Since world events have forced us to spend most of our time at home for many months now, people have been turning to working out at home and opting to invest in gear.

Mats, dumbells, resistance bands, kettlebells, the list of standard equipment for home gym goes on. Not that you have to have all these to be able to work out. That is not the case. Grab a towel and bottles filled with water, and you’re good to go. Still, many choose to get surface for workouts and some weights to do their selected exercises.

Gear that eventually you have to say goodbye to

My first yoga mat lasted for two or three years. It was pinkish in color and matched my fitness ball. But over time, it started tearing. The surface was beginning to render and was uneven. That didn’t bother me since it didn’t affect how I perform fitness and weighted exercises. (Not yoga exercises. A torn yoga mat may cause improper yoga positions.)

What did bother me was the mess it made. Tiny parts of the mat would end on my clothes, in my hair, and scattered around the house. So some time ago I decided that it had to go. But where?

It was my first mat for home exercises, and I didn’t know what to with it, how to dispose of it.

Can you recycle your yoga/fitness mat?

It would be best if we could recycle our mats. But there are slight chances of doing that.

As you are aware, most mats are made of PVC, which can be recycled, but it all depends on how that process is taken care of in the country/city where you live.

If you are looking to dispose of your mat, you ought to first check with your local recyclers to see whether they are capable of recycling PVC or not. Not every recycling facility can recycle PVC, and even if they accept PVC, they may not take yoga mats, so be sure to check with them first. They may offer advice regarding disposing of old yoga mats tailored to your specific region. 

Likewise, if your mat is made from TPE or another synthetic rubber, it should be recyclable. If this is your case, check the instructions that came with the mat to learn what does the company that makes those mats recommend. 

Additionally, if you have the opportunity to ask people who are experts on the matter (recycling PVC and other synthetics yoga mats are made of), be sure to ask.

Also worth mentioning is that some yoga companies accept old yoga mats for recycling. You can hear about it being referred to as a take-back program. It is a good idea to ask the companies that sell yoga mats whether they accept receiving old mats and recycling them for you or not. This can serve as a criterion when purchasing your new mat.

It is a different, more joyful song when possessing mats made from natural rubber, cotton, or jute. These mats are biodegradable as long as they don’t have synthetic materials thrown into the mix.

Do you have experience with giving away yoga mats to be recycled? What do you do with your old yoga mat if you can’t recycle it? If you don’t know what to do, we have a couple of ideas that can help you repurpose your former exercising partner!