It seems that every day, someone is figuring out how to upcycle another product that would otherwise get thrown away. For the Oxgut Hose Company, that product is old fire hoses.
Fire departments can dispose of many thousands of fire hoses every year depending upon usage levels. Normally, these hoses end up in our landfills, where they can take up to 100 years to fully decompose. Instead of seeing all these hoses go to waste, the Oxgut Hose Co. is giving some of them a second life.
Fire Hoses Repurposed
Oxgut Hose Co. offers unique, hand-crafted products made from upcycled, decommissioned fire hoses, salvaged from U.S. fire departments. While the name of the company gives a nod to the first fire hose in ancient Greece (purportedly made from an ox’s intestine), the designs are contemporary. Their local artisans and designers are always coming up with new ways to integrate this unusual material into beautiful, handmade pieces.
Fire hose mat. Image: Oxgut Hose Co.
In addition to its interesting ascetic appeal, the fire hose material is very resilient, making it great for products that can stand up to a lot of use. Oxgut’s available-now collection includes durable fire hose mats and sturdy bags that are sure to spark (ohhh, we couldn’t resist) some comments.
Weekender tote. Image: Oxgut Hose Co.
Oxgut’s full collection (note that some items are “special order” or “coming soon”) includes additional rugs, totes, wine bottle carriers, a fire hose Dopp kit, and some striking wall hangings made from fire hose couplings. Even their tags are made from reclaimed hose-turnout materials.
Coming soon: odd coupling wall hangings. Image: Oxgut Hose Co.
Oxgut Cares
In addition to caring for our environment by keeping fire hose out of the landfills, Oxgut also gives back. In order to honor the original purpose of the fire hose — saving lives — Oxgut gives a portion of each sale to help the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation
Ready to give upcycled fire hoses a try? Check out Oxgut Hose Co. for some durable and unique products — with a heroic past.
Feature image courtesy of Oxgut Hose Company. Originally published on May 13, 2015, this article was updated in September 2020.
The post Oxgut Hose Co.: Upcycled Products With a Heroic Past appeared first on Earth 911.
