When they’re no longer needed, most people want to keep old shoes away from their trash can.
There’s nothing appealing about this leftover clutter. You can give your old shoes a new life by transforming them into beautiful sculptures.
So, how do you dispose of old shoes? Shoes are an essential part of our daily lives.
They give us support and protect our feet. However, they also need to be disposed of after they have served their purpose.
Luckily, you can easily dispose of old shoes. First, you can donate your shoes to organizations that collect them and recycle them.
Second, you can reuse them by giving your shoes to people in need. Finally, you can recycle your shoes by selling them online and buying new ones.
How to Dispose of Old Shoes
Contents
Do-It-Yourself Repair
You may always attempt to repair your shoes on your own if they aren’t badly damaged or worn out.
Gluing the soles back on, cleaning them, or painting them can breathe new life into older footwear and give them a new lease on life.
There are several videos online that might give you tips about how to fix or repair damaged running shoes or other types of footwear on your own.
Cobbler
Another option for upcycling is to sell your worn or damaged shoes to a cobbler that buys used items and turns them into new pairs for sale.
It’s amazing how they can repair an old pair of shoes and make them look brand new again.
You’d be shocked how often shoes can be repaired by just replacing the sole, sewing up a hole, or repairing ripped fabric.
That said, most cobblers don’t pay cash now, but it can help you offset the cost of getting a new pair.
With a simple trip to your local shoe repair shop, you can get rid of your old shoes and trade them in for shiny new ones.
Cobblers can perform miracles with older pairs of shoes. However, they don’t usually pay for the old pair that you turn in to them, but they may help you out by giving you a discount on the new pair you purchase from them.
If shoes are taken care of well and fixed quickly when they get damaged or worn out beyond repair, they can be brought back to their former glory.
Upcycling
You may upcycle your old shoes by turning them into other useful products.
Upcycling is the process in which you repurpose something so that it becomes more valuable than it was before.
You can upcycle an old pair of sneakers by cutting them up and using them as rugs in your home.
Some folks have repurposed their old shoes and turned them into wallets, purses, backpacks, and even tote bags.
Upcycling is all about finding creative ways to give old things a new life so that they can continue to be used and appreciated by others.
You may be surprised at how easy it can be to repurpose an old pair of shoes after they have been worn out or damaged.
Soles 4 Souls
New or moderately used shoes may help those who are less fortunate by donating them to Soles4Souls.
Find a drop-off site or donate by mail where they will distribute the donated items to those in need throughout the world.
Set Up Your Own Donation Bin
If you own a company, you may contact a local company to sponsor a bin that they fill each month with old shoes that are then donated to a local charity.
If the company is willing to sponsor the bin, the community may then donate any unwanted shoes to the bin, and the company may pay the company back for business exposure.
Another option is to set up a donation bin within your own company so that employees can donate old shoes to the company.
Terracycle is another option; they recycle all kinds of everyday products that people typically throw away.
Nike Reuse-A-Shoe
The Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, which began in the mid-’90s, collects gently used athletic shoes and turns them into tracks that are sold to the sports industry.
Materials derived from recycled shoes are used in playgrounds, basketball courts, running tracks, volleyball courts, and even in other sports venues.
More than 32 million shoes have been reused since the program began, and more than $3 million in sales have been generated since Nike began the program.
You may recycle your old sports shoes by tracking them via their website.
They will take your shoes apart, clean them, and then resole them before they are sold to others to use.
This Chicago-based organization’s purpose is to offer shoes to anyone in need by redistributing gently used footwear through donation events, shoe drives, and pick-ups.
Share Your Soles collects and sells gently used shoes that are then donated to those in need.
They only take shoes in fresh or excellent condition, so if you have a pair of worn out sneakers that are no longer usable for you, please consider donating them to them so that others can benefit.
Benefits of Upcycling, Donating, and Recycling Old Shoes
Recycling, upcycling, and donating shoes is a positive thing for the environment because reusing and recycling materials prevents waste from filling up landfills.
In the United States alone, Americans discard more than 80 billion pairs of shoes each year.
By throwing away your shoes in the right way, you can be sure that they won’t end up in landfills, where they will take many years to break down.
If the environmental advantages aren’t enough for you now, consider that donating or recycling your old shoes will help those in need receive free footwear that may be too expensive for them to purchase on their own.
Some donation facilities have outlets that sell donated clothing at a low cost.
When an organization sells donated clothes, it helps pay for some of the costs of collecting and distributing them.
Whatever you choose to do with your old or unwanted sports footwear, make sure that it’s being done responsibly.
Also Read: Can You Recycle Apple Boxes?
Conclusion
As you can see, there are all kinds of ways that you can dispose of your old shoes.
Sneakers and sports shoes are quite durable and easy to keep in good condition, but they do wear out over time.
If you take care of your athletic shoes properly, they will last longer and keep their quality. If your sneakers don’t show too much wear and tear, you can also use them for longer.
If you use your shoes for running or walking often, wearing them out after only a few miles or even a few months isn’t uncommon.
You can get rid of your shoes in a way that is good for the environment by giving them to people in need, reusing them, or recycling them. This will keep them from going to landfills.
