Whether you throw away your old shoes or recycle them as second-hand shoes, your decision can make a difference. Here’s why. When you decide to replace your old running shoes, there are two important questions to ask. The answers to these questions will help you turn into a person who cares for the planet. The first question is when the right time to replace your running shoes is? And the second question is how to dispose of your running shoes?

The Best Way to Replace Shoes

Shoes, according to experts, should be replaced every few hundred miles between 300 and 500. Shoes get worn out past their prime in nearly two months of purchase if you continue doing the recommended 10,000 steps a day. As the thumb rule, when your shoes begin to get uncomfortable, the time has come to replace them.

The new shoes you have now may be great for cushioning, shock absorption, and support, but the question to ask is whether they are equally great for the environment. The synthetic rubber soles, after all, may not be that great for the environment, even if you feel comfortable about it. If you can ensure your shoes don’t end up a stink of the landfills, you would do a great job for the sustenance of the planet.

You can dispose of your shoes in ways that sustain the environment. You can donate your old shoes as second-hand shoes. There are several programs to consider what you do with your shoes, with some life still left in them so that they go nowhere to die.

Donate as Second-Hand Shoes

Locate a Goodwill Shop or a local thrift store near your area to donate your shoes. You can claim to have given a new lease of life as second-hand shoes to your old shoes.

The companies like Samiyatex donate second-hand shoes around the world. You may locate a drop-off location to donate your shoes to or even host your shoe drive for others to donate their old shoes. The second-hand shoes may then be shipped off to one of these companies from where they are distributed across the world. You may do well to interact with local running groups active in your area to organize a successful shoe drive.

There are several other non-profit organizations working successfully in the donation of second-hand shoes. One World Running gives away second-hand shoes to runners all over the world.

Recycle Your Shoes

Donation is, of course, the best possible solution to the old shoes. When the donated shoes are found unfit to be used as second-hand shoes, they are recycled. One of the best recycling programs is offered by Nike Reuse a Shoe. Nike Company accepts worn-out and old shoes donated to them. The company grinds these old shoes into a material called Nike Grind. This material is used to makes sports products like turf fields and court tracks and other sport surfaces. Anyone can participate in this program. All you need to do is donate your shoes at a Nike location.

Fundraising with Sole

Angel Bins, a branch of Los Angeles based business Samiyatex, offers a unique fundraising idea. Angel Bins is the philanthropic branch of Samiyatex. For over two decades, Samiyatex had been recycling clothing and second-hand shoes from thrift shops, before Angel Bins was established in 2012 to offer no-cost recycling fundraiser to schools. The Company sorts and processes cloth items and shoes, packs, and ships them to developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including the Philippines, Zambia, Malawi, Cong, Peru, and Chile, among several more.

Annually, the company processes over 3 million pounds of shoes and 12 million pounds of clothing. The company is currently into the fundraiser drive for quality second-hand shoes. The shoes that you collect in your fundraiser drive are processed in the Los Angeles warehouse of the company. It is then exported to countries across Africa, Central America, and South America.

The company works with local businesses there and creates thousands of local jobs for micro-entrepreneurs. These micro-entrepreneurs support their families through works like reselling, re-purposing and repairing the shoes.

The local entrepreneurs in developing countries receive used shoes in raw packaging. They sort them in pairs. About 30% of the box has matching pairs while 20% without pairs. They process box by box in the hope that they will find the matching pairs. They take them to Africa or Peru for the people who need them.

The fundraising activity, thus, serves the dual goals of environmental sustainability and getting people out of the poverty trap as they become self-sufficient.

If you would like us to quote you a detailed proforma invoice for used shoes, please contact us today!