Conveyor belt slat with side carrier connection

A conveyor belt, the conveyor belt comprising:

• a plurality of slats, at least one slat having a base for carrying an item, the base having a first opposing end and a second opposing end, the first opposing end and the second opposing end being substantially parallel to the direction of conveyance travel of the conveyor belt;
• and
• at least one side carrier coupled to at least one of the first and the second opposing ends of the at least one slat by a coupling mechanism,
• wherein the at least one side carrier is woven through the at least one of the first and second opposing ends, and
• wherein the at least one side carrier extends through a first slat from a top surface to a bottom surface, across the bottom surface, and through the first slat from the bottom surface to the top surface.