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Manila Bulletin devider Environment and Sustainability devider This recycling center teaches creative ways to reuse waste

This recycling center teaches creative ways to reuse waste

Upstyle serves as both a recycling center and education hub, advocating for sustainable upcycling of discarded materials

Published Mar 22, 2024 02:30 am

Donating waste to recycling facilities is one way to help the planet fight what appears to be an ongoing consumerism “plague,” but did you know it’s achievable to upcycle litter at home? 

Enter Upstyle, a recycling center and educational hub advocating for sustainable upcycling of discarded materials. It recycles waste into functional, stylish items and teaches individuals how to recycle their trash into useful creations. 

With a vision to upcycle waste with style, the center hosts in-person and online upcycling sessions, covering sustainable paper-making and paper clay crafting workshops in Ilocos Norte and Taguig City.

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Window blinds made from newspapers (Photos from Upstyle)

Upstyle, a winning initiative in the fifth Reimagine Recycling program by Coca-Cola PH and Save Philippine Seas, transforms denim jeans into placemats, newspapers into classic window blinds, and plastic bottles into lamps — promoting environmental sustainability through one recyclable at a time. 

How can I participate? 

Workshops at the hub are accessible through online registration links on Upstyle’s Facebook page. Some sessions cover making paper from scratch, turning scrap papers into masterpieces, and sculpting paper clays with guidance from skilled instructors. 

In case you don’t have money or time to step outside the house, the recycling center offers workshop replays and do-it-yourself tutorials available on its YouTube channels: “I Am an Upstylist” and “PA Intuitives,” which feature waste transformation how-tos that don’t require massive efforts.

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Plastic straws can be recycled into a vase.

The hub also challenges individuals to share their eco-creations using #UpstyleChallenge2024 on social media, aiming to inspire each other to think outside the box. In 2022, it featured two local artists who turned magazines into creative pieces. 

Upstyle offers a slice of hope in the ever-detrimental conditions our planet has to face. With learning materials made available online and for free, the center proves that recycling can be fun and innovative, helping create a world where no waste resides in landfills.

Related Tags

Upstyle Save Philippine Seas (SPS) Coca-Cola Philippines MBEnvironment
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