What do you take back?

We're currently able to recycle all Waterlust gear except for our bottles, hats, tees and tanks. Waterlust leggings, shorts, boardshorts, sun suits, tops etc. are all accepted!

Why can I only send back Waterlust clothing and not my other clothes/textiles?

Textile recycling is complicated, and is very dependent on the materials that the clothing is made from. We design our swim and activewear specifically to be able to be recycled at the end of its life, but not all textiles can go through that same recycling process. So, for now, we’re only able to take Waterlust swim and activewear (everything we make except bottles, hats and tees/tanks) for recycling. We hope to be able to take all your end-of-life textiles at some point, even from other brands, but we’ve so far been unable to find a recycling solution for textiles of mixed and unknown content that we feel good about. However, we’ll update our program if/when that changes!

What condition do the clothes need to be in?

Any condition at all, as long as they have been washed! Ripped, torn, stained, all good. If your clothing is still in good shape though, we suggest considering reselling it or gifting it first to get the most use out of it before it gets recycled.

Do I need to wash them first?

Yes! Please only send in clean, washed items. Thank you!

Is the Take-Back Bag eco-friendly?

Yes! Since you’re sending these back, you'll be receiving a reusable mailer bag made from 100% post-consumer recycled bottles. We're able to use these over and over for many trips back and forth, that way, we’re not creating more waste. When the mailer bag is at the end of its life, it too will be recycled.

Why do I need to pay for a Take-Back Bag?

The $10 helps cover some of the costs of shipping your gear back to us and up to the factory in North Carolina for recycling. Once we receive your bag back with your items for recycling, we'll email you a gift card for $20 to Waterlust.com.

How long will it take to receive my Take-Back Bag and gift card?

Your Take-Back Bag will be shipped within 1-2 business days and should take 3-7 days transit time to arrive. You're gift card will arrive in your email inbox as soon as we've received your filled bag back and have sorted through your items. You can expect it around 1-2 weeks after mailing back your bag.

Does the gift card expire?

Nope, your gift card will not expire.

Where can I learn more about making environmentally responsible decisions about my clothing purchases and behavior?

If you purchase anything from our solid color collection, including our Black Circularity Collection that is made from recycled clothing, you'll also receive free educational materials about reducing the impact of your clothing.

Why is this only available to the US and not international customers?

We're only able to include domestic return labels, and at this time we suggest international customers find a more local recycling solution rather that shipping their end-of-life garments internationally for recycling.

Hey, we're Waterlust

We're in business to build a more sustainable world by bringing environmental science into your life in creative ways.

Buy a take-back bag

It’s $10, and we cover the shipping both ways.

Say Goodbye

Fill the bag with your old Waterlust gear and mail it back to us with the included pre-paid shipping label.

Get credit back

We'll email you a gift card for $20 to Waterlust.com.

Recycle

Your old gear will be turned into brand new gear, specifically our Black Circularity Collection.

Sold Out

Take-Back Bag

Name: Take-Back Bag
Brand: Waterlust
Price: 10.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)

$10.00 USD

Description
Bag Details/Shipping
Rules

According to the EPA, 87% of apparel textiles are not recycled annually in the United States, meaning millions of tons of old clothes are piled into landfills every year. While recycling infrastructure exists for things like plastic bottles and aluminum cans, textile recycling is far less developed and accessible.

This program is designed to help fix that! Join us in taking responsibility for the end of life of your garments, and send back your old Waterlust gear to be recycled into new Waterlust gear!

We accept all Waterlust items except tees, tanks, hats, and bottles. Everything else we make can be recycled using this program.
Since you’re sending these back, you'll be receiving a reusable mailer bag made from 100% post-consumer recycled bottles. That way, we’re not creating more waste.

Dimensions: 12 inches x 15 inches. Fits up to approximately 4-5 larger Waterlust garments.

We pay for shipping and will send out your bag within 1-2 business days.
Currently, this is only available to US addresses.

We can take back all Watelust swim and activewear - everything we make except for bottles, hats, tees, and tanks.

What happens to your old Waterlust clothing?

We remove all the trims (zippers, buttons), shred the fabric, combine it with recycled bottle flake (to keep material quality high), melt everything down, extrude it into fibers, and then knit the fibers into new fabric.

Along the way, black dye is added (using an efficient process that uses no water) to standardize the resulting color that comes out.

This special black fabric is then cut and sewn into brand new products in our Black Circularity Collection.

Circularity magic!

FAQ

: We're currently able to recycle all Waterlust gear except for our bottles, hats, tees and tanks.
Waterlust leggings, shorts, boardshorts, sun suits, tops etc. are all accepted!
: Textile recycling is complicated, and is very dependent on the materials that the clothing is made from. We design our swim and activewear specifically to be able to be recycled at the end of its life, but not all textiles can go through that same recycling process. So, for now, we’re only able to take Waterlust swim and activewear (everything we make except bottles, hats and tees/tanks) for recycling. We hope to be able to take all your end-of-life textiles at some point, even from other brands, but we’ve so far been unable to find a recycling solution for textiles of mixed and unknown content that we feel good about. However, we’ll update our program if/when that changes!
: Any condition at all, as long as they have been washed! Ripped, torn, stained, all good. If your clothing is still in good shape though, we suggest considering reselling it or gifting it first to get the most use out of it before it gets recycled.
: Yes! Please only send in clean, washed items. Thank you!
: Yes! Since you’re sending these back, you'll be receiving a reusable mailer bag made from 100% post-consumer recycled bottles. We're able to use these over and over for many trips back and forth, that way, we’re not creating more waste. When the mailer bag is at the end of its life, it too will be recycled.
: The $10 helps cover some of the costs of shipping your gear back to us and up to the factory in North Carolina for recycling. Once we receive your bag back with your items for recycling, we'll email you a gift card for $20 to Waterlust.com.
: Your Take-Back Bag will be shipped within 1-2 business days and should take 3-7 days transit time to arrive. You're gift card will arrive in your email inbox as soon as we've received your filled bag back and have sorted through your items. You can expect it around 1-2 weeks after mailing back your bag.
: Nope, your gift card will not expire.
: If you purchase anything from our solid color collection, including our Black Circularity Collection that is made from recycled clothing, you'll also receive free educational materials about reducing the impact of your clothing.
: We're only able to include domestic return labels, and at this time we suggest international customers find a more local recycling solution rather that shipping their end-of-life garments internationally for recycling.