UKC

I kind of struggle with the environmental impact of climbing a bit, doesn't stop me though. I also quite like cheap gear.

Do gear manufacturers recycle gear at all? Making stuff from alloy there must be waste which gets sold on? I was wondering if you sent in so many grammes of old kit you could get a discount on shiny new stuff?

In reply to Mattilda:

Not so much climbing gear per se. But Patagonia repair used gear and sell it on.

https://wornwear.patagonia.com/

In reply to GarethSL:

Nice! I've got some salopettes which are mostly duct tape, wish I'd known about this.

In reply to Mattilda:

I've often wondered about this!
Soft kit like clothing and packs can be easily repaired, in my case by being duct taped to buggery.
I tend to try to use old hardware for any other use, carabiners as hooks, ropes for washing lines, that sort of stuff, but surely there must be something else we can do with it?
I'm not just going to bin it, I'm waaaay too tight to do that!!

In reply to antmorgan1991:

I wonder if its partly fashion - the need to alter designs to up sales, but also practicality- for climbing gear there is mixed metal, taking out rivets etc may just cost too much and with so many different weaves for ropes, 'unspinning' them to form yarn may just be too much hassle?

Would people buy kit from an 'eco' locally based manufacturer over a less eco one with manufacture outsourced and associated carbon footprint? (and have any of them got ISO 14001)

In reply to Mattilda:

Any of the normal metalwork can be readily recycled through either your local councils metal collection system or one of innumerable scrap dealers. Sending it back to the original manufacturer would tend to be an expensive waste of resources as recyling locally is available. I´ d take back any stainless steel bolts, either from myself or any other manufacturer but at current scrap price of €0.65c per kg I doubt it´ s worth anyone posting it when they can just chuck it in the local container.

In reply to Mattilda:



Most of your alloy kit should have a long enough lifespan to ensure that it has an impact that is less than the average journey to the crag.

Wghen it does come to the end of it's life then it might as well just be placed in the nearest scrap bin.