Waste and recycling, separation of the waste

As there is more and more of the waste material, other new terms used in connection with recycling are appearing. According to sources 1), more than 1.3 billion tons of wastes were produced on Earth in 2013. For detailed analysis we recommend the Eurostat website -Waste statistics. 2) For example, from 2010 to 2012, the amount of waste in the EU increased by 55 million tons.

Vocabulary

Recycling – reuse of waste as a secondary material for further production.

Upcycling – it is also a reuse of things or waste, but something new is created out of this, having a higher quality or value. Different decorations or artistic objects are often made from the upcycled waste materials, so the „higher value“ is debatable. An example is the use of old pallets for furniture production.

Downcycling – It is also the reuse of things or waste, but on the contrary it reduces its quality and value of the material. A typical example is the use of paper. First we have beautiful glossy paper made. This paper is recycled and it is made into plain writing paper. In the next recycling, it is made into packaging paper – boxes. Sometimes there are more noticeable smaller recycled parts in it. In the last phase, for example, a toilet roll is made. It is not advisable to recycle such paper anymore, as it has lost most of its important features.