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Repurposing
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<h2 id="description">Description</h2> <p>Repurposing is as old as <a href="/facts/Human_civilization/xvGpjDPj">human civilization</a>, with many contemporary scholars investigating how different societies re-appropriate the artifacts of older cultures in new and creative ways.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> More recently, repurposing has been celebrated by 21st century hobbyists and arts-and-crafts organizations such as <a href="/facts/Instructables/kXo5IV13">Instructables</a> and other <a href="/facts/Maker_culture/7mDNYpU3">Maker culture</a> communities as a means of creatively responding to the ecological and economic crises of the 21st century. Recent scholarship has attempted to relate these activities to American left- and right-<a href="/facts/Libertarianism/IWNllND8">libertarianism</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>Repurposing is the use of a tool being re-channeled into being another tool, usually for a purpose unintended by the original tool-maker. Typically, repurposing is done using items usually considered to be junk, garbage, or obsolete. A good example of this would be the <a href="/facts/Earthship/RRUSK2vs">Earthship</a> style of house, that uses tires as insulating walls and bottles as glass walls. Reuse is not limited to repeated uses for the same purpose. Examples of repurposing include using tires as <a href="/facts/Boat_fender/Xf5f6JDB">boat fenders</a> and <a href="/facts/Steel_drum/8LV6lx1a">steel drums</a> or plastic drums as <a href="/facts/Feeding_trough/uXUNelny">feeding troughs</a> and/or composting bins. <a href="/facts/Incinerator/ALwWqMlv">Incinerator</a> and power plant exhaust stack <a href="/facts/Fly-ash/RrPNlq9t">fly-ash</a> is used extensively as an <a href="/facts/Concrete_additive/K6whGVNx">additive to concrete</a>, providing increased strength. This type of reuse can sometimes make use of items which are no longer usable for their original purposes, for example using worn-out clothes as <a href="/facts/Textile/PJrVeM5S">rags</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2> <h3>Art</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Appropriation_(art)/JALs8j49">Appropriation (art)</a> is the repurposing of pre-existing objects or images with little or no transformation applied to them. The use of appropriation has played a significant role in the history of the arts (audiovisual, literary, musical and performing arts). In the audiovisual arts, to appropriate means to properly adopt, borrow, recycle or sample aspects (or the entire form) of human-made audiovisual culture. Notable in this respect are the <a href="/facts/Readymades_of_Marcel_Duchamp/7GVRCE0t">Readymades of Marcel Duchamp</a> and <a href="/facts/Sampling_(music)/QLXy5WbA">sampling</a> in <a href="/facts/Hip_Hop_music/0lsHpwAD">Hip Hop music</a>.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Steelpan/8LV6lx1a">Steelpan</a> drums are created from oil drums</li></ul> <h3>Automobiles</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Full-size_van/kprf6QXL">Full-size vans</a> from the <a href="/facts/Big_Three_(automobile_manufacturers)/5cyTUsmk">Big Three</a> which have been used for airport shuttle service have been repurposed as church vans mainly because of some <a href="/facts/Depreciation/IjXBdxmx">depreciation</a> to facilitate affordable cost for thrifty church groups.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Electronics</h3> <ul><li>A <a href="/facts/USB_dead_drop/4cvL34Tb">USB dead drop</a> can be mounted on a brick wall since this gives an opportunity to repurpose older USB flash drives with obsolete capacities to continue service for file transfer (especially anonymous ones) that don't demand more than one <a href="/facts/Gigabyte/s2hb2SEg">gigabyte</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Everdrive/g9UqMUwk">Everdrive</a> and other flash video game cartridges have offered opportunities to download <a href="/facts/ROM_image/D7ngQLxV">ROM images</a> of video game cartridges onto <a href="/facts/SD_card/RLL9UTly">SD cards</a> while offering opportunities to repurpose real vintage video game consoles for retro gameplay.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></li> <li>Old Android smartphones, which tend to have little computing resources yet which are unused and probably contain a triaxial <a href="/facts/Accelerometer/xxrXzrlI">accelerometer</a> of decent specifications, can be used as an amateur seismograph node for a distributed seismography project, e.g., <a href="/facts/Quake-Catcher_Network/XEvdTXsQ">Quake-Catcher Network</a>.</li> <li>Discarded or new consumer COTS surplus parabolic reflectors intended for use for C band satellite TV reception can be repurposed for a wide gamut of applications for which a consumer-grade reflector of low gain is adequate, incl. amateur microwave SETI (mainly <a href="/facts/Project_Argus/zPBhxLzb">Project Argus</a>), Wi-Fi links, and microwave <a href="/facts/Amateur_radio/cBsMyamV">amateur radio</a> <a href="/facts/Radio_beacons/UJWrV5Nf">radio beacons</a>.</li></ul> <h3>As a tactic for manufacturing goods</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Right-hand-drive/bctd5Cr0">Right-hand-drive</a> <a href="/facts/Jeep/6f5snxWn">Jeep</a> brand vehicles, such as the <a href="/facts/Jeep_Wrangler/IU1dA1lX">Jeep Wrangler</a>, which are initially slated for import to right-hand-drive countries, have had some specially designed versions repurposed for US and Canada <a href="/facts/Postal_service/qF0nv7t9">postal service</a> mail carrying, in which this tactic of repurposing can consolidate the overhead of retooling for specialty manufacturing of the vehicle.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Manufacturing of recycled goods</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Reusable_packaging/qXIkoVPV">Reusable packaging</a> can be reused for a wide variety of other purposes.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Recycling/x9X7GAzz">Recycling</a> can also involve repurposing of materials, such as products using <a href="/facts/Recycled_paper/6DHpr9Aj">recycled paper</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Drugs</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Drug_repositioning/lv8SgfDt">Drug repositioning</a> (also known as "drug repurposing" or "therapeutic switching") is the application of known <a href="/facts/Medication/h9mhwWP2">drugs</a> and <a href="/facts/Compound_(chemistry)/37FXqqtv">compounds</a> to treat new <a href="/facts/Diseases/55eeQlGL">diseases</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> Examples include <a href="/facts/Pfizer/1ADDanWs">Pfizer</a>'s <a href="/facts/Viagra/2NHe0pwM">Viagra</a> for <a href="/facts/Erectile_dysfunction/7HDetsos">erectile dysfunction</a> and <a href="/facts/Celgene/3c4IS2Nf">Celgene</a>'s <a href="/facts/Thalidomide/FWQGuD2A">thalidomide</a> for cancer.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Off-label_use/0PDs5VWS">Off-label use</a></li></ul> <h3>Real property</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Real_estate/fngFAqrR">Real estate</a>, including land and <a href="/facts/Building/edSjKXje">buildings</a>, is routinely <a href="/facts/Adaptive_reuse/YyqpfBzu">adaptive reused</a> for other purposes, both short-term and long-term, due to its high fixed cost. An example is <a href="/facts/Mill_conversion/HhGcAHMg">conversion of old industrial mills</a>.</li></ul> <h3>Scrap and household materials</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Scrap_metal/lPWqt9vd">Scrap metal</a> has countless applications for repurposing.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Furniture/J7JrsrlA">Furniture</a> has countless applications for repurposing.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></li> <li>Kitchen utensils have many unique repurposing opportunities.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a></li> <li>Beverage bottles: <a href="/facts/Water_bottle/66DYqsuj">Water bottles</a> may be repurposed for <a href="/facts/Solar_water_disinfection/SajBuUwN">solar water disinfection</a>. <a href="/facts/Wat_Pa_Maha_Chedi_Kaew/gTMgv8NF">Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew</a> is a Buddhist temple in Thailand made from one million discarded beer bottles.</li> <li>Removed house parts, like doors, also have countless potential repurposing applications.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Repurposing. <ul><li><a href="/facts/Code_reuse/DVohfy6U">Code reuse</a> – Using existing code in new software</li> <li><a href="/facts/Computer_recycling/XIxx7MEm">Computer recycling</a> – Form of recyclingPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets</li> <li><a href="/facts/Exaptation/aK8nu0xE">Exaptation</a> – Function of trait, shifted by evolution</li> <li><a href="/facts/Jury_rigging/Ch9ucFmy">Jury rigging</a> – Term for a makeshift repair</li> <li><a href="/facts/Kitbashing/VFyLNpyX">Kitbashing</a> – Creation of a new model by combining elements of multiple commercial kit models</li> <li><a href="/facts/Micro-sustainability/kjrw1tcY">Micro-sustainability</a> – Individual or small scale sustainability efforts</li> <li><a href="/facts/Planned_obsolescence/qzRRaKzf">Planned obsolescence</a> – Policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life</li> <li><a href="/facts/Recycling/x9X7GAzz">Recycling</a> – Converting waste materials into new products</li> <li><a href="/facts/Remanufacturing/QS85dlNX">Remanufacturing</a> – Rebuilding of product to original manufactured product using combo of reused and new parts</li> <li><a href="/facts/Resource_recovery/RSI2uWfu">Resource recovery</a> – Using wastes as an input material to create valuable products</li> <li><a href="/facts/Retrocomputing/fHu2QnUo">Retrocomputing</a> – Hobbyist use of older computer equipment</li> <li><a href="/facts/Reuse/PbL4bSzI">Reuse</a> – Using something again</li> <li><a href="/facts/Reverse_engineering/pmJCV7J7">Reverse engineering</a> – Process of extracting design information from anything artificial</li> <li><a href="/facts/Upcycling/33x35tQE">Upcycling</a> – Recycling waste into products of higher quality</li> <li><a href="/facts/Used_good/gazpSady">Used good</a> – Item that is not new being sold or transferred</li> <li><a href="/facts/Waste_minimisation/ohQDUGKC">Waste minimisation</a> – Process that involves reducing the amount of waste produced in society</li> <li><a href="/facts/Zero_waste/c9aHpa78">Zero waste</a> – Philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Medieval Recycling". Harvard Gazette. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2014. <a href="http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/medieval-recycling/" target="_blank">http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/medieval-recycling/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Malewitz, R. (2014) "The Practice of Misuse". Stanford University Press. Retrieved 20 October 2014. <a href="http://www-sup.stanford.edu/book.cgi?id=22814" target="_blank">http://www-sup.stanford.edu/book.cgi?id=22814</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Throwaways: Work Culture and Consumer Education". Stanford University Press. Retrieved 20 October 2014. <a href="http://www-sup.stanford.edu/book.cgi?id=3195" target="_blank">http://www-sup.stanford.edu/book.cgi?id=3195</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"100 Ways to Repurpose and Reuse Broken Household Items". DIY & Crafts. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014. <a href="http://www.diyncrafts.com/6081/repurpose/100-ways-repurpose-reuse-broken-household-items" target="_blank">http://www.diyncrafts.com/6081/repurpose/100-ways-repurpose-reuse-broken-household-items</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Hammar, Richard R. "What Church Leaders Should Know About Church Vans". Enrichment Journal. Retrieved 3 August 2014. <a href="http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200401/200401_54_sb6_vans.cfm" target="_blank">http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200401/200401_54_sb6_vans.cfm</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"How to make your own". Deaddrops.com. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013. <a href="https://deaddrops.com/dead-drops/participate/" target="_blank">https://deaddrops.com/dead-drops/participate/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Stoneagegamer's article on the Everdrive <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130329014653/http://www.stoneagegamer.com/mega-everdrive-deluxe.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130329014653/http://www.stoneagegamer.com/mega-everdrive-deluxe.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Article title[usurped] US Drive Right: The Nation's Largest Seller Of Used Factory Right Hand Drive Vehicles For Postal Carriers <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200224231212/http://www.rightdrivejeeps4postal.com/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20200224231212/http://www.rightdrivejeeps4postal.com/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Debunking the Myths of Recycled Paper". IT Recycle. Retrieved 4 February 2007. <a href="https://it-recycle.uk/debunking-the-myths-of-recycled-paper/" target="_blank">https://it-recycle.uk/debunking-the-myths-of-recycled-paper/</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Sleigh, Sara H.; Barton, Cheryl L. (23 August 2012). "Repurposing Strategies for Therapeutics". Pharmaceutical Medicine. 24 (3): 151–159. doi:10.1007/BF03256811. S2CID 25267555. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Ashburn, TT; Thor, KB (August 2004). "Drug repositioning: identifying and developing new uses for existing drugs". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 3 (8): 673–83. doi:10.1038/nrd1468. PMID 15286734. S2CID 205475073. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Institute of Medicine (2014). Drug Repurposing and Repositioning: Workshop Summary. National Academies Press. ISBN 9780309302043. <a href="9780309302043" target="_blank">9780309302043</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Upcycling,Recycling,Repurpose,&REUSE- furniture & household items to random ish <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/trinshaye/upcycling-recycling-repurpose-reuse-furniture-hous/" target="_blank">https://www.pinterest.com/trinshaye/upcycling-recycling-repurpose-reuse-furniture-hous/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Unique Repurposing Ideas". Sunshine Skips. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016. <a href="http://www.sunshineskips.com.au/recycling/awesome-repurposing-ideas-from-around-the-globe/" target="_blank">http://www.sunshineskips.com.au/recycling/awesome-repurposing-ideas-from-around-the-globe/</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Homebnc (3 June 2022). "45+ Artistic and Practical Repurposed Old Door Ideas". Homebnc. Retrieved 3 October 2022. <a href="https://homebnc.com/best-repurposed-old-door-ideas/" target="_blank">https://homebnc.com/best-repurposed-old-door-ideas/</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>