First there was recycling — reusing old material instead of throwing it away.
Then came: Upcycling — remaking something in a way that increases its value or quality, like scissoring ratty old T-shirts into yarn to knit a new bath mat. Downcycling — remaking something in a way that decreases its value or quality, like refashioning a flannel sheet into a "family cloth." And — in which one person's trash becomes a hipster's treasure, such as whisky bottles retooled into bangle bracelets and bike chain plates repurposed as earrings.
Now comes the practice of taking old things and using them for good causes. Let's call it nice-cycling. Here are a few examples:
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