The difference between upcycling and recycling is that upcycling involves taking one or more old products and adding it to another to produce something new, whereas recycling simply submits used materials to be reproduced into the same product.
Upcycling is about using what you have to produce something newer or better, and recycling is about minimizing the amount of trash you generate. Both are effective means of living a low- or no-waste lifestyle and reducing the amount of refuse that ends up in landfills.