YORK, Pennsylvania — Imagine you've got an old item that you're thinking of throwing away, but instead of trashing it, you find another use for it.
You give the product more life while benefiting the environment in the process. This is an art form known as "upcycling."
And June 24 is known as World Upcycling Day, a day that's meant to raise awareness and celebrate the act of repurposing items, so they're not wasted.
By doing so, it can help reduce the amount of trash ending up in landfills and even preserve natural resources.
Kaitlynn Hamaty, a sustainability manager at Millersville University, told FOX43 that it's always important to remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle--in that order.
"Repurposing items is an integral part in our world and our lives. We have a finite amount of resources, and if we're able to repurpose them, then we don't have to rely on mining new ones or getting new ones," Hamaty said.
She shared that recycling is important but to make sure we're not always defaulting to recycling and instead, "trying to find ways to change behaviors so that we can reduce what we're consuming and then as the next resort trying to reuse it, trying to repurpose it, upcycling it."
Hamaty explained upcycling is a great way to be creative. For example, you can cut up an old t-shirt and use it as a rag instead of using paper towels or use old glass containers as a way to grow plants.
There are many ways we can take part in upcycling, and if you are looking to buy items, consider purchasing them second-hand.
One place you can do that is at York Habitat ReStore, which is an extension of the nonprofit, York Habitat for Humanity.
It's a home improvement store full of donated gently used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more, at an affordable price.
ReStore is open every week--Tuesday through Saturday--and funds from every item sold at the store go directly back to the nonprofit.
Natasha Kukorlo, executive director of York Habitat for Humanity, explained this store has multiple purposes.
"The main purpose is to help fund the mission of York Habitat for Humanity--to build more homes for low-income families. But we also help the environment because instead of all of this stuff going into a landfill, it's coming here and people are finding treasures to help their own homes or help with construction projects," Kukorlo said.
It's a place to find what you're looking for or even find the unexpected.
"We have a little bit of everything, you never know what you'll find here, inventory is always changing," Kukorlo said.
York Habitat also receives local companies' overstock items, so they don't go to waste.
And with all of these different items available, it allows the opportunity for customers to get creative when turning an old item into something of their own.
"We've gotten pictures of customers before and afters of changing dressers in to changing tables or changing cabinets into coffee nooks."
Before:
After:
York Habitat ReStore is having a sale on Saturday where every item in the store is 50% off.
Business hours:
- Tuesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Friday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Donation Drop-Off hours:
- Tuesday-Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
York Habitat will also pick up your donated items for free.