Recycling outdoor clothing/equipment

[Quixoticgeek]

Tidying up I noticed I have a small pile of old outdoor clothing/equipment that is no longer usable. It's generally waterproof jackets that have long since stopped being waterproof (even with retreatment) or with broken zips etc... There's also a couple of knackered shoes where I've worn them through the sole...

Ideally I'd like not to dump this lot in landfill. But I'm not sure if it's possible to have any of it recycled, and if so, how to go about it.

The only recycling scheme I'm aware of is from Páramo, but that only works with their kit.

What do the rest of you do with your old kit that no longer works?

J

 

[Wayland]

Jackets and the like can be chopped up and made into stuff sacks and small bags.

Shoes are a bit trickier.

 

[Buckshot]

the only thing I can think of is reusing the some bits
For instance
Mors likes to talk of buying a down jacket from a charity shop and using the down to double insulate his own jacket making it very comfy even in the very cold
Is the trendy term for that sort of thing upcycling?
You might be able to resole some of the shoes but it depends on the wear of the rest of it

 

[John Fenna]

At work - a Care Farm with a Day Service for folk with Learning Disability - we have a selection of basically worn out clothing that is available for the Participants to wear when they are doing mucky work such as emptying the charcoal kilns, stacking the firewood, mucking out the chickens. This clothing collection is mainly gear such as you describe and it takes a long time to get to a state that no one will use for these jobs!
Once it is totally trashed it seems to simply disappear....
I have donated several old jackets - some of which are no longer in evidence...
Perhaps you have a similar place near you that could use your old kit

 

[Quixoticgeek]

At work - a Care Farm with a Day Service for folk with Learning Disability - we have a selection of basically worn out clothing that is available for the Participants to wear when they are doing mucky work such as emptying the charcoal kilns, stacking the firewood, mucking out the chickens. This clothing collection is mainly gear such as you describe and it takes a long time to get to a state that no one will use for these jobs!
Once it is totally trashed it seems to simply disappear....
I have donated several old jackets - some of which are no longer in evidence...
Perhaps you have a similar place near you that could use your old kit

What's the address? I wonder how much of it I could fit in a royal mail small parcel box...

J

 

[rorymax]

All larger supermarkets around here have recycle bins\skips, designated containers for shoes, clothing, cardboard, glass, cans etc.

Free to use.

What happens to the stuff in reality, I do not know. At worst the stuff will (or should) go to designated landfill sites for the respective items.

Local authorities vary in how they dispose of waste, e.g. I offered our (workplace -not home) local waste authority that we would segregate all our waste paper if they would provide designated bins for the purpose; they said they would charge us for the bins ????

They also revealed that the waste paper would go to general landfill sites and not be set aside for recycling, go figure. As a result, I could see no point in segregating paper and even less point in paying to do so if was to end up in 'general waste' landfill areas.

Some people might be surprised as to what their local authorities do with regard to recycling, one of those questions most of us never think to ask, we assume that all waste is segregated and perhaps recycled, not so.

And further, our local authority gives all the valuable stuff, tins and plastics and metals and waste oils etc. to private contractors, who in turn pack and remove said waste from the council yard, basically I resent segregating waste for private companies to profit from, mini bugbear of mine, mini rant over.

 

[John Fenna]

What's the address? I wonder how much of it I could fit in a royal mail small parcel box...

J

It would be cheaper to find a similar operation near you

 

[FlashPan]

I thought that your regular charity shops will take anything. (Not sure if that goes for shoes though).

What the cannot sell or not good enough to be put out for sale is sent away (or sold) to be shredded to make insulation, blankets etc.

I would say pop into your local branch and ask them.

 

[Corso]

Mine all go to the local hospice charity shop, nothings been turned away

however I expect with winter coming there will be a charity drive for such clothing to be sent to syria

 

[Robson Valley]

I've cut shoes and boots to pieces for the leather parts = patches and jaw pads for vises or for hammer facings and adze masks.
Pant legs are rebuilt into wood carving tool rolls (1.5 legs), the other bit becomes a stuff sack.
Sleeves make good storage for ropes = don't get tangled.
a) found a guy who restores furniture, has a machine that can sew almost anything.
b) bought a tarp grommet installation tool & supplies = cord holes for bag tops.

Had a bright red HD canvas flight bag that got lugged around the world 2X before it started to come apart
Recently had a cut-proof wood carver's apron sewn up from that. Won't protect me from adze strikes or stab cuts
but no crooked knife ever got through it.

 

[Tengu]

I dont understand your dislike of private companies, Rorymax; Our local one recycles as much as it can to squeeze the most money out of it. (And they have limited landfil, of course)

The local council is halfhearted.

(I will say some local authorities are much better)

 

[rorymax]

Tengu,

Our local waste disposal centre take the easy way out, that is, they give the valuable stuff to private contractors for recycling, our council waste disposal facility either receive nothing or very very little from the private contractors.

Yes, items are being recycled by the contractors, but there should be more initiative by the council to maximise income revenue.

I do not dislike private companies per se, I do dislike giving my time to segregating waste for others to make a profit rather than the council, to whom I pay my council taxes.

I do my bit on waste recycling, I take things like old engine oil to the waste facility where they don't even provide a decent oil disposal receptacle, the one they have is too bloody high and if there is some wind I end up splattered in oil , I basically segregate everything and when I go to the waste centre I (and everyone else) feeds or deposits the items into their allotted containers, no help from council staff, so when I see the contractors taking the profits it makes me feel like an unpaid waste sifter for private enterprise.

In reality the fault lies with the council, they have neither the will nor the initiative to extend themselves to making our recycling centre more cost effective for us council taxpayers, so long as they can say 'X' percentage is recycled then they don't really care about much else, the old meeting targets at any cost scenario.

 

[Robson Valley]

There's a shere volume and critical mass for anybody to make any money investing in any recycling program.
Villages and small towns on the Canadian prairies often just dig a shallow pit for all glass. Staggered over time,
the pits are mined every 10-12 years.

There's a lead/acid battery recycling business in Trail BC. He sells both the acid and the lead to the big lead/zinc smelter, just down the road.
Washed, dried, melted into beads, he has another buyer for the plastic, trainloads of it.
Here's the sobering fact: I visited the plant approx 20 years ago. In that day and time, he had to source and transport
batteries from all across western North America. He had to smash 5,000 batteries per 24hrs to make a living (and employees).