Raise your hands — how many of you wear jeans? Pretty much everyone, right?
Those of you who have Eco Kids are probably scouring the sales now, trying to find some jeans that will last the kidlets the entire school year. Even better, it would be nice if you could find some with knees that don’t actually rip out within the first month.
So what are you going to do with your kids’ old jeans that are too grungy to pass down to a younger sibling?
If you’re crafty, there are loads of ways to recycle old Levis into bags, pillows, and more. A quick web search will give you hundreds of possibilities.
If even crafts aren’t a good use for the old jeans, it’s time to recycle them. Yes, Eco Warriors — you CAN recycle old jeans! The biggest re-use of your old Wranglers is building insulation. They are non-toxic and very Earth-friendly, plus they do a really good job.
How does Recycla know this? Her very own house has blue jean insulation on all of the interior walls.
So how do you recycle your old jeans? That’s a good question, because it varies from place to place. Here in Recycla’s town, her local Whole Foods has a bin for jeans recycling; you might check your local store too.
If that doesn’t work, go to Earth 911 and find out the options near you.
I don’t know if this is an option for kids’ jeans, especially if they wear out as quickly as you note, but I buy my jeans at Goodwill for $5/pair. I don’t see the point of paying retail.
Class Factotum: We here at Eco Women are BIG fans of Goodwill and other thrift stores. Unfortunately, kids’ jeans seem to go out at the knees first and often reach the point that even patching won’t do the trick.