Plastic soda bottles can be very detrimental to the environment, but repurposing that beverage container, that might survive for thousands of years, into a piece of modern wardrobe is something that can be done to save the environment from the waste.
That "green" idea is buzzing about the racks at Patagonia in Downtown Austin. Their company goal is offering 100 percent recycled textiles in their clothing lines, and it might happen sooner than later. They're already two-thirds of the way there.
Workers at Patagonia's Reno plant literally tear down soda bottles to their smallest parts and create textiles by spinning the raw elements into new, rugged outdoor wear and fashionable t-shirts that rival their virgin equivalents.
And plastic is only the beginning.
"We've actually expanded and can now recycle the clothing," manager at the Austin store, Lisa Edwards, said. "We've expanded from just plastic with fleece to include now all our wool base layers and organic cotton t-shirts."
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Go-Green
News 8's Burton Fitzsimmons visits Patagonia to find out how they are going "green."
 
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All Patagonia clothing in the "Common Threads" program, is turning the old clothes into new clothes.
Look for the special "Common Threads" spool symbol on sewn-in tags that identifies Patagonia's recyclable clothing.
In addition, shoppers are encouraged to bring in and drop off any polar type fleece from any company for future repurposing.
"All the synthetics can be broken down to be like cottons and turn them into batting for other garments," Edwards said.
Our Go Green tip of the day: consider ways to reuse and recycle worn out garments in your own wardrobe.
Even if the elastic band is torn away from those torn and tattered workout shorts, give them a life anew and avoid the landfill.
