What is a Recycled Mat?
You may have heard people talk about a 'recycled mat', ‘recycled-poly mat’ or a ‘recycled plastic mat’ along your travels. But if you are new to the caravan and camping industry, or you just haven’t heard of them before, this blog will help you understand what they are and why they are an essential camping item for thousands of Australians all over the country.
Why are they called recycled-poly mats?
The term ‘poly’ is short for polypropylene, and it is regarded as one of the most versatile and widely used plastics worldwide. You can find all sorts of products around your home made from polypropylene, such as shopping bags, lunch boxes, medicine bottles, drink bottles and even plastic toys. Anything with this symbol is polypropylene, or PP for short.
How are they made?
The process to make a recycled-poly mat is fascinating, and we’ll share the process with you in a future blog. But for now, we’ll summarise by explaining that the polypropylene plastics are melted down into a thick liquid before eventually being converted into long, hollow, and straw-like strands. These strands are then placed on looms that weave the mats together, before the finishing touches such as binding and eyelets are added.
A caravan and camping favourite
Polypropylene plastic is very durable, making it an ideal material to recycle and repurpose into multi-purpose outdoor living mats. These mats are extremely popular in the caravan and camping industry for being lightweight and easy to clean. They are a perfect addition to any campsite to add comfort, safety, cleanliness and a pop of colour.
Why do I need one?
Don’t take our word for it. Here are just a few reasons why our customers love them:
- Lightweight – our 6m mat only weighs only 6kgs
- Easy to clean – broom, shake or dust off
- Non-slip and quick drying
- Soft and comfortable under your feet
- Strong, durable and long-lasting
- Easy to pack away
- Mould, bacteria and odour-resistant
- Water, dirt and sand resistant
- Grass and sand friendly
They are environmentally friendly too. When you purchase a recycled mat, you save between 2kg and 6kg of plastic waste from entering landfill. Plus, when you decide you no longer require your mat, you can recycle it again to become something else.
So, before you take off on your next adventure, make sure you have a recycled mat to take with you. Because when you’re travelling around this beautiful country of ours, no one has time for a boring annex mat – here’s looking at you rubber and mesh matting.
Browse the full range of recycled mats here.
Happy travels!
TOMC ☀