[Muenchener]

How?

Any better options than just taking them to the tip?

[robertostallioni]

yep. Wheelie bin. 

[underground]

Mine are all underwater in caves being used as handlines for divers

[andy popp]

They could join all the others in my garage.

[Stubbs]

Get your arts and craft on http://www.roperugs.com/

[Paul B]

Giant monkeys fist?

Budget G-string? (may chafe)

[The Aaronator]

I once cut my old ropes into 10m lengths and sold them at a car boot sale for £4 a pop. I sold the lot within half an hour.

New money for old rope...

[cheque]

You could take my sometime trad partner's approach and keep using it even after you've bought a new one.

For 6 months "Oooh, these ropes have had it, they're 8 years old and need replacing." After replacements have been bought he still brings out the old ones: "Those new ropes are just for special occasions (?), plenty of life left in these"

 

[slackline]

Cut out the damaged bits and splice 'em back together, they'll be as good as new. 

[Norton Sharley]

Knew I'd seen rope recycling somewhere, must have been in France. 

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=3262

But since you appear to live in Germany perhaps you can recycle them there?

And then they'd be sent to China to be made into a wheelie bin to be shipped over here so you could chuck all your other shit in.

[fatboySlimfast]

"Oooh, these ropes have had it, they're 8 years old and need replacing." 

jeez, Ive got some that are about 12........pretty dangerous but i dont fall off

[SA Chris]

My 11 mm wall / sport rope is about the same age, looks like new. Says more about how much wall / sport climbing I do than the rope quality.

[psychomansam]

Get your arts and craft on http://www.roperugs.com/

Not too hard to make a doormat like this apparently.

Some more ideas:
 
 

[cheque]

[Muenchener]

But since you appear to live in Germany perhaps you can recycle them there?

Didn't find anything on the German forums or on Edelrid's website.

[lagerstarfish]

take a 1.5m length of rope, fold in half, tie several overhand knots in the doubled rope and pull tight - great dog toy for staffies etc

fig 8 knots work too

[andy_e]

I've got a hardly-used, ~15 year old rope (probably a 10.5 or 11 mm Mammut if memory serves) that's been sat in my parents' garage for most of that time. Is it any good to use for anything, or is it one for the rug weavers?

[GazM]

I just donated a couple of old ropes to the local beavers and scouts groups, under the very clear understanding that they were not for climbing with any more.  They were really happy to take them for knot practice, making bivis etc.  Worth a shot?

[andy_e]

Good shout Gaz!

[SA Chris]

I've got a rope of similar type and vintage I still use for indoor leading...

To be on the safe side you could cut the rope to less than 5 m lengths before donating. Most of them just need 2 ends for practicing knots. We have a box full of lengths of old static once used offshore that our troop practice with.

[mrjonathanr]

I just donated a couple of old ropes to the local beavers and scouts groups, under the very clear understanding that they were not for climbing with any more.  They were really happy to take them for knot practice, making bivis etc.  Worth a shot?

You retain liability I believe

[r-man]

I've got a hardly-used, ~15 year old rope (probably a 10.5 or 11 mm Mammut if memory serves) that's been sat in my parents' garage for most of that time. Is it any good to use for anything, or is it one for the rug weavers?

Er, why wouldn't it be any good?

Is there any science behind this? I've got an old rope too. Like you, I rarely use it. Ok, I probably use it a bit more than you - I dangle on it to work highballs sometimes, and once every few years climb on it. But in its 15-20 years it has probably had less action than others give their rope in one summer.

Not being much of a ropes person, all I've learned was that you should check your ropes, and if they start showing signs of wear, cut those bits off or discard when that no longer becomes worthwhile.

Do unused ropes actually degrade over time?

Can anyone educate me?

[Paul B]

If it's a Beal rope you have:
https://www.beal-planet.com/en/recycling-beal-dynamic-ropes/

[mrjonathanr]

[
Do unused ropes actually degrade over time?

Nylon supposedly loses upto 50% of strength over 10 years. Mountain Training guidance is to bin ropes even if unused and in original packaging at this age.

[IanP]

Nylon supposedly loses upto 50% of strength over 10 years. Mountain Training guidance is to bin ropes even if unused and in original packaging at this age.

Ropes aren't nylon though, think there's quite of bit of stuff around about old ropes having plenty of strength.

https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_GB/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-old-vs-new-gear-testing