MCC Daily Tribune

Green Tip: Upcycle Your Old Clothes

Everyone has that favorite old shirt or pair of jeans that just doesn’t fit any longer. If you can’t bear parting with them, you can consider upcycling! Upcycling is also known as “creative reuse.” Upcycling clothing is turning something that is tattered, worn, ripped, frayed or something that you just don’t (or can’t) wear any longer into something “new.”

Upcycling extends the life of an item and helps keep waste out of landfills. Additionally, it helps reduce the use of new materials to make new products and reduces energy that would have been used to produce the new product.

10 ways to upcycle clothing from Reader’s Digest:

Dye it (great to hide stains)
Patch it (iron-on patches don’t even require any sewing)
Embroider it
Cut it
Turn it into a quilt (15 t-shirts can make a lap-size blanket)
Make a tote
Make a scrunchie
Give it to your pet (make a pet bed or blanket)
Make cleaning cloths (T-shirts with tears can be cut into square reusable wipes – stop using paper towels for spills.)
Use as gift wrap

If upcycling isn’t for you, there are other options for recycling older clothes—donating, swapping or selling.

Ann Penwarden
Sustainability Steering Committee
02/14/2023