When Michael Briody decided to do something about reducing the amount of neoprene that ends up in land fills, he knew that it would involve ingenuity, hard work, and chopping or cutting of some sorts. Inspired by the creative spirit instilled in him by a strong family foundation, Michael put nose to the grindstone and came up with Recycled Records – a unique recycling program that takes old wetsuits made of neoprene and turns them into unique coasters for both your home and your surfboards.

Making Recycled Records is an ingeniously simple process that benefits the environment as well as surfers – take a large grinder, feed a heap of used wetsuits into it, and put the pieces back together using a lot of heat, pressure, and a little adhesive. The high heat and pressure not only forms the unmistakably recognizable look and feel of OVNY’s Recycled Records, but as an added bonus the baking process also acts as a disinfectant by burning off fabrics and nylon materials. The neoprene itself, a closed cell rubber, repels microbes, oils, and wax by design.

So we sat down with Briody in the heart of Waikiki in Hawaii for a quick chat about all things neoprene and surf:

Thanks for sitting with us. Tell us about your company’s name, OVNY.
It was a nickname I got in college, and it’s one of those words that has no meaning. When I needed a name for the business, [I searched for] what was familiar and the logo, the design, and the name came back … it has a personal meaning and evolved from something familiar. The name Recycled Records is because they’re circular and black,  they look like a record. Music was a big inspiration for me throughout my whole life … I feel like everybody can relate to music, and everybody can relate to [the Recycled Records]. I say peace for your piece (your surfboard)!

So you’re from New Jersey …
I’m originally from Long Island, and then I moved to Jersey full time in 2001 … right after 9/11 went down to take care of [family] . I grew up surfing all my life. My uncle was in the navy and as soon as I was big enough to walk, he had a life vest on me and threw me in the ocean and told me to learn! Get on that board! The best childhood is in the ocean … couldn’t wait until the weather broke to get back into the water, you know?

Tell us about the surf in New Jersey …
Surf in New Jersey? It’s epic to be totally honest with you. We’ve got some really great swells that people are totally shocked about. I was on the North Shore yesterday, and one of our home breaks, Belmar, was the cam of the day on Surfline. That tells you a little something … but we have to wait for the winter. It’s fun, sunny, and warm in the summertime but the waves are small.

What do you see as the mission or vision of OVNY?
My main concern is to keep the neoprene out of the land fills, to help mother nature out so she doesn’t have to break that stuff down, and then invent a product that serves a purpose.  [The recycled records] saves you from a dirty, waxy towel to wash … it saves our boards from stress cracks, it keeps the performance aspect in check. That’s my mission, to keep the land fills free of neoprene and keep surfboards safe during travel.

On the initial website, we couldn’t quite see the details on the Recycled Records as far as construction. Can you tell us about the process of making the “coasters”?
It’s a two step process – there’s a grinder and a mold. We actually use a big grinder, similar to a large paper shredder. You feed in the rubber and it grinds them up into loose flakes and then it’s put back together with heat and pressure and alittle adhesive, like Elmer’s glue based adhesive. After the material is chopped, when it’s rebound and baked in high heat and pressure, it performs like a disinfectant.

[The Process] burns the nylon, that’s why [the records] look so dark. Yeah, basically heat and pressure. The raw nature of the process kills any bacteria holding materials like fabric and nylon. I tried other methods too, initially I thought to cut and glue wetsuits together, but the reasearch process led me to heat, chopping, binding … chopping and heat was the best way to make the neoprene process work. From the get go, I knew cutting and chopping was involved somehow … At the show, we have a full wetsuit going into a meat grinder to give a visual to people as to how it sort of works.

You just takes heaps of wetsuits and throw ‘em in as is?
Yeah, no zippers though … but the disinfecting part, it’s all in the process.

Tell us about the printing process to get the designs on the neoprene.
It’s a regular plastisol ink … to get it to stick to the rubber. Plastic loves plastic, rubber loves rubber, they’re all in the same family… so water-based ink didn’t work on the neoprene. But we outsource all of our printing to a company called “Earth Safe Printing” in New Jersey, and they use all earth friendly processes.

Are you developing other recycled products from the neoprene?

Yeah! I have ideas for some recycled flip flops and personal changing mats for your car.

You’re starting a recycling program to collect used or discarded neoprene involving local surf shops and surf schools as well?

The neoprene recycling program allows surf shops to be proactive in the community and prevent garbage dumps from filling with the rubber. Involving the shops and schools in the recycling program also tells the community that future neoprene items will be recycled rather than disposed of. The shops are keen to it because it’s helping our Earth, it’s helping our environment, it’s keeping our water clean. It’s all relative – the water, the mountains, the Earth … they all coincide.

We’re just trying to do our part to help that cycle. We also joined 1% for the Planet, the program that takes 1% of our sales and directs it towards total environmental protection plan. Besides our immediate hands-on effort with our recycled products, we’re also giving back to other people who are doing good things.

The Recycled Records come in some unique packaging too don’t they?
All the packaging we have is reusable, so that people can keep them and reuse them. The surfboard coasters come in a reusable mesh bag custom made for [OVNY], with a backpack cinch so you can put your sunblock in there, or your booties and gloves … whatever you’re going to use it for. In the end, you just shake the bag and get all the sand out. Waste not want not! Everything needs to be on point with an Earth friendly purpose.

How can people get a hold of your Recycled Records or more information about them?
We sell them on-line and ask your local retailer for them, they’ll be there soon. I have been campaigning local shops, so once our store locator is up on the website, it will be easier for the public to find. We have a couple of stores in the East coast that carry them now, but the website will be the best source for information.

Anything else you want to share?
As a surfer and someone who loves the water so much … someone who appreciates the aesthetic values of life, I took it upon myself to find a way to relieve the burden of recycling wetsuits. Doing something for a fellow surfer, you know?  I feel that if I help one surfer out, that’s cool. But if I help out the whole [surf] community, it’s even better!

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