EPA website on upcycling with lots of good info.

Reuse & Recycling of Non-Hazardous Industrial Materials Region 5 Solid Waste US EPA

The main goal of the Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) is to change the way Americans think about waste—to see the value of a used material as a product or commodity, not as a waste. Thousands of manufacturing processes and utility generators create hundreds of millions of tons of materials that are largely wasted. The RCC aims to not only change our thinking about these materials, but also to “reclaim” them. It relies heavily on voluntary partnerships to promote and encourage the use and recycling of these rich, largely untapped resources. Positive economic rewards and environmental results are moving our partners toward more waste reduction and materials management.

By committing ourselves to reduce more waste, to reuse and recycle more materials, to buy more recycled and recyclable products, and to reduce toxic chemicals in products and waste, we conserve energy and preserve natural resources.