Where to recycle shoes in Australia – updated for 2023

Where to recycle shoes in Australia
- updated for 2023

shoe recycling in australia

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.

LocationsWhat 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.


You can order a box directly from Upparel here.


It costs $25 for a box that can fit up to 10kg of waste.


As mentioned, there is a way to get a voucher for the items you donate - sometimes the voucher can exceed $25, depending on the retail partner.


The list of retail partners can be found here.


Look out for "digital partners". Click on the store icon and that will lead to a separate page where you can purchase a box for $25 and receive a store voucher in exchange.


Sometimes there's a minimum spend associated with the vouchers, sometimes you get only one voucher per store. The details can be found on the partner websites.

They take shoes in any condition made from any materials.

And you can combine your collection with other textiles such as:

  • Clothing items (jeans, shirts, coats, etc)
  • Hats
  • Bags (handbags, duffel bags, etc)
  • Wireless Bras
  • Swimwear
  • Wetsuits
  • Socks and stockings
  • Linen (bedding, towels, tea towels, etc)
  • Fabric mattress protectors (not waterproof/plastic)
  • Fabric off-cuts and sewing scraps
  • Fabric couch covers and curtains

But they do not accept:

  • Unwashed items
  • Underwear
  • Carpet
  • Duvets/DoonasPillows/Cushions
  • Soft Toys
  • Wired Bras
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: 

Treadlightly collection box

 

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:

LocationsWhat do they accept?What do they do with the shoes?

Australia wide. Search your postcode here. 


This will give you a list of participating stores in your area. Call the store before you go there because the list is not up to date.

They accept:

  • Athletic Lifestyle Shoes
  • Any Sports Branded Shoes
  • Thongs And Slides
  • Football Boots
  • Leather Sports Shoes
  • Hiking Boots
  • Sneakers
  • Trainers
  • Runners
  • Golf Shoes
  • Gumboots

And do not accept

  • Business Footwear
  • Formal Leather School Shoes
  • Steel Cap Boots
  • Work Boots
  • Wedges
  • Pumps
  • Leather Dress Boots & Ballet Flats
  • Heels
"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. 

 

LocationsWhat 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).

It is not clear if all stores accept donations so best to call beforehand.

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. 

LocationsWhat 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. 

LocationsWhat 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. 

LocationsWhat 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.


Their store locator can be found here.


You would need to call the closest store to see if they will accept your shoes.

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. 

LocationsWhat do they accept?What do they do with the shoes?

There are three ways you can recycle through Bata: 
1. Directly in their store at 1158 Nepean Highway, Mornington Victoria 3931. In exchange you will get a 10% discount voucher. 
2. Mailing your shoes (at your own expense) to the above address Attn: Recycle Program
3. Through Upparel. While Bata is not listed as a partner through the Uppareal website, there is an active partnership there that you can take advantage of. 

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.

LocationsWhat do they accept?What do they do with the shoes?

Anyone from any location can have their Havaianas recycled. 

Use this link here to enter your email address to receive a postage label. Once you get an email, print out the label, place it on the box containing your worn-out sandals and it's ready to be mailed back to Terracycle for sorting and recycling. 

There are also physical drop-off points in all states around Australia (except SA and TAS), which you can find here. From experience with other drop-off options, it pays to give them a call to check, rather than relying on this listing. Phone numbers are listed on the website. 

Only Havaiana's made solely from rubber. 

So this excludes any styles that contain vegan straps, fabirc materials or fabric straps. 

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. 

LocationsWhat 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. 

(They also have an apparel returns back policy if you wanted to return worn-out clothes as well)

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.

LocationsWhat do they accept?What do they do with the shoes?
61 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North VicThey 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?

If you’re wondering if shoes can be put into your household recycling bin, the answer is no – no matter what your shoes are made from, whether it be plastic, leather or rubber, shoes can not go in your regular recycling bin. However, this does not mean that shoes need to go into landfill. 
 
If your shoes are damaged beyond repair, there are options for repurposing or recycling them.
 
For reuse ideas, click here. 
 
For recycling options available in Australia, refer to the information above. 


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. 

 
A common question that is often asked is, can leather shoes go in the recycling bin? The answer is No, leather shoes can not go into your recycling bin. Your household recycling bin is typically only for paper, certain plastics, glass, steel and aluminium. Not shoes. 
  
In fact, leather shoes – at least leather business, school and dress shoes – are one of the most difficult shoe types to recycle and not many places accept these for recycling. The only organisation I found that accepts these shoes is Upparel. 
  
can leather shoes go in the recycling bin
 
Also it’s worthwhile noting, shoes made from a single material source – say recycled plastics – can not go in your household recycling bin. 
 
So let’s say you were one of the rare few that got their hands on the Adidas Futurecraft. Even though it is made from one type of plastic and it is 100% recyclable, it can not go into your recycling bin. 
 
While it is plastic, it is not the type of plastic our multi-purpose resource centres can sort through. It will be treated as a containment. 
 
A brand rarely creates shoes made from one material only. If they do, it is typically because they operate within a sustainability business model. With these brands, repair, reuse and recycling is usually a part of the services they offer. 
 
So if you have shoes made from one material only, I would contact the brand that you purchased this item from to see what end-of-life services they offer. 

Are shoes recyclable or garbage?

In general, shoes are not garbage even if broken. While they might not be suitable for regular recycling bins, many components can be recycled or repurposed. By exploring dedicated shoe recycling programs, you can significantly reduce the environmental impact of footwear waste and avoid landfil.

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 

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