recycle your bras!
Kind Lifer Ladies, what do you do with your old bras? They're made of elastic, under wires, stretchy fabric and hooks and unless you're buying a bra that is eco-friendly (made of organic cotton or even bamboo or pine), none of that is biodegradable. All of that stuff just sits in landfills!
I have never thrown a bra out, I always give them away. As weird as this may sound, someone will want your old bra. Someone has a worse bra than your old one. Instead of tossing them in the garbage, try these fun ways of up-cyclying or recycling them!
There are a few organizations where you can donate your bra to be recycled. Oxfam Bra Amnesty in the UK is promoting this month as Big Bra Hunt. A portion of the bras collected will be sold by women in WestAfrica, where bras are hard to come by and the money raised will go back to the communities. BraRecycling.com in Arizona also takes donations of gently used bras. Some of these are supplied to women in need around the world. Crazily enough, women in Japan can donate their bras to be converted into fuel! The type of fuel that they make has the same efficiency as coal, but emits less carbon dioxide and the cost of the bra-based fuel is one-fourth the price of coal!
If you want have some fun up-cycling your old bra, Daniella-Lopez.com has some fun ideas for creating art, herb pouches, and even a purse from your old brazier!
What are some other ideas for recycling your old bras?
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17 comments
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Hi everyone!
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Dear both of you - - This is not the place for arguing, let alone making accusations that of each other. This is a place to gather information and spread information that could HELP others, not virtually pull each other's hair.
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Dear Chocolate,
My daytime job is saving lives...that's what I do along with the others on my team on a daily basis. If you choose to define that as a nuisance, that is your right. I agree with this post and the suggestions it provides, but I do feel it's somewhat awkward for either of us to post on it. It's just that what you said, as usual, is so out of line with what this site is trying to achieve it merits a response. In the past you suggested sugar and hamburgers are what you prefer and once again, that is your choice. It's not that I post without "really saying anything", it's just that you're not reading some really great posts that are beneficial to the world. I'll let you think about this and promise to never respond directly to you again. Hopefully, one day, you'll have something positive to say.
Kind Regards,
Norm
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Hey Chocolate,
First, buring underwear is a bad idea due to toxins. Second, Justin burns his underwear because teenage girls have been caught several times going through his trash trying to get to them. I think it's safe to say you don't have that problem. Jeez dude, the stuff you come up with..............
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I sometimes sew the cup portion into a sundress that has less than optimal support! Friends of mine have turned the straps into cute chokers/collars. I still haven't figured out what to do with the back strap though....
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Have you heard of Free The Girls? Donate your old bras & they go to help women fight against human trafficking. You can read all about it here. http://freethegirls.com/ - it is an awesome idea & I've heard only good things!
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I've heard that no matter what you donate to places like Goodwill & Salvation Army, if it's too worn they will at least put the materials to good use. I'm sure that could include bras!
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http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/2012/04/02/big-bra-hunt-don%E2%80%99t-bin-them-recycle-them/ big bra hunt. UK
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Here is a great way to do something with your old bras! Help the fight against sex trafficking.
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I, too, tend to wear mine until they are worn out -- complete structural failure, lol. I'm not sure they would even be useful at that point other than to be shredded and used to make stuffed animals.
Mine are all fabric, though, as I cannot wear underwires (they caused a non-cancerous tumor, so never again!) and I hate underwires anyway.
One of these days, I will convert mine into a purse/pouch. I have seen these before and they are AWESOME! I also have an old black bra that is screaming to be beaded and beadazzled like a tribal bellydance costume bra!!
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Thanks Alicia,
I'm always wondering what to do with my old clothes. Obviously donating them is the first option, but what about clothes that I've worn into the ground? That are not wearable anymore? And shoes too? Is there somewhere that will reclaim the materials and use them for new products?
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That's really cool (about Japan). I will definitely recycle my bras in the future. Thanks Alicia!
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I always donate them (and nearly everything else) to the clothing room at my church. We have a large outreach program that gets clothing and food to anyone in need and with this economy, people are in need more than ever. As I have ,uh hem, large girls, I have to buy quality. Well, they last and even when I am done with them, they can go to someone who needs them. Bras are expensive. Another place I have often donated to is the local women's shelter. They provide the women who have been displaced interview skills and outfits but they certainly can't show up for an interview braless.
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Wow! Thank you for the great tip! I don't think there is anything like this in Norway (a quick Google-search showed nothing), but maybe I can post it to the UK :)
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