Downstream & Upstream Recycling

Downstream and Upstream Recycling: What is the difference between the two?

I know that this blog is mainly about recycling MACHINES but it is important to know these 2 terms, as these terms are used a lot in this industry. Actually, the downstream recycling process (= downcycling) is quite relevant to our industry.

What is downcycling?

Downcycling is fundamentally giving your products a second life due to industrial processes. A classic example can be found in the paper recycling industry. Paper-waste is processed in a downstream recycling factory to produce cardboard. Important to know is that downstream recycling always ends up with a product of lesser value to some extend. In other words, an A4 paper will never become an A4 paper of the same quality. The processes are optimized all the time, so the gap in quality gets smaller, but a difference always remains.

Another promising example of downcycling is taking place in the 3D printing milieu. Polyethylene Terephthalate (abbreviated PET) and High-Density Polyethylene (abbreviated HDPE) can be reused as filament. When I first heard about it, I was really excited. In-home plastic PET bottle recycling is an efficient way of recycling, as less trash is being collected by the curb, which translates to less Co2 emission. It also means that filaments don't have to get shipped so often, which also means that less green house gasses are emitted.

Now you might be asking yourself: what does this have to do with recyclingmachines and sorting magnets? Well, if you have a commodity that is a mixture of metal and plastic, you'd have to shred, bale and then separate fragments of the mixture, so it can be reused. This is where downcycling meets the magnetic separator machine.

What is upcycling or upstream recycling?

Upstream recycling - explained in a simple way - is the avoidance of waste that is being created. A good example is clothing: in stead of discarding used clothing, you could give it to a charity that gives clothes to people who could not afford it otherwise. Another way of upstream recycling is the  manufacturer that saves on packaging, so that less waste ends up on a landfill.