Isn using brand new tatami omote a waste of perfectly good mats?
FAQ’s We get this question every now and then from environmentally conscious customers. The answer is “No”. It is not a waste since most of this material was previously burned. One of the most creative ways our supplier was able keep the cost of our tatami omote down was to give new life to a material that was previously discarded. Some of the Soft Rush used in our mats is the by-product of a much higher quality mat that the factory produces. This material is mixed in with some smaller, shorter reeds that can’t be used in other mats because of the length. Both of these materials were burned in the past as unusable. The reality is that our New mats are made from a material which has found a new use instead of being trashed, hardly a waste. We also recommend that the pieces of cut mat be used as compost, garden mulch, or put in the “green” recycle since they are made from entirely organic materials.
