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In the new February 'Protest' issue we ask ‘What are the greenest ways to manage your swim kit?’

Read on for an extract from our feature on how to reuse, repair or recycle your swimwear – exploring how we can make sustainable choices, repair worn kit and recycle 'pool waste' into useful new products. 

Then scroll all the way to the bottom for our super useful directory of companies that can help you to reuse, repair or recycle your swimwear.
 

Buy once and buy well

Reducing the sheer volume of stuff that we buy is the most powerful thing we can do as consumers. That’s not only about buying less, but also making sustainable choices when we shop: looking closely at the production process of our purchases, the energy used, the carbon footprint and waste from the production process through to the end of the item’s life. 

So, how do we do this? One approach is to invest carefully in the things you need. This means spending more on a single item that does exactly what you need it to do and lasts longer. “When we talk about sustainable swimwear, we often think about what something is made of and where it’s made,” says Rosie Cook, founder of sustainable swimwear brand Deakin & Blue. “But, the most sustainable option of all is to buy a style you love and feel amazing in because then you’ll wear it time and again and look after it." 


 

Repair your wetsuit

Preloved apps and websites are a great way of getting rid of items of swimming kit that you no longer want, need or can use. But what if it’s broken or knackered? Specialist tailors and repair services can breathe new life into your tired swimming kit.

“Smoothskin neoprene certainly needs more care and consideration, especially when a swimming wetsuit is being put on and taken off,” says Gary Chambers, who runs wetsuit repair outfit Bodyline Wetsuits. “We could potentially rebuild a whole wetsuit if it was cost effective, but panel replacements, seam repairs, minor alterations for a better fit and replacement zips are the general repairs we most commonly carry out. A customer recently contacted us for a repair after a fox attacked their suit while it was drying on the washing line!”
 

Recycle your swimwear

So, what should you do when it isn’t cost effective to repair your wetsuit? Recycling is better than landfill, but it should still be a last resort for items that are beyond salvaging. This is because many of the items in our kit bags are made of tricky-to-recycle materials and the process of sorting and recycling is difficult.

In Yorkshire, Karen at Cool Bathing has worked out a way to turn old swim caps into new, handcrafted works of art. “I’m sent the hats by people who don’t want them to go into landfill and then I take them to a local charity that works with volunteers to a cutter to create shapes,” says Karen, whose upcycling project is all about recycling and community. “I end up with hundreds of pieces of swim cap, so then the challenge has been how to make those into an actual hat.”
 

Order the Protest issue

The new issue is packed with inspiration to help us do more for swimming PLUS...

• Say no to sinking legs! In the penultimate part of our Winter Freestyle Refresher Course, we help you unleash the power of your legs.
• “How can I keep up my fitness over winter?” Coach Cassie Patten has your dryland exercise programme. 
• Keep safe and seen with our buying guide to towfloats and safety kit. 

Your REUSE, REPAIR & RECYCLE directory

Reuse 
Outdoor Swimming Society swap and share on Facebook
Reskinned.clothing: Sells reconditioned Finisterre swimwear and beachwear
Tri Wetsuit Hire: Sells ex-rental wetsuits

Repair
Sojo.uk: General clothing and coat/robe repairs
Bodyline Wetsuits: Repairs any wetsuit

Recycle
Goggles: Spectacle recycling at opticians take goggles too
Swimwear: Deakin & Blue, Stay Wild Swim, Tide and 
Seek
Swim hats: contact Karen at coolbathing.co.uk

Wetsuits: AlpKit, Bodyline Wetsuits, RipCurl, Finisterre