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    10 Ways to Reuse and Recycle your Yoga Mat
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    10 Ways to Reuse and Recycle your Yoga Mat

    Yogamatters
    Mar 12, 2021
    Reading time: 5-7 minutes

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    As more people create mindful spaces at home and invest in long-lasting yoga equipment, many are beginning to ask: can you recycle a yoga mat? If your trusty mat has reached the end of its life or you’re simply upgrading your practice essentials, there are plenty of creative and sustainable ways to reuse, repurpose or recycle your old yoga mat instead of sending it to landfill.

    5 ways to Re-use your yoga mat: 

    There are many ways you can reuse your yoga mat and here are a few suggestions to write home about:

    1. If you are an essential worker and need your car in the morning, then waking up to a frosted windscreen is the least of what you’d like to worry about, especially right now. So why not place your old yoga mat as a windscreen shield. Extra 5 mins for a herbal tea? Yes please. Then in summer you can use it to keep the sun out of your car.
    2. As spring is on the horizon, so is the gardening season (my favourite). Cut out knee pads or a mat to make gardening more comfortable.
    3. Cut up the yoga mat and use it to line kitchen cupboards and drawers to a) Prevent slipping and b) Making it easy to clean any spills.
    4. Create a DIY notice board. All you need is a photo frame – snip a piece of your old mat to fit, remove the glass and get your funky pins at the ready.
    5. Everyday is a lockdown walk day. So leave those dirty footprints at the door by reusing your mat as a shoe mat.

    5 ways to Recycle a yoga mat:

    1. If by luck you have a biodegradable mat, that’s amazing and you can dispose of it as normal with all your other garbage. But a lot of mats are made out of materials that aren’t, so make sure you check the brand and with your local recycling centre. 
    2. Contact your local homeless shelter, pet shelter or care homes and offer your mat as a donation to see if they can make use of them.
    3. If in good enough condition, once cleaned, send your yoga mat to a non profit organisation that is using yoga to support people, and yoga mats and props can be expensive to purchase.
    4. Upcycling is the new recycling – so let your imagination unfold and focus on reusing your mat, rather than throwing it out with the rest of the rubbish.
    Verdict – You never need to just throw your old mat away. If you’ve ever wondered “can you recycle a yoga mat?”, the answer is yes – and there are plenty of ways to reuse or repurpose it too. Reduce, reuse, recycle and if you’re in need of a new yoga mat: reclaim!

    Tip: Make sure that before you reuse or recycle your mat, you give it a good clean and sanitisation.

    Yogamatters has a range of yoga mats for every style and practice. Discover them all here.