Recycling Lycra

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  • July 9, 2013 at 12:40 pm #974882
    GuyContinental
    Participant

    First, awesome that you are thinking of this…

    Some brands (notably Patagonia) will take back used-up gear/clothing for re-insertion into their supply chain or use in other projects (e.g. artificial turf) but I’m not aware of any bike gear sellers or manufacturers that do the same. Lycra as a fabric is not absorbent and not terribly easy to break down but there is a company in NJ that does industrial-scale re-purposing (http://www.tranclo.com/) you could call them and ask about local drop-offs.

    July 9, 2013 at 4:22 pm #974920
    fuzzy
    Participant

    It might be able to be used as insulation. I know of jean pants being shredded up to be used as home insulation, you wont find it in the home depot or lowes. That stuff can be found on the internet.

    You might want to wash your shorts before you throw them behind an unfinished wall in your house.

    July 10, 2013 at 12:15 am #974985
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    Seems like recycling synthetic fibers is a mixed bag, although I already suspected that those fibers were not reused in clothing. They can still be used for less demanding uses such as park benches, plastic posts, artificial turf, etc.

    http://oecotextiles.wordpress.com/tag/synthetic-fabrics/

    http://blog.trashbackwards.com/2013/03/19/can-you-recycle-synthetic-fabrics/

    Apparently two-thirds of global polyester production is used for textiles. The remainder goes primarily to the production of water/soda bottles. 85% of textile waste goes to landfills. Not a good stat.

    However, there is some good news. The North Face runs a “Clothes the Loop” program at selected stores. They accept apparel and footwear of any brand. The items are sent to recycling centers where they are either reused or recycled into raw materials for use as insulation, carpet padding, stuffing for toys and new clothing. Or so they say.

    The North Face store in Georgetown is one of the participating stores, at 3333 M St., NW. So that settles it. I’ll bring the shorts over there, the next time I’m in Georgetown. I have other synthetic items too, mostly tech shirts that are either too heavy in feel or that chafe. (Some tech shirts do chafe. Most of the shirts don’t cause any problems, but a couple of them start irritating my skin within 20 minutes of a run.)

    The store will give you a $10 voucher for recycling apparel, but that’s not why I’ll do it. (I don’t think I have any North Face gear.) I hate seeing crap (garbage) on trails, river banks and grassy areas. While I can’t take care of all of the problems myself, at least I don’t have to contribute to the pollution problem. (If I look at all of my daily activities, I’m sure there is some plastic/energy waste generated, but we can’t be perfect.) I think I’ll bring running shoes over there too, as those wear out. (On the other hand, I think my bike shoes might last forever. Or at least until I quit riding, sometime in my 80s or 90s…)

    http://www.thenorthface.com/en_US/clothes-the-loop/

    July 10, 2013 at 1:22 am #974992
    fuzzy
    Participant

    Wash those shorts before hand, for the employees sake!

    July 10, 2013 at 1:37 am #974997
    PotomacCyclist
    Participant

    Gee, I wonder if I should wash the shorts first… :rolleyes:

    July 10, 2013 at 10:22 am #975010
    Dirt
    Participant

    I recycle my own lycra. I use it in the process fiberglass fabrication. Unfortunately I have more recycled lycra than I have fiberglass projects at the moment. It is just an idea for re-use of old jerseys and shorts.

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