Rip Curl Invites Surfers and Beach Goers Alike to Catch New Wave of Wetsuit Recycling

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): For the estimated 1.5 million college students descending on coastal towns for Spring Break this year, wetsuits will be almost as essential as sunglasses and sunscreen. Leading surf brand, Rip Curl, and TerraCycle, a company that specializes in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams worldwide, are calling on university-aged surfers to recycle their well-used wetsuits through the ‘Recycle Your Wetsuit’ program before they dive into Spring Break.

Available to surfers throughout the United States, Australia, France, Portugal and Spain, the program encourages consumers to either mail-in or drop off their old wetsuits, from any brand, for recycling at participating Rip Curl store locations. “As a B-Corp certified company, Rip Curl is committed to sustainably minded operational advancements,” said Rip Curl North America’s VP of Marketing, PJ Connell. “Our partnership with TerraCycle is a strong step forward in our mission for sustainable practices and something that surfers of all skillsets have had a positive response to as the program picks up momentum globally.”

Since wetsuits are made from complex materials that are difficult to recycle, Rip Curl partnered with TerraCycle to establish a responsible end-of-life solution to ensure they do not go to waste. Instead, the collected wetsuits are broken down and the collected neoprene rubber is repurposed for use in applications such as safety matting in playgrounds and outdoor gyms. 

“Most surfing wetsuits are made from synthetic rubber, a complex material that’s hard to repair and even more difficult to recycle,” said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “Through the Recycle Your Wetsuit recycling program. we are providing a new use for this material and offering consumers the opportunity to think twice about what they would otherwise throw away.”

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com