Some people replace their shoes pretty often, while others make them last longer, depending on the intensity of their usage. No matter which type you are, there comes a time for a new pair of shoes. The shoes you have been using for a year or two may have by now begun to fall apart. While you may have already found a new classic pair of shoes for use, you still need to give serious thought to what you are going to do with that old pair of shoes. The easiest thing to do that most of us, in fact, do is to throw them away as trash. Unfortunately, that could be the most irresponsible act that is also the least eco-friendly. What options do you have? You can donate or recycle your used shoes.
Where to Recycle
Finding a location to give away your used shoes may not be as difficult as you may have thought. Today a wonderful program known as Reuse-a-Shoe Program exists to address your worries on where to recycle.
Recycling shoes is one of the most effective ways to limit harmful carbon emissions in the air and waste in landfills. Rather than throwing away, companies like Samiyatex, recycle, wash, repair, and sell top-quality used shoes that otherwise might go to the landfills.
Samiyatex is fortunate to be one of the biggest used shoe graders and exporters in the US and sort around 5 million lbs of raw shoes every year. We make 3 Grades of Shoes: Grade A & Grade B are exported while grade C, shoes that are torn or unwearable, get recycled into other materials. We recycle and export around 95% of all the shoes we process.
Where to Donate
Many among us throw away our used shoes even when they are in pretty good condition. Nothing can be more irresponsible and callous than this. A more humane approach is to donate the used shoes to someone who needs them. There are several programs and facilities that accept old shoes to be redistributed for reuse.
There are many charitable organizations engaged in the activity of donating shoes. They send the donated shoes across the world to be given to those in need including orphanages in South America, Central America, inner-city hospitals and homeless shelters in the U.S., and to places in Africa and Europe.
Collection drives are conducted, followed by sorting out of shoes in fairly good conditions and those that cannot be donated. The shoes in very bad condition are recycled to be used in playgrounds and running tracks. Samiyatex gives prime importance to education and health through their charity. They send second-hand shoes to Africa to prevent diseases like hookworm.
Fundraising
One of the biggest programs on the donation of shoes for the sustainability of the environment is run by Samiyatex. They accept used shoes and used clothes. They are also willing to pay you for your donation. The company envisaged a better solution for school fundraising, and Angel Bins was born in 2012. This Los-Angeles based business was in the business of recycling for two decades, when the company owners decided to offer the program to schools. This program is known as Fundraising with Sole.
The company’s enhanced capacity enables it to process over 15 million pounds of shoes and textiles, nearly one-fifth of which is used shoes. Fundraising with Sole has become a highly popular program with quality used shoes. The shoes that you give away in your fundraiser drive goes to the Los Angeles warehouse of the company to be processed. Once processed, the products are packed and shipped across the world to South America, Central America, and Africa.
More specifically, the company sends processed clothing, shoes, and other textiles to several developing nations like the Philippines, Zambia, Malawi, Congo, Peru, and Chile, among many more. These places are in need of low-cost alternatives to new. The items that are damaged or stained are recycled. Quality footwear, especially athletic shoes, is in great demand today. The company works with local partners in these countries and has, in the process, created thousands of local jobs for micro-entrepreneurs.
There are several micro-jobs for these micro-entrepreneurs to perform, including repairing used shoes, repurposing, or reselling them. That is how these micro-entrepreneurs are lifted out of their poverty trap as they become self-sufficient.
Angel Bins fundraising claims have performed a commendable job with the charity. The charity has helped raise the needed funds, and over time, the ripple has expanded. It is a source of quality shoes at affordable prices for those who cannot afford expensive brands. The charity is helping reduce waste by means of recycling and reuse. It has created thousands of jobs in the U.S and abroad.
