Upcycling or Recycling?

Recycling is really "upcycling."

A term coined by William McDonaugh and Michael Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, upcycling is "the process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life."

Wiki adds: "Upcycling is a component of sustainability in which waste materials are used to provide new products."

Sound familiar? It's recycling!

Aluminum and glass, for example, can usually be upcycled into the same quality of aluminum and glass as the original products.Recycling from a whole new perspective!

How do you dispose of unused medications?

What do you do with unused over-the-counter or prescription drugs? Drugs and pharmaceutical products include powerful chemicals that have saved or improved countless lives. But even small amounts of drugs need to be disposed of carefully so they don't pollute the environment or harm human health and wildlife. In early 2007 the government set guidelines for proper disposal of prescription drugs: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/factsht/proper_disposal.html