1-1 Research & Inquiry

Boy: As humans, we throw away a vast amount of stuff every day. Just because we may think it's broken, no longer useful, or because we simply don't like or want it anymore.

Girl: However, with a bit of our time and effort, many items can still be useful.

Boy: What is upcycling? Does upcycling mean cycling up a hill?

Girl: No! Upcycling is turning old or discarded materials into something useful and often beautiful.

Boy: For example, items like old wellies or jeans could have a new purpose. Some people even make furniture or garden planters from old pallets.

Boy: Is upcycling a new idea?

Girl: No, upcycling is certainly not a new idea. Some of the best examples come from the 1930s and 40s, when families may often have had very limited money or material resources.

Boy: In those difficult times, people reused almost everything, repurposing items over and over.

Girl: For example, old seed sacks became dresses.

Boy: Or old doors became new dining tables.

Girl: During World War II, the government ran public campaigns to promote a "make-do and mend" approach to reusing things.

Boy: Why is upcycling good for our environment?

Girl: Upcycling can be great fun, as well as saving us money. The environmental benefits of upcycling are also huge.

Boy: Upcycling minimizes the volume of unwanted materials and waste being sent to landfill each year. This helps protect our limited global resources by reducing the need to use raw materials and energy to make new products.

Girl: This also means there'll be less air and water pollution, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which damage our planet.

Boy: How does upcycling compare to recycling?

Girl: Recycling old objects requires energy or water to break down materials. But upcycling mostly only needs our own ideas and effort, so it's much better for our planet.

Girl: What are the different ways items can be upcycled?

Boy: Upcycling some items might need a bit of skill and some tools, but there are plenty of simple projects we can do using everyday materials.

Girl: We can produce really useful items that look cool or even beautiful.

Boy: It's a great chance to get creative and have some fun.

Girl: Okay, what are some simple examples of upcycling?

Boy: Here are some simple upcycling and reuse projects to try.

Girl: Make desk storage from old boxes.

Boy: Make picture frames from rolled-up paper.

Girl: Upcycling tin cans with a bit of paint or cover with paper or pieces of fabric.

Boy: Make a bird feeder from an old plastic bottle.

Girl: Make a toy telephone from tin cans and string.

Boy: Hello?

Girl: What about repairing things?

Boy: Another way to put new life into old items is by repairing them.

Girl: There are now events called Repair Cafés happening around Cumbria. These are free meeting places and they're all about repairing things together.

Boy: People bring their broken items for repair. For example, clothes, furniture, electrical goods, bicycles, crockery, and toys.

Girl: At the café, there are generally all the tools and materials needed for simple repairs. Volunteers who have particular skills and experience are there to help the visitors do the repairs.

Man: Hey! It works!

Girl: The cafés are great fun, meeting new people and socializing.

Boy: And they're also a chance to learn valuable practical skills while also helping our environment.

Girl: So now that we've learned all about what upcycling is...

Boy: ...and how it helps reduce waste...

Girl: ...let's have a go at some upcycling activities together in class.