Can You Recycle an Old Climbing Harness?
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Not really, not in your normal recycling bin. A climbing harness is nylon or polyester webbing, foam padding and metal buckles, all stitched together. Councils will not take it. The best you can do is split it up, send the metal for scrap and stop the harness being used again.
You cannot put a climbing harness in kerbside recycling. It is mixed materials stitched together. Cut the webbing so nobody climbs in it again, take the metal buckles to a scrap merchant, and bin the rest. Forma Designs Collective only takes retired rope, not harnesses.
I am George. I run Forma Designs Collective, a workshop in Aberdeen, Scotland, that turns retired climbing rope into belts, keychains and coasters. People ask me about harnesses all the time. Fair enough. They are the other big bit of kit that ends up in a cupboard.
Can you recycle a climbing harness?
Not through a normal recycling scheme. The webbing is the same family of plastic as rope. The problem is the mix. Webbing, thread, foam and buckles are sewn together, and nobody has a cheap way to pull them apart at scale.
So it is not a case of "recycle it or bin it". It is a case of getting the most out of each part.
When should you retire a climbing harness?
Sooner than you think. Makers generally say about ten years at most, even if it sits in a drawer, and much sooner if you climb a lot. Check the maker's own guide for your model. Fraying, stiff webbing, damaged stitching or bent buckles mean it is done, whatever the age.
Same idea as rope. The damage is often hidden. If you are unsure, retire it. You can read how that works for rope in when to retire a climbing rope.
What should you do with an old harness?
Make it safe first. Cut through the tie-in points and the waist belt. This matters. A retired harness left in a skip can be picked up and used by someone who does not know better.
Then take off the metal buckles. Those can go to a scrap merchant or the metal skip at your local recycling centre. The webbing and foam go in general waste. It is not a great answer, and I will not pretend it is.
Does Forma take old harnesses?
No. I only take retired climbing rope. Harness webbing is stitched, padded and full of hardware, and I have no way to turn it into something safe and nice. I would rather say that than take it and let it sit in a box.
Rope is different. It is one material, it is strong, and it turns into something good. Every recycled climbing rope belt I make used to hold a climber. If you have a dead rope in the cupboard, that I can use. See the rope keychains for the smallest version, or browse gifts for climbers if you want to buy something that already has a story.
Or want to wear one that has been through it? Have a look at the belts.
See the rope beltsStay classy and remember,
Make Waste Useful.
George