According to the EPA, recyclable materials like听rubber, leather, and textiles (or 19.3 million tons) of the waste thrown in American landfills in 2015. Yeah, it鈥檚 easy to toss a worn-out听piece of gear in the trash and forget about it, but its usefulness doesn鈥檛 have to end there.听Consider these options instead.
Turn Tent Scraps into Backpacks
The nylon or polyester听material of听tent bodies can easily be sewn onto other tents or camping gear to patch holes or tears. If you want to get more creative, turn听it听into , , or for yourself or friends and family. If you鈥檇 rather ship the tent off to someone else to repurpose, programs like accept donations听and reinvent听them as听 or even .
Punch Holes in Fuel Canisters
When it comes time to recycle a fuel canister, use the听听to release all remaining fumes from the top nozzle. Once there鈥檚 no propane left, use the same tool to听puncture a small hole听in the听canister using the integrated wrench.听This allows it to be recycled properly, as machines can鈥檛 process pressurized containers.听After making the hole, write 鈥淓mpty鈥 on the canister in bold black marker to give the workers at the recycling facilities a clear indication that it鈥檚 safe. If they question that it鈥檚 empty, its safer for them to throw it away than investigate.听And check your local recycling regulations, since most canisters are made of stainless steel, which many curbside pickup services don鈥檛 accept. You may need to drive spent canisters to a special drop-off location.
Craft with Bike Tubes
Here in New Mexico, we have tons听of goatheads鈥攕piny demon seeds of an invasive weed that puncture bike tires and stab the bottoms of unshod feet鈥攐n our听roads and trails, leading to endless flats. Thankfully, there are many options for recycling old bike tubes: both and will take them via mail-in or drop-off. (Though with REI, call ahead to make sure your local shop participates in the program.) There are also听 on crafts you can do with old bike tubes, like create听earrings or wallets.
Host a Clothing Swap
Keeping apparel in use just nine extra months can reduce the related carbon, water, and waste footprints听by 20 or 30 percent. But most people throw clothing in a garbage bag and bring it to their closest thrift store, many of which听receive听more donations than they can realistically sell. (So much, in fact, that only is actually resold.) Instead, organize a clothing swap with your friends. Or if you鈥檙e holding on to old Patagonia clothing听specifically, the brand offers 听and resells the used clothing in . Also, San Francisco鈥揵ased听 at the end of April, and it will pay you $5 per old T-shirt听from any brand听(up to $25)听and then make new ones out of them.听
Collect Energy-Bar Wrappers
OK, these don鈥檛 really count as听gear, but I鈥檓 sure you go through a few energy bars now and then. And each one comes in an aluminum-coated, single-use wrapper.听will take them off your hands if you rinse the wrappers off and mail them in. The company cleans and melts them into hard plastic that can be . Plus, Clif Bar will donate one cent per wrapper to the听听for all qualifying shipments over five pounds听to the TerraCycle program.