How a local Ontario handmade business have been making a difference to Canadian landfills

Have you ever visited a landfill? Trust me, it’s one place you don’t want to go. The first time I ever went was when my husband and I were doing some Reno’s in our home and we had a bunch of drywall we needed disposing of. Well I’m going to tell you now, it wasn’t what I expected. It is literally a huge pile of garbage that a massive piece of machinery rolls over to flatten it, and then it’s covered with dirt (this is the most technical way that I can describe it- ha!) . It was the most devastating place I’d ever seen- I remember looking round and seeing diapers on the floor along with half of a couch. I know that sometimes we don’t have much of a choice but from that day forward, I made sure I did as much as I could to reduce my personal waste ending up in that place. This is why I love the idea of Upcycling- The fact that we are able to use unwanted items that would normally be ‘buried’ and turn them into something usable is amazing and they become far more valuable as they are often one of a kind and unique.

A local St. Catharines business has been doing just that- they have been finding a new purpose for unwanted items before they are thrown away. It’s all about taking disposable things and creating something useful from them. “We see the huge opportunity in-front of us to divert reusable items from our landfills!”. UpCycle Canada opened their doors to their brand new storefront a few short months ago and have already made a huge impact on their local area- their reviews speak for themselves!  We had the pleasure of speaking with Dave and Jen from UpCycle Canada to ask a few questions about their amazing business: 

Q: How did you get started with UpCycle Canada, what was your main inspiration?

 A: we started UpCycle Canada as a way to supplement our income and provide for our family.  We chose to work with only recycled/discarded materials to reduce cost and because we felt we could be a small part in diverting materials from landfill!

Q: What is unique about your business?

A:  we only use discarded items.  We do not buy materials from big box stores.  Because we use discarded materials, each item is unique - truly One of One.

Q: What is your favourite product you currently have in store?

 A:  We have so many great products that it’s hard to choose- we have reached out to other upcycled vendors from across Canada... Great, creative vendors from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.  

Q: What changes have you had to make to your business during COVID-19?

A: 4 weeks after our grand opening we had to close our doors due to the covid pandemic.  We have continued to provide custom orders for our great customers.  We have added online shopping opportunities as well.

Q: What future plans do you have for Upcycle Canada?

A: once we can reopen, we want to have increased opportunities to host our eco-friendly sign painting classes.  We also  enjoy supporting our local charities in donating to their fundraising auction events.

Q: Tell us something unique about one of your products?

A: One of our items was autographed by Anne Murray which was huge for us.  

Q: Are you products mainly sold to local customers? 

A: We have items now across the world!  China, Japan, Columbia, Mexico, U.S., Europe and across Canada.

and for a bit of fun: 

Q: We are all dreaming of our next vacation after everything returns back to normal, where is your favourite destination and why?

A: we would love to see more of Canada... Our country is rich in beauty and history.

Thank you so much for being a part of our blog post Upcycle Canada, we wish you much luck with the future and we will continue to folllow your amazing progress- you too can check them out by visiting their store at : Linwell Plaza - Grantham and Linwell Road, St. Catharines, ON if you are local, online at www.upcyclecanada.ca or follow their social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram 

Have we inspired you to recreate something special from an item you would normally throw away? Pinterest is a great place to start with sooooo many ideas! Be sure to let us know what you have created by sharing your comments below, and tagging us on your social media with #revivethetee- we can’t wait to see!

I’m off to start my version of upcycling.. another awesome memory T-shirt Quilt 

Chat soon

Gemma 

RE-Vive the TEE