High
on the list of complaints about pantyhose is that it just doesn’t last
long enough. But from an environmental point of view it lasts too long
once a discarded pair hits the landfill. Efforts at recycling can
include using old pantyhose to stake tomato plants and make sachets, but
there’s a small snag considering that sheer hosiery sales alone
exceeded $1 billion over a recent 12-month period, according to the NPD
Group. Some hosiery companies have moved toward more
environmentally-friendly manufacturing. Inside packages of No nonsense
pantyhose are green cards encouraging you to gather your old pantyhose
and mail them to the company, where they’ll be sent to recycling
facilities to be used to make park benches, ropes and playground
equipment. The company accepts all brands and colors of stockings,
tights, and knee highs for recycling. The program was inspired, in part,
by Nike’s recycling of athletic shoes, turning them into playground and
athletic surfaces. Nike’s website claims the company recycles more than
1.5 million pairs of shoes a year. You can find out more about
recycling your pantyhose at www.nononsense.com/PantyhoseRecycling.aspx.
