That’s a tricky question to answer!
In theory it should be pretty straightforward but as we discovered, the recycling of yoga mats in Australia is far from simple.
Because of how difficult and cost prohibitive it is to recycle yoga mats, very few mats go on to live a second life. Statista estimates that in 2019, only 11.5% [1] of plastics in Australia were recycled, with the vast majority of yoga mats ending up in landfill.
In this article we explore the significant barriers preventing yoga mats from being recycled- and we look at why choosing a biodegradable yoga mat, might be the best solution to Australia’s yoga mat recycling problem.
How yoga mats are made
As we found out, it’s the materials that yoga mats are made from, that can render them difficult to recycle. All non-biodegradable yoga mats [2] (because they contain potentially hazardous chemicals such as phthalates, and heavy metals such as lead) require specialised people and equipment to be sorted correctly, melted down and recycled with other like materials.
Because these people and equipment are in short supply in Australia, this leaves people wishing to recycle their mats, with very few choices.
Local councils deem all non-biodegradable yoga mats as ‘non-recyclable’ and therefore won’t accept them in curb-side recycling bins. Nor will they accept them for recycling at local council waste depots.
Where does this leave us?
It’s clear that it’s hard for well-meaning people to dispose of their old yoga mats in an environmentally friendly way. Local councils don’t accept them and friends and family often don't want a second-hand, smelly, dirty yoga mat.
Unfortunately, this leaves us with the reality of what’s currently happening, and what has been happening since the invention of the modern yoga mat in the 1990s…. landfill.
Most consumers who have tired of trying to recycle their mat, end up putting it in their general waste bin and that yoga mat goes straight to landfill.
If the yoga mat is made from PVC, which the majority of yoga mats worldwide are made from, then the mat will never actually breakdown as it’s not biodegradable, causing tons of waste to congest our landfills, year after year, decade after decade.
Given the reality of most yoga mats ending up in landfill, we should be looking at buying mats that are biodegradable.
So which yoga mats are best, if I want a biodegradable mat?
There are some great biodegradable Australian yoga mats.
Any yoga mat made from 100% Cork, Jute or natural rubber is biodegradable.
Pure Practice’s The Pure Mat™ is biodegradable and is certified to decompose once in landfill. Approved by REACH (the globally recognised standard safeguarding human and environmental health) this mat is made from Polymer Environmentally-Friendly Resin, a next generation foam that’s durable and will hold its integrity until it reaches its end of life in landfill.
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[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/881641/australia-recycling-rate-of-plastic/
[2] These are yoga mats made from PVC, TPE, EVA or NBR