The EPA estimates that Americans generate over 16 million tons of textile waste a year. In terms of activewear, that’s roughly 15 billion sports bras, 32 billion pairs of socks and 50 billion pairs of yoga pants – COMBINED.
Of course the best way to reduce your carbon footprint is to consume less and be more intentional with your purchases, but what about the activewear items you already have that didn’t make the Spring cleaning cut? Did you know you could recycle your entire activewear?
Really. It takes a few more steps than recycling the paper cup your morning latte came in but it’s worth it in the name of the planet. Here’s a bonus spoiler alert: some recycling programs even pay you to recycle your items. Keep reading for the best ways to recycle and responsibly recycle your old activewear.
Best way to recycle workout clothes
Girlfriend Collective
Feel good about recycling your old activewear responsibly – AND earn store credit for each item donated.
Best overall recycling program
Mate the Label
The easiest program to recycle clothes, old workout gear, undergarments and more. Plus get $20 to shop their clean, non-toxic apparel.
Best way to recycle sports bra
The Bra Recyclers
If your bra has made a trip around the sun, it’s time to make a trip to the recycling center.
Best way to recycle old running shoes
GotSneakers.com
One of the hardest pieces of clothing to recycle. Give old shoes a new life and maybe make some cash back.
Best way to recycle old socks
Smart Wool
The base of every good workout set is excellent socks. Add a prepaid Take Back Bag to your next Smart Wool purchase and say goodbye to your mismatched socks.
Best way to recycle old fitness tracker
Best Buy
Old electronics can leech dangerous chemicals. Dispose of yours responsibly at your local Best Buy store.
How to recycle your workout clothes
If you don’t know if your old workout clothes should be donated or recycled, ask yourself this: If a friend needed to borrow an outfit before you hit class (or brunch) together and you had one last pair of clean yoga pants, would you be embarrassed to let her borrow them?
If you had to pause, skip Goodwill and go straight to recycling. Don’t make the volunteer at the donation center take the time to have to throw it away when you can help put your old clothes to good use. If your old workout clothes are too far gone for donation, try recycling them!
“If a friend needed to borrow an outfit before you hit class (or brunch) together and you had one last pair of clean yoga pants, would you be embarrassed to let her borrow them?
Bethany, Tight Hips Open Heart
If you had to pause, skip Goodwill and go straight to recycling. Don’t make the volunteer at the donation center take the time to have to throw it away when you can help put your old clothes to good use.”
Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective recently reinvigorated their ReGirlfriend program for textile and clothing recycling. It used to be exclusive to recycling their own brand of workout leggings but have since expanded to include recycling clothes from ANY brand. And not only can you feel good about recycling your old workout clothes, you can actually get PAID for them. They offer $10 credit (per item) to girlfriend.com for Girlfriend brand clothes and $5 credit (per item) to girlfriend.com for non-Girlfriend brand clothes. The shipping label is free and you can send in multiple pieces per bag.
ReGirlfriend from Girlfriend Collective is a garment recycling program that recycles clothes from any brand and rewards you with store credit.
Get $10 credit (per item) to girlfriend.com for Girlfriend brand clothes and $5 credit (per item) to girlfriend.com for non-Girlfriend brand clothes.
Girlfriend Collective’s fabrics are made from upcycled water bottles so you’re reducing waste with every purchase. I bought a pair of their leggings in 2017 and they’re still going strong. Want to check them out for yourself? Use this link for 30% off your first purchase of $150 or more.
Mate the Label
Mate the Label makes it easy to recycle pretty much every piece of your old workout gear with Take Back Bag, it’s the easiest way to recycle the most items from your closet in one bag. It’s one of the few programs that allows you to recycle all of your activewear from head to toe
Mate the Label’s Take Back recycling program accepts all textiles, including socks, underwear, sheets, pillow cases, towels, linens, shoes, and handbags in any condition.
Divert ripped, torn or stained, clothing from landfills and get $20 to spend towards Mate the Label non-toxic apparel.
For Days
Like Mate the Label, recycling your activewear is as easy as clicking a button with the For Days Take Back Bag. Order the Take Back Bag, fill it on your own time and send it back with the prepaid label. It’s really that easy. Plus you’ll get $20 to spend towards future For Days purchases made from organic and recycled cottons. Their Cadence Overall is the ultimate rest day outfit but don’t forget to check out the rest of their trend forward dresses and tops
The Take Back Bag from For Days is recycling program that recycles garments from any brand.
Send the bag back with a prepaid shipping label and get $20 Closet Cash to spend on ForDays.com sustainable clothing.
How to recycle your sports bra
Did you know your sports bra should never celebrate a birthday? The natural wear and tear of pulling the bra over your head and fiber breakdown from washing eventually makes your bra less supportive, causing additional tissue movement (translation: bounce) that just doesn’t feel good. So treat yourself, and your girls, to a new bra. And while you’re at it, recycle your old one.
The Bra Recyclers
For sports bras, or your every day bras for that matter, in gently used condition, check out the great work at The Bra Recyclers. The Bra Recyclers pride themselves on “providing sustainable solutions that reduce waste and promote a culture of responsibility and conscious consumption.” Essentially, they donate gently used bras and underwear to those in need and find textile recycling centers for those that have seen better days. Don’t forget to check out their easy bra recycling drop off centers so you can save on postage.
You can also throw them in the aforementioned Mate the Label Take Back Bag or For Days Take Back Bag if they’re too far gone.
How to recycle your used running shoes
With a shelf life of 300-500 miles, your running shoes will be ready for retirement before you know it. But what about once they’re too far gone for walking the dog and mowing the lawn?
GotSneakers.com
If you’re done with your shoes but they still have some extra life in them (or even if they don’t), check out GotSneakers.com. GotSneakers helps give new life to used athletic shoes, whether that’s giving shoes in good condition to those in need or recycling used running shoes to turn them into rubber. You can even get paid up to $7 per pair that’s still in good condition.
Easily recycled your old running shoes with GotSneakers.com. Sign up for a recycling bag and recycle athletic shoes from any brand.
Send back the prepaid bag and earn up to $7 per pair of athletic shoes.
The GotSneakers.com recycling program is free and you do not need to pay anything for shipping. Just request a recycling bag, fill it up and drop it off at your local ship station. Wait a few weeks for GotSneakers to assess your donation and get paid!
“At GotSneakers, we’re making it socially and financially rewarding to contribute to a circular economy with our FREE sneaker recycling programs for individual sellers and organizations of all types and sizes. When you join our sneaker recycling community, you will be making a global impact AND you will earn money for every pair of sneakers you contribute.”
GotSneakers.com
How to recycle your used socks
It’s easy to forget about the unsung heroes of the workout routine, your socks. If you’ve ever invested in a good (translation: non-cotton) pair, you know the difference technical socks make in keeping you blister-free.
So when you start to see the wear and tear of the miles on your favorite running socks or find the laundry monster left you with one less left than when you threw them in the wash, simply throwing them away just doesn’t feel right.
Smartwool
Thankfully Smartwool has the answer, they’ve partnered with Material Return™ to “collect and deconstruct hard-to-recycle socks and turn them into new goods.” Just add a Second Cut™ Project Take Back Mail-In Bag with a prepaid label to your cart at check out. Smartwool has THE best socks for running in all conditions, personally tested and vetted by yours truly to withstand running in the winter in the frozen tundra of Minnesota.
While you’re at it, reach out to your group chat to see if they have any socks to contribute to make your impact go farther!
How to recycle your running watch or fitness tracker
Best Buy
Did you know your local Best Buy offers in-store recycling? It’s true. Stop by your local Best Buy to drop off your old fitness trackers, smart watches, headphones and more. But before you recycle them, your smartwatch or favorite running headphones may even be eligible for a trade-in. Talk about best case scenario.
Other recycling options
- Ridwell is a membership-based service that collects hard to recycle items right from your doorstep! They send various collection bags for things like batteries, light bulbs, plastic film, and fabric. Let them know when you’re ready for them to come pick up your items and they’ll help dispose of them responsibly.
- Check your local Nextdoor community or Facebook for no-buy groups. I’ve had really good luck finding new homes for everything from bubble wrap and packing peanuts to headphones to a bag of beer bottle caps I didn’t even know we had.
- Your city likely also has clothing recycling options, just Google “textile recycling near me.”
- Select participating Nike stores may also offer recycling drop-off options for Nike footwear and apparel. Check with your local store for more.
What items did we miss? What are some of your tips for recycling and up-cycling workout gear?
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