Downcycling is recycling in which material is turned into a product of lower quality, performance or value than the original. A typical example is mixed plastic packaging made into park benches, or clear film recycled into dark refuse sacks.
It happens when waste is mixed, contaminated or degraded, so the recyclate can no longer meet the original specification. Downcycling still keeps material out of landfill, but each cycle usually ends in a product that is not recycled again. Better sortation, washing and process control push recycling towards closed-loop recycling and upcycling, where the material holds or gains value.
