Where to recycle shoes in Australia
- updated for 2023
This post was last updated June 2023
There is no item that gets more worn down than a shoe well-loved – and the same goes for poor-quality shoes that don’t cut the distance, which seems to be a regular occurrence these days!
Instead of throwing these items in the bin, consider recycling. Typically only 1% of all shoes are recycled after use, but we can do our part to increase this amount, to properly dispose of worn out, impossible to repair shoes.
Thankfully the world of shoe recycling is expanding and there are several places where you can recycle your old and worn-out shoes in Australia. If you want to know where to recycle shoes in Australia, here are two initiatives that will take your old shoes:
There are also some shoe retailers that collect the shoes they sell, once they are at the end of their life. These include:
Simply Stronger, a physiology business in Melbourne also collects old shoes on behalf of shoe recycling companies.
Some website will note that Nike has a shoe recycling program in Australia but that is simply not true. More information on this and the companies noted above can be found below.
Below you will also find the answers to the following questions:
And If you want to know:
Click on the links above and that will take you to a blog post that covers these related points.
Where do I recycle shoes in Australia?
1. Upparel
Upparel is focused on turning the linear fashion economy into a circular one and they offer textile recycling as a result. This includes shoes.
The best thing is, they will accept any kind of shoe in any condition. And this was confirmed recently on their Instagram account – any kind of shoe in any kind of condition, including leather shoes and heels. I have emailed them to ensure that they are truly able to recycle these items and I will update once hear back from them.
In recent years they have partnered with several major and medium-sized retailers that will give you a voucher if you recycle through them. This is not a ploy to get you to spend more money on products you don’t need – but it’s a great option if there was something you did need to buy from one of these partner stores.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
For us consumers, this is a purely online/ digital service so anyone from any location can participate in this.
| They take shoes in any condition made from any materials. And you can combine your collection with other textiles such as:
But they do not accept:
| Upparel sorts through everything they receive and anything that is in a condition to be reused is sent to charity partners for resale. If the item is not fit for reuse, it is sent to their recycling partners for recycling. They note that "materials can be of use in many ways — rubber can be shredded and developed into new products or rubberised athletic tracks and playground surfaces. Their soles can also be used to create soles for fresh shoes!" |
2. TreadLightly
TreadLightly is a joint initiative between the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) and the charity Save Our Soles. They have formed a national initiative to increase the level of shoe recycling in Australia.
The best thing about TreadLightly is that they have partnered with several large retailers to set up collection boxes around Australia. Here is a list of some of their retail partners:
- ASICS
-
Converse
-
Frankie 4
- Hype
- Fast Times
- Merrell
- Drummond Golf
- Nike
- The Trybe
- Mac Pac
- Glue Stores
- InterSport
- Shoes & Sox
- ECCO
Keep an eye out for these stores and check to see if they have a collection box set up to collect for old shoes for recycling.
For details on what they accept, see below:
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
Australia wide. Search your postcode here.
| They accept:
And do not accept
| "Donated footwear is sent to the recycling plant here in Australia for sorting, breakdown and processing. Reusable components are extracted, including rubber, leather and fibres at the recycling facility. Reclaimed materials are used to manufacture new products such as gym mats, floors and playgrounds." - Treadlightly |
3. Frankie4
Frankie4 is a shoe retailer that has recently partnered with Treadlightly to offer shoe recycling bins in their retail stores. They are not currently listed on the Treadlightly website, which is why I have listed them separately here.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
Frankie4 has stores in Indooroopilly (QLD), Windsor (QLD), Mosman (NSW), Paddington (NSW), and Camberwell (VIC). | As they operate through the Treadlightly initiative, they would accept the same items listed in the table above. On their Instagram page, they mention they will accept all kinds of shoes. I have sent a message to them and Treadlightly to confirm. I will update you when I know more. | See the table above on Treadlightly. |
4. Hush Puppies
Treadlightly is a joint initiative between ASGA and Save Our Soles, but it seems like there are a couple of companies that have a direct relationship with the charity Save our Souls. Hush Puppies is one of them.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
There wasn't any information on their website on what stores will accept old shoes, so you will have to call your closest store to see if they will take donations. They have a small number of stores in NSW and VIC listed here. | Their website offers very little information on this but as the shoes end up going to Save Our Soles, I would guess they would accept the same type of shoes that Treadlightly accepts. See the list above. | The shoes are collected and sent to Save Our Soles to be turned into rubber mats. |
5. Bared
A B corp certified shoe retailer, they also partnered directly with Save Our Soles in 2019 to collect shoes for recycling.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
It appears all stores will accept donations. They have locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Armadale (VIC), Fortitude Valley (QLD) | Refer to the information on Treadlightly. | Refer to the information on Treadlightly. |
6. Totally Workwear
Totally Workwear is a workwear brand that typically sells work boots, as well as other tradie clothing and footwear. They have been in partnership with Save Our Soles since 2012, allowing customers to bring back their worn-out boots for recycling.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
This is only available at participating stores. Their website does not provide details on which stores participate though.
| It seems they will accept any type of workwear boots. | The rubber and steel are separated and the rubber is turned into mats (or something similar) and the steel is melted for reuse. |
7. Bata
Bata has its own program that aims to ensure no PVC gumboot that they make ends up in landfill. They are aiming to close the loop, by ensuring all worn-out products are sent back to them and then reused to produce new products.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
There are three ways you can recycle through Bata: | The program accepts Bata PVC gumboots. However, if you are sending it through Upparel, you may be able to send it through other worn-out shoes that meet the criteria set by Upparel, as noted above. There is nothing on their website that says you can not do that. Note: With the Upparel/ Bata partnership, there doesn't seem to be a voucher system in place. | Any non-PCV components are separated from the boots and it is the PVC component that is granulated, mixed with virgin materials and turned into new Bata boots. |
8. Havaianas
Havaianas have partnered with Terracycle to ensure their rubber thongs (or sandals – depending where you are from!) are recycled at the end of their life.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
Anyone from any location can have their Havaianas recycled. | Only Havaiana's made solely from rubber. | Terracycle will sort through what they receive and pass it onto their partners to recycle the rubber. |
9. Etiko
Etiko is a footwear and apparel brand that is focused on ethically produced, vegan and organic products. They have developed a Take Back Program for the products they sell. They have partnered with Save Our Souls to recycle their footwear. On their website they mention they are still working out how to return the materials back into making new shoes for the brand, to truely close the loop.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
You need to post your shoes to 536 Sydney Road Brunswick VIC 3056. If you include your name and email address, you can get a $10 voucher for sneakers returned or $5 for thongs returned. They can also be dropped off to the same location. | Only Etiko branded footwear. | Save Our Souls will separate the components for recycling, typically turning it into rubber mats and other similar products. |
10. Simply Stronger
Simply Stronger is an exercise/physiology business based in Caulfield North Vic. They also partnered with Save Our Soles in 2019 to collect shoes for recycling. However, they note on their website that they accept all kinds of shoes, which is different to what Treadlightly advises as acceptable. I have contacted them to ensure their information is correct and I will update it here if it is not.
Locations | What do they accept? | What do they do with the shoes? |
---|---|---|
61 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North Vic | They state on their website: All kinds of shoes can be donated for recycling, runners, street shoes, thongs, business, heels, we'll take them all. | On their website they state: Anything we think can still have some life in them will be donated to charity then all the rest will be sent to the recyclers. |
A note on Nike...
In the US the Nike Grind initiative has been in place since 1992, to take manufacturing scraps as well as shoes otherwise headed for landfill and recycle the materials for reuse. Their process grinds the materials to produce “Nike Grind” products used for various purposes from foot fields to furniture.
If you go onto the Australian Nike page and their sustainability section, you’re led to believe that Nie Grind operates in Australia as well. I contacted Nike and they confirmed that Nike Grind does not operate in Australia.
However, that does not mean Nike stores do not accept old shoes for recycling – they do through the Treadlightly initiative. The Treadlightly website lists Birkenhead Point and Homebush Bay in NSW and South Wharf Factory and Unhill Factory in VIC as two partner locations.
So ignore the information on this website if you are in Australia: https://www.nike.com/au/sustainability/recycling-donation
Related Questions:
Can you put shoes in your recycling bin?
And don’t write off your shoes 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 have 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.
Are shoes recyclable or garbage?
Scroll up above for more details on recycling options around Australia.
If you want to learn more about the recycling process and the impact shoes have on the environment, you may be interested in this blog post: Shoe Recycling in Australia – Common Questions Answered!
There it is noted that in fact shoes in Australia are downcycled, rather than recycled – currently there is no way to take old worn out shoes and use the materials to make new shoes. Your typical shoes are not made to be recycled. They are COMPLEX – made up of so many different components and materials, so it is difficult to recycle shoes.
There was only one company that I could find that made recyclable shoes and that was Bata.
So technically shoes are not commonly recycled – they are downcycled. However this distinction is not often discussed in the market and people are more interested in where they can take their shoes to ensure they do not end up in landfill, and the “recycling” options mentioned above help with that.
Unfortunately, the end of life options for shoes is rarely ever considered. The best we can do is to make use of the different options noted above, purchase only what we need and try to buy from brands that have thought through the end of life options. And collectively, we can make a difference with our individual choices.
xxx Tahsin