From Wikipedia:

Upcycling is a component of sustainability in which waste materials are used to provide new products. It is generally a reinvestment in the environment. "Upcycling is the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value." This process allows for the reduction of waste and use of virgin materials.

The term upcycling was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, authors of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

It's a term that my photographer friend Libby Bulloff introduced me to and I hope to make "Upcycling:" a regular feature here at The Steampunk Workshop.  If you have a cool hack for "Upcycling:" send it to Upcycling@vonslatt.com.

We bought this thing in an uncharacteristic flurry of consumerism in preparation for a huge family Thanksgiving dinner.  But you know what?  The damn thing works quite well and is really handy for spot clean-ups which seem to be the only kind of cleanups we ever do these days.

We quickly discovered that the bottles of cleaner were not meant to be re-filled, they have a lock-ring on the cap like some milk bottles, only this ring doesn't break away when you try and twist off the cap.

As of late last year we were banned from pulling items for our town dump's metal and wood recycling bins.  The stated reason was 'public safety' but it was fairly clear from the expressions on the faces of a few of our town's selectmen during the discussion that the whole idea of 'taking things from the garbage' was abhorrent to them.

One of them related the story of seeing some folks remove a 'soiled mattress' from one of the dumpsters.  He feared that the town could be held liable for 'disease' if this form of reuse were allowed to continue.

While we generally love and respect the Victorians and their technology here at the Steampunk Workshop, we do think that our public officials need to have a more modern understanding of epidemiology.