lick of paint in your favourite colour, or leave the raw materials exposed for a rustic look. Either way this ladder shelf is sure to catch the attention of visitors.

    an old step ladder with potted plants on itan old step ladder with potted plants on it

    2. Ladder garden

    How about adding some greenery to your outdoor space with a super easy upcycled ladder garden? It only takes one broken old step ladder to create an eye-catching home for all of your beloved plants and succulents.

    If your ladder doesn’t stand sturdy anymore, you can lean it up against a tree or fence. Trailing plants look great on vertical gardens, or you could hang bird feeders to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

    desk with ladder shelvingdesk with ladder shelving

    3. Library ladder

    If you’re struggling to find space for your book collection, a step ladder can be repurposed into a quirky little book shelf in no time.

    Depending on whether your ladder has rungs or flat footholds, you may need to get your hands on some wooden planks to ensure extra stability for your makeshift shelves. You can then use the different levels of your library ladder to organise your books by colour, author, topic or whatever else comes to mind.

    an old step ladder used to store folded blanketsan old step ladder used to store folded blankets

    4. Towel & blanket holder

    Need to save floor space in your bathroom or living room? It’s easy to upcycle an old step ladder as a towel or blanket rack that leans against the wall. You can paint the ladder to match the room, or go for the shabby chic look. The rails can be used to hang blankets, towels, or even laundry.

    If you’re planning to use your old ladder as a towel holder in your bathroom, consider giving it a quick coating of waterproof sealant. This will stop any unwanted mould forming in the damp conditions.

    5. Side table

    Another super simple idea for upcycling a short step ladder is to convert it into a little side table. You will need to find something to use as a table top; this could be a plank of wood, chopping board or old serving tray. Then all you have to do is securely attach your table top to the stepladder and you have your very own rustic side table with added magazine, trinket or book storage underneath.

    Hopefully these 5 upcycling ideas have inspired you to dig out that old step ladder, or maybe retire your current ladder if it’s not as sturdy and safe as it used to be. If you’re looking for a new step ladder for your upcoming DIY tasks, check out the huge range available at Ladders UK Direct, the UK’s top ladder supplier. You will find a step ladder for every possible task in every size from 2 treads all the way to 13 treads, so you’re sure to find one that suits your needs in their collection.

    Catherine

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  • Our Favorite Products Made of Upcycled and Recycled Materials

    Our Favorite Products Made of Upcycled and Recycled Materials

    Humans haven’t been kind to the planet. Climate change is out of control, microplastics are poisoning our oceans, and landfills are overflowing with trash. No matter how much we try to reduce our footprint, we still occasionally need new things. Luckily, some companies have figured out how to reuse waste to make new products from old plastic, textiles, and other materials that would otherwise fill our landfills and oceans. We’ve highlighted our favorites here.

    It’s not a perfect sustainability solution, but if you already need a new portable charger or yoga mat, for example, you can buy one of these items knowing that it’s a little better than the alternative. Check out our other eco-friendly guides, like the Best Recycled Bags, Best Recycled Clothing, Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies, and Best Reusable Products.

    Updated April 2024: We’ve added the new Nimble Champ portable charger, Humanscale’s Path chair, Bearaby’s Ocean Hugger weighted blanket, Revival’s denim rug, House of Marley’s Redemption 2 ANC headphones, Keiko Furoshiki gift wrap, and the new recycled MakeUp Eraser.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

    Medea Giordano, Adrienne So

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  • U of I, UC Santa Barbara and Dow scientists crack upcycling plastics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, advancing a recent Science study

    U of I, UC Santa Barbara and Dow scientists crack upcycling plastics to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, advancing a recent Science study

    Press Release
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    Oct 5, 2022


    URBANA, Ill., October 5, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    Scientists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of California, Santa Barbara and Dow developed a breakthrough process to transform the most widely produced plastic — polyethylene (PE) — into the second-most widely produced plastic, polypropylene (PP), which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

    The new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society announces a series of coupled catalytic reactions that transform PE, which is #2 and #4 plastic that make up 29% of the world’s plastic consumption, into the building block propylene that is the key ingredient to produce PP, also known as #5 plastic that accounts for close to 25% of the world’s plastic consumption.

    This study establishes a proof-of-concept for upcycling PE plastic with more than 95% selectivity into propylene. The researchers have built a reactor that creates a continuous flow of propylene that can be converted into PP easily using current technology — making this discovery scalable and rapidly implementable. 

    Why this matters: Preliminary analysis suggests that if just 20% of the world’s PE could be recovered and converted via this route, it could represent a potential savings of GHG emissions comparable to taking 3 million cars off the road.

    “If we are to upcycle a significant fraction of the over 100 million tons of plastic waste we generate each year, we need solutions that are highly scalable,” Damien Guironnet, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said. “Our team demonstrated the chemistry in a flow reactor we developed to produce propylene highly selectively and continuously. This is a key advance to address the immense volume of the problem that we are facing.” 

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    Source: University of Illinois

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