On June 16th, Surfrider Pacific Rim hosted a Father’s Day Wetsuit Haul at Relic Surf Shop’s Junction location aimed at reducing surf-industry waste through neoprene recycling. If you’ve never thought where your neoprene suits and accessories end up when they reach the end of their life, Yulex estimated that 380 tons of neoprene heads to the landfill annually. This day was a beautiful celebration of Tofino and Ucluelet’s surfing community coming together to divert a hard to manage waste stream from the landfill. In addition to the neoprene haul, the day included a community market, board swap, skate ramp, and delicious food from PUNA, Tomi’s Pizza, Sun Ray, and KIKAN food trucks.

In total, three full super sacks of neoprene were collected and shipped out. Ripcurl Canada was a key sponsor for this event, covering the recycling and shipping fees to New Jersey for all collected wetsuits and accessories. From there Lava Rubber, will be upcycling these suits into other consumer goods. Special thanks to Far West Distributors, who transported the debris from Pacific Rim to Nanaimo free of charge!

We also extend our gratitude to Ocean Fix Dive Centre for traveling from Campbell River and providing a large donation of wetsuits as well as monetary support for this recycling effort. Additionally, a big thanks to Neocycle, a small wetsuit upcycling company based in Victoria, which will be converting three bags of neoprene waste collected at this event into new products.

Thank you to all our supporters and sponsors who came together in support of a waste-free community and circular economic practices. Keep an eye out for up-cycled goods that will be coming from your old wetsuits!