Downcycling of building materials refers to the process of recycling or repurposing waste building materials into products of inferior quality. This means that the recycled material is generally not as valuable or useful as the original material. For example, recycling plastic packaging into a park bench is a form of downcycling because the new product is not as durable or versatile as the original plastic packaging. Downcycling is typically viewed as less desirable than upcycling, which involves turning waste materials into products of greater value or quality.
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