You’ve all seen the mantra Refuse, Reuse, Recycle. Buried in there is a growing adaptation of Recycle called Upcycle.
Recycling takes old materials and breaks them down into new materials that can be used for other products. Upcycling takes old materials and transforms them into something new and better than what they were before. Both recycling and upcycling are important parts of going green and reducing your carbon footprint.
For example: Glass jars are one of the easiest items to upcycle. Clean them out, soak them in warm hot water to remove the label and you can use them pretty much anywhere in your house. Glass jars are great for storing dry goods in your pantry like rice, beans, pasta, and flour.
(Don’t forget, when you reuse a container to purchase bulk or other unpackaged items here at the Co-op you get a 5% discount on the value of your purchase. And over time that adds up !)
And, have you ever thought about fabric? Toss out a dress, someone buys the toss, and creates a new item of clothing, such as a short skirt or shirt. Popular in the craft area.
More specifically, Upcycling, (also known as creative reuse), is the process of transforming by-products and waste materials into new materials or products perceived to be of greater value. As far as food goes, billions of pounds of food are wasted every year around the world, but there are ways that people reuse food and find a way to upcycle. One common method is to feed it to animals because many animals, such as pigs, will eat all the scraps given. Approximately 30% of the food livestock consumes, in total, comes from food waste in the supply chain.
Another way is to just break it down and use it in compost, which will improve the soil. Many types of food waste, such as fruits, vegetables, egg shells, nuts, and nut shells, can be used in compost to enrich soil.
One of the newest concepts started five years ago when a team of experts from Harvard Law School, Drexel University, World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, ReFED and others (Upcyclefood.org) defined “upcycled food”): Upcycled Food is about creating high quality nutritious food products out of nutrients that slip through the cracks in our food system. They use ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption, are procured and produced using verifiable supply chains, and have a positive impact on the environment. Upcycled foods indicate which ingredients are upcycled on their labels and display the Upcycled certification symbol.
So, can you find any upcycled food at the Co-op? Of course. A number of items are available throughout the store. Take, for example, Brewer’s Everything Flatbread Crackers (Somerville, MA) made with Upcycled Grains. The grains actually are barley and wheat left over from the beer brewing process and would otherwise have been thrown away. As the label says: “Brewers steep high quality (sprouted and roasted) grains in water to remove their natural sugars, leaving us with the flavorful and nutritious saved grain.” (Lamplighter Brewing Co., Cambridge, MA is one supplier.)
And then there’s Uglies Kettle Potato Chips (Sea Salt) that contains both upcycled and non-upcycled potatoes. (Check out the back of the package for further fun facts.) Or, Matriark Tomato Basil Sauce which upcycles high-quality U.S. grown tomatoes and uses packaging that has 81% lower carbon footprint than cans or glass jars (ReFED Impact Calculator). Details on the side label.
So, while you’re shopping, take a moment to look for the Upcycle logo. Do your part to help reduce food waste.