Recycling rubber products like tires has endless benefits when it comes to good ole Mother Nature: It keeps grungy, unsightly tires from taking over local landfills, it prevents disease-carrying bugs from going overboard in the wild (and in your backyard!), and most importantly, recycling rubber tires can bring new life to an old discarded product.
While recycling professionals are aware that rubber can be recycled and revamped into rubber chips or crumb rubber, there are other ways rubber can benefit the world. In Tire Byproducts Part 1, you learned that nylon is a type of fabric made from petroleum products. It is a highly usable material that is used in a great variety of everyday household and commercial items. Well, we want to continue educating you about the many ways nylon can really go the extra mile.
Tents
With spring on the horizon, campers are itching to escape to the great outdoors (and they haven’t even run into any insects yet). Seriously though, high quality nylon makes durable tents of all shapes and sizes possible for the serious camper and backpacker. You wouldn’t think a thin, nylon tent could protect you from harsh high winds and extreme cold temperatures, but with a little preparation (think warm clothing and bedding), nylon makes it doable.
Nylon is lightweight but surprisingly strong, meaning it is capable of lasting quite a long time compared to other materials. So whether you plan on taking the family across the country in a single summer, or you just plan on camping under the stars in your own backyard, a single tent purchase should last you many years down the road.
Ropes
Thick (or thin) nylon cords and ropes are essential for nearly everybody..! Think about it: It’s used to hold that refrigerator onto the top of your car, to keep your multiple bags in line at the airport, to hold your drawstring shorts up, or to repair a sailboat out at sea. Nylon cord is considered an essential in the emergency preparedness community, as it is considered the ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to getting in a bind (no pun intended).
Nylon ropes are also used to keep large dogs in line during training, or when just taking a mild-mannered Fido out for his daily walk. Oh, and those super thick rope toys that he loves to chew and pull on so much? Also nylon.
Carpet
Without nylon, we would still be walking around on cold hardwood, vinyl or concrete floors. Nylon is the hardiest of all available synthetic carpet fibers, and is the most popular in the carpet industry. This didn’t happen by accident: nylon fiber is strong and offers good resilience, meaning it actually has the ability to bounce back after being crushed by feet, pets, or furniture.
There are carpet brands that don’t incorporate nylon, but you may find yourself disappointed down the road. Nylon carpets will look new for a longer period of time and will even resist wear and tear. It’s durability will have you smiling long past the installation date.