Recycle, Upcycle, Repurpose, Refashion?

Do you ever get confused by these terms?
"Recycling" and "Upcycling" were on my radar until "Repurpose" and "Refashion" suddenly popped up on the internet about a decade ago.
When I started blogging and then progressed to workshops and talks, I was using the latter three terms interchangeably, but then I realised that they were slightly different from each other.
Stella of Purfylle asked me what the differences are, and so I decided to put together a post.  Thanks for the push, Stella!

Recycle
Recycling is ingrained in our DNA (well, most of us, anyway!).
We separate our waste and pop the recyclables, such as plastic bottles, glass bottles, paper and aluminium cans, into the recycling bin.
A recycling company comes to collect them, clean them out, and then break them down or melt them into materials that can be used to process more plastic bottles, glass bottles, paper and aluminium cans.

Upcycle
Upcycling is different from recycling. It involves adding value to the waste so that it's not thrown away or even recycled.  The value is usually added through design work. So, I have a friend who upcycles twigs she collects from her walks and upcycles them into jewelry. Hey, you can even upcycle them into coasters (see above!).  Remember, when you upcycle, you are not breaking it down into materials so that it can be remade again.

Repurpose
There are some people who use the word "repurpose". I usually think of this as another category of upcycling except that the item is upcycled in such a way that it no longer serves its original purpose. So, I would repurpose a pair of trousers into a top, or a t-shirt would be repurposed into a bag.  In the picture, the doors have been repurposed into a wall feature.

Refashion
And then there's "refashion", another word that's been used interchangeably with upcycling, but very popular with people who love to use their old clothes and convert them into something more wearable. In my opinion, it's also a category of upcycling, and sometimes it doesn't have to involve sewing at all e.g. my latest Batik DIY.

Some people may disagree with what I have said here; in fact I hop from upcycle, repurpose and refashion quite regularly. To be honest, it is most likely the definitions are so fluid that they will eventually change over time and be given only one meaning in the dictionary! Why, the word "upcycle" has only been around for less than 20 years! Nevertheless, those of us who do practise these techniques are contributing to a great cause - reducing waste - and that's all that matters.

Which word do you use?