Shoe Recycling in Australia
- Common Questions Answered!
This post was last updated in 2023
In our ever-growing quest for a sustainable future, recycling has become an essential part of our daily lives. We diligently sort paper, plastic, and glass into the appropriate bins, but what about our shoes? Can they be recycled, or should they be sent to landfill?
In this blog post, I will explore the recyclability of shoes in Australia, the process of recycling shoes and the challenges associated with shoe recycling.
You will find answers to the following questions:
And answers to the following specific questions:
- Can slippers be recycled?
- How do you recycle flip flops?
- How do you recycle Crocs?
- Can I recycle my Adidas shoes?
- Can Skechers be recycled?
If you want to know:
Click on the links above and that will take you to a blog post that covers these related points.
But for more specific information about recycling shoes, keep reading.
How do I recycle old shoes in Australia?
In Australia, there are several avenues to recycle old shoes. You can drop them off at collection points set up at retail stores, take advantage of take-back schemes or send them off to a collection facility. But if your shoes are in good condition, consider donating them to those in need.
Many Australians can benefit from the reuse of gently worn shoes, so if your shoes are not damaged, consider donating to the organisations noted here. Or consider giving them away for free in your local freecycle or buy nothing group on Facebook.
When it comes to recycling, you can take advantage of the different collection points TreadLightly has set up with its retail partners.
Stores that have partnered with TreadLightly include:
- ASICS
-
Converse
-
Frankie 4
- Hype
- Fast Times
- Merrell
- Drummond Golf
- Nike
- The Trybe
- Mac Pac
- Glue Stores
- InterSport
- Shoes & Sox
- ECCO
And this list keeps growing.
The list of items you can drop off at these points was covered in the previous section above. Generally, everything is accepted except leather shoes, dress shoes and work boots.
If you have shoes that TreadLightly do not accept, then you will need to look at other options.
Work boots can go to Totally Workwear. They have collection points set up with a limited number of stores throughout Australia.
Otherwise, you may need to send your shoes to Upparel. As noted previously, Upparel will accept any type of shoe.
With Upparel, you typically need to pack up your shoes and schedule a pick up from your home. You will need to pay for this service however, you can get a store voucher to match the amount paid, which is something you might want to take advantage of.
Lastly, some brands (in addition to those mentioned above) offer take-back schemes. These include:
- Pluggers
These are brands working on closing the loop – so whatever they produce can then be used to create new products.
Recycling old shoes is the best way to dispose and get rid of old shoes in Australia. And that is true no matter what condition your shoes are in – if you need to dispose of broken shoes or you have a missing pair, recycling is your best option.
How do you recycle leather shoes in Australia?
Leather shoes can pose a challenge for recyclers due to their complex composition. Athletic shoes made from leather can be recycled through TreadLightly’s recycling program. They have various collection points around Australia. However, all other leather shoes will need to be sent to Upparel.
However, if your leather footwear is still in good condition consider selling them online, giving them away for free on Freecycle or Buy Nothing groups or donating them to charities that accept shoes.
But for damaged leather shoes, recycling is the easiest way to deal with them.
Athletic shoes made from leather can be dropped off for free at one of the TreadLightly partner stores mentioned in the previous section.
However, when it comes to business shoes, school shoes, ballet flats and dress shoes, you will need to arrange a collection with Upparel.
Why are shoes hard to recycle?
Shoes are challenging to recycle because of their complex composition, chemical treatments and the lack of infrastructure and development to support the process of recycling at a large scale.
Shoes often consist of multiple materials, such as leather, rubber, textiles, and metal components like eyelets or zippers.
And plastic. And not just one type of plastic but multiple kinds as you can see below.
A study into the environmental impact of manufacturing shoes found that a single shoe can contain 65 discrete parts that require 360 processing steps for assembly.
It’s been reported that one Adidas trainer contains more than 12 different materials.
So that’s a lot to disassemble!
Like materials need to be separated and processed individually, which requires specialized equipment and techniques.
A lot of the time, the process is not as refined as that. Usually, shoes are thrown into a shredder, to be downcycled into playground mats, store flooring, sporting mats etc.
So proper recycling of shoes, so the materials do not lose their value, is rarely ever possible. Shoes are typically downcycled rather than recycled.
(So all this time where I have been stating that shoes can be recycled – the technical answer should be, no they can’t. They can only be downcycled. But the term downcycled is not commonly used and I have taken the common meaning of recycling in this blog post.)
Certain types of shoes undergo chemical treatments during manufacturing, making them difficult to recycle. For example, waterproof coatings or chemical dyes can contaminate the recycling process, making it less viable. Also, the glue used to put together shoes can not be easily broken down during the recycling process.
Finally, the lack of infrastructure is an issue.
The infrastructure for shoe recycling is still developing in many parts of the world, including Australia. While progress is being made, not all areas have easily accessible recycling facilities or programs specifically designed for shoes.
So shoes aren’t something we can chuck into our council bins for council employees to deal with.
So shoes aren’t something we can chuck into our council bins for council employees to deal with.
It is reliant on us to take the initiative to find collection points around our shopping centres or malls. Or to put in the effort to box up our old shoes and have them ready for collection by organisations like Upparel.
While that is a little extra effort, it’s not what I would call all that difficult – as long as you know what your options are.
Are shoes being recycled?
Yes, shoes are being recycled globally, including in Australia, however, the overall recycling rate for shoes remains relatively low compared to other recyclable materials. Efforts are being made to increase awareness and improve collection systems, so more shoes can be recycled.
In Australia TreadLightly is the biggest collector of shoes destined for recycling. In August 2022 they had 600+ collection locations across Australia and in one year they had recycled 400,000 pairs of shoes, keeping 200,000 kgs of shoes out of landfill.
That’s a lot of shoes!
But unfortunately, it’s a small portion of the estimated number of shoes that are sent to landfill each year.
It’s been claimed on several sites that around 100 million shoes are thrown into landfill in Australia each year. So the 400,000 that were saved by TreadLightly represents 0.3% of this. Coupled with efforts by similar organisations, the total recycling rate is probably 1% at best.
So the overall recycling rate for shoes is very low.
The reasons mentioned in the previous section play a part – shoes are difficult to recycle because of their complex composition, chemical treatments and the lack of infrastructure and development to support recycling at a large scale.
And people are still unaware of what their options are and are throwing their shoes into landfill – that is another issue that would explain the low recycling rates.
In a survey conducted in 2021, TreadLightly found that 51 per cent of people confess to simply throwing their unwanted shoes in the bin.
In the same survey, they found more than two-thirds (78 per cent) of respondents said they were willing to recycle their old shoes if there was a shoe recycling program in their area.
So the desire to recycle is there – people are just unaware of the options.
So the desire to recycle is there – people are just unaware of the options.
Given all the different stores that TreadLightly has partnered with in recent times, you are more likely, than not, to find a collection point near you. Hopefully awareness will increase over time.
As to the question, are the shoes that are being collected actually being recycled? Well here is a summary was what happens to the shoes collected by TreadLightly:
Something similar happens to shoes collected by Upparel.
However as mentioned previously, it is not clear how they deal with the more difficult to recycle shoes like dress shoes and leather shoes. I’ll provide an update here once I hear back from them.
In Australia, the shoe recycling is an emerging industry, with ongoing efforts to develop effective systems and technologies for processing footwear waste. While shoes cannot be placed in regular recycling bins, various programs, charities, and drop-off locations allow for their proper disposal and recycling.
By actively participating in shoe recycling initiatives and exploring alternative options, we can do our part to reduce the number of shoes ending up in landfills, minimize environmental impact, and work towards a more sustainable future.
xxx Tahsin
Related Questions:
Can slippers be recycled?
Yes slippers can be recycled in Australia. If they are not made from leather, they can go into the TreadLightly recycling bins around selected stores in Australia. If they are made from leather, then you will need to send them to Upparel for recycling. There is no need to throw them into landfill.
How do you recycle thongs/ flip flops?
Thongs (or flip flops) can be placed in TreadLightly recycling bins that you can find in selected retail stores around Australia. Alternatively you can send them to Upparel for recycling. And if you have a pair of Havaianas or Pluggers you can take advantage of their free recycling program.
Havaianas have partnered with Terracycle to ensure there are end of life recycling options for the thongs they created. The thongs will be shredded and turned into matting for playgrounds.
They will accept all thongs except:
- Other brands of thongs
- Havaianas fabric strap thongs
- Havaianas vegan leather strap thongs
You can download a free shipping label from their website and post them off.
Or you can drop them off at one of the locations noted here.
Pluggers are another brand that has partnered with Terracycle to offer end of life recycling options for the products they create. Information on their program can be found here.
And since thongs are pretty simple to deconstruct, consider holding onto them and using them for simple DIY fixes around the home. Here are some ideas I got from the website Green Living Tips:
- shred them to use as packing material
- cut pieces can be used as cushioning for table and chair legs
- place sections under large appliances
- use as fishing floats
- glue layers together to use as door stoppers
So there are various options to ensure your thongs/ flip flops do not end up in the bin.
How do you recycle Crocs?
Crocs does not offer end of life options for the products they produce. The best thing to do is to send your old crocs to TreadLightly or Upparel for recycling. There they won’t be recycled into other crocs so much as downcycled into products such as matting and flooring.
This is the case with all the different products mentioned in this blog post – true recycling is not possible. The products these brands create can only be downcycled.
Crocs are made from a resin called Croslite. This is primarily composed of polyethylene vinyl acetate, or PEVA. This material, sometimes just called EVA, belongs to a class of compounds called polymers. The product is aerated to create a light and comfortable base for our feet.
Crocs are neither rubber nor plastic – just a substance that acts like both. In composition though, it is largely plastic and likely to stick around for a very long time!
Since they are largely made from the same type of material, it is disappointing that they have not explored way to truly recycle Crocs, creating new out of the old.
Can I recycle my Adidas shoes
Adidas does not offer a take back program for the shoes they make. While there are exploring more sustainably made products, relying on recycled materials, the end of life options for their products have yet to be considered. So you will need to rely on TreadLightly or Upparel for recycling.
Adidas sneakers sell well on the second hand market, so if there is any wear left in the shoes, consider selling them. You can find more information on selling shoes online here.
And don’t write off your sneakers if they are a little beaten up. If you have ever checked out the Sneaker Laundry in Sydney or Melbourne, you will know that it’s possible to bring really beat up shoes back to life again.
If you any sneakers that need to be revived, you can post them across for treatment or you can purchase the Sneaker Laundry cleaning products from their online store.
Can Skechers be recycled?
Skechers does not offer a take back program for the shoes they make. However you can take advantage of the recycling programs set up by TreadLightly or Upparel. They will take the shoes and ensure they are repurposed, ensuring they do not go into landfill.
And refer to the section above for suggestions on selling or cleaning old sneakers – recycling should be the last resort!
