What To Do With Old Jeans? 

We love jeans because they are made with authentic denim. However, what do we do with the old jeans we don’t wear anymore? Jeans are durable materials with a lasting life cycle when recycled. 

These denim recycling options will help reduce our contribution to textile waste in the environment. Let’s give old denim apparel a second life through the following methods.

What to do with old jeans?

Here are ways to give your old jeans a second life:

Sell old denim.

If you have too many old denim jeans, you can get rid of them by selling them. You can give them a second life by selling them. If they are in good condition, you will make enough money from thrifting them away. 

To sell, you could just announce to your close friends, family, and co-workers or sell to thrift stores around you. You can sell your old blue jeans at ThredUP, Poshmark, eBay, Depop, ASOS marketplace, Etashee, and Facebook marketplace.

Don't want to pay full-price jean pants? Some stores also offer discounts on your next denim purchase when you bring old denim.

Recycle an old pair of jeans at the nearest recycling center or a denim recycling program.

You can recycle your old denim if you don't know what to do with it. Recycling old jeans is easy. You can drop them off at a recycling center or stores that offer a denim recycling program. The old jeans you drop at recycling centers and denim recycling programs are ripped, torn, discolored, and other terrible conditions. 

Jeans are recyclable because they are made from cotton fiber. Recyclers reuse it in wonderful ways, preventing it from causing environmental pollution. You can ask local recycling companies near you to pick up your old blue jeans.

Some examples of denim recycling programs are the Blue Jeans Go Green, Do Well Recycle, and Muji denim recycling programs. Cotton Incorporated, founded in 1970, created the Blue Jeans Go Green program, which partners with denim brands like Frank and Oak, Rag and Bone, Wilco, and Anthropologie to recycle old cotton blue jeans. 

With Cotton Incorporated, the Blue Green Jeans Go Green initiative saved 5,200,000 jeans from landfill space.  Rag and Bone offers a 25% discount on future purchases of cotton blue jeans when you drop off previous purchases, while Frank and Oak offers 15% off. 

You can recycle denim through Blue Jeans Go Green by packing old jeans in a box, printing a shipping label from the website, and sending them. The denim recycling program only offers shipping within the United States. It also only accepts jeans made with 90% cotton because it is a sustainable fiber that is easy to recycle. 

Remember to remove labels, tags, stickers, or other plastic attached to the jeans before sending them. Recyclers often use denim collected for housing insulation, padding for kraft paper supplies, and delivery packages.

Repurpose old jeans.

You can upcycle previous denim purchases into something new when you do not know what to do with old jeans. You can use an old pair of jeans shorts or jean jackets to make something new in many ways. Some of them are:  

1. Headband

You can make headbands out of an old pair of jeans. There are many DIY sewing tutorials on YouTube. Follow these tutorials and create any headband style for you and your kids. You only need an elastic band, needle and thread, and scissors. You can make it into a bonding activity for your family or your students if you're a teacher. 

2. Denim Rug

You can also use an old pair of jeans to make rugs by sewing or weaving them. You will need pins, a tape ruler, scissors, an iron, heavy twill fabric or canvas, a denim needle and thread, a stiff wireboard, and denim.  

The first step in making a denim rug is cutting the heavy twill fabric for the back. Cut it slightly over your desired rug size—you can trim the excess edges once you’re done. Once you have the back, cut the old pair of jeans into stripes. 

It is best to use the legs of jean shorts and pants to get the most extended stripes. Long jean skirts are also suitable for rug making. The stripes should be 2 inches wide or more, depending on your desired size. Cut at least 30 stripes, but you might need more if you make a large rug.

You can sew these stripes on the heavy twill or canvas in any pattern you want or weave them before sewing them on the canvas. There are lots of videos on YouTube about weaving techniques that can assist you. Remember to trim the edges when you’re done. 

3. Potholder

Using old blue jeans as pot holders is a fantastic upcycling choice, mainly because we’ll use the pockets of an old pair of jeans. Finding a use for the pocket area can be challenging when upcycling jeans. However, you can cut it out as pot holders because denim fabric offers thermal insulation. Expert denim recyclers often recycle denim as insulation material. 

4. Skirts

You can repurpose old jean pants into skirts without getting a new pair of jeans or skirts. You can use excess denim fabric to make other fashionable items of clothing. It helps reduce waste in the environment. 

5. Bookmark

Make cute bookmarks with old blue jeans. You can trace out what you want the bookmark on the denim and cut it out. It could be a mushroom, butterfly, heart, bottle, moth- anything. 

6. Apron

Old blue jeans make great aprons, no matter what they are for. To sew an apron, deconstruct the pair of jeans to its entire length. An old denim skirt is a fantastic choice, but you can use any other denim apparel. You can wear the apron when you are cooking, gardening, or painting.

7. Pillows and Plushies

Denim can also be used to make pillows and plushies. You’ll need fiber filling, scissors, a tape ruler, and a sewing machine. Cut the denim to the size and shape of your desired plushie or pillow. Sew all open sides except for one opening. 

Stuff the fiber filling through the open side until it is complete. Sew it, and there you have a pillow and a plushie. 

8. Purse, Clutch, or Bag

Repurpose old blue jeans into a purse, clutch, and tote bag. These will last long because denim is a sustainable fiber. You have the creative freedom to design the purse or tote bag as you please. You can paint the fabric, embellish it, or embroider it. There are many tutorials on the internet, specifically on YouTube and TikTok.  

9. Pet Bed Inserts

Transform old denim into a pet bed insert for an eco-friendly nod to our furry friends. Simply cut the denim into squares. Stitch them into a pouch. Use shredded denim or spare clothes as filling. Sew it close and give it to your pet to enjoy!

10. Place Mat and Coasters

You can turn old denim into placemats and coasters. Double the material you use if you decide to use the sewing method. You don’t need to double it if you are weaving instead. You can follow a tutorial online.

Conclusion   

You don’t have to send your old jeans to the landfill anymore. We listed various ways you can save them from the environment. Participating in the denim recycling program and repurposing them ensures a circular use of the fabric and positively impacts the environment. If you don't have denim in your wardrobe, we also have ways to recycle old clothes in general.