Alarmed at the waste created by single-use cable ties at Ironman events, James Ray, Manager Partner Services at Ironman Australia thought there had to be a better way.
“At Noosa Tri alone we were collecting two council bins full of spent cable ties. Not only was there a financial burden in disposing of them but it was very sad to see all that waste. The toggles have enabled us to set up and unpack so much quicker.”
Ironman Australia and Focus Banners have shared values on waste, particularly derived from signage and single-use plastics. As a local Noosa business, we have been able to work with Ironman on sustainable solutions for event signage. Ironman’s involvement means we get the benefit of their experience in event management. Not only do the products we produce for them have to be sustainable, but they must also be easy to install and remove. James was the driving force behind the toggles which are now spreading via local councils and major events across Australia and New Zealand.
Advantages of toggle ties over cable ties
Banner toggle ties have a few major advantages over alternative cable ties:
Toggle ties are infinitely reusable. Cable ties are single use. Banner Toggle Ties equal less landfill.
Attaching and removing toggle ties takes about a quarter of the time as cable ties, reducing bump in and out times.
Toggle ties utility means they are more economical than cable ties in the medium-long term.
There is no cost to disposing of cable ties at each event.
Banners and CCB covers actually present better. The stretch of the toggle tie allows the banner to stretch evenly in the wind. Wrinkles and pulls are less prevalent, so banners look better.
“The toggle ties worked really well and definitely reduced the number of plastic cable ties required at our event. They were easy to use and would recommend the toggles to anyone considering purchasing or looking for ways to minimise single-use plastics.” Laura Dunn – Coordinator Events – City of Ryde.
What are cable ties made from?
Nylon cable ties for banner installation are always single use. At this stage, nylon is non-recyclable in Australia. The most widely used method of attaching banners also means cutting off the long tag end to keep it neat. This tag end often ends up on the ground so does not even make it to a landfill.
Nylon is actually recyclable, but Australia has cut its bridges by sending contaminated waste overseas. It is a bit of a topic but we love anything which reuses or up-cycles plastics. I found this great use for recycled nylon in researching this post.
Can toggle ties be recycled?
Bungee ball ties are made from two materials. The polyester-coated latex bungee cord is non-recyclable. The second is the Polypropylene ball which already has some recycled PP in it. Theoretically, the balls are recyclable as PP however in practice it is unlikely they will pass through the kerbside sorting process. Luckily toggle ties can be reused countless times. We hope that technology beats the toggle tie to landfill and that a recyclable solution presents itself.
Where to buy banner toggle ties?
Banner toggle ties are available in packs of 100 in 11mm cord length (for crowd control barriers with 25mm tube) and 15mm cords (for temporary fencing with larger tubing). The basic product comes in black although larger orders can have custom colours. Around 10 toggle ties are required for each CCB cover assuming all the eyelets are used. An order of 10,000 would constitute a customisable colour.
For more information please contact us or visit our toggle tie page.
