We are now collecting ALL kinds of shoes to be recycled
We have partnered with Upcycle 4 Better, an international textile end-of-use organisation, to collect ALL kinds of shoes to be re-worn, recycled, repaired or reprocessed.
Where do they go?
Shoes in sellable condition are donated to our partner, Australian Red Cross, as well as other Op Shops in the local council area.
For shoes that need a little love, Upcycle 4 Better will repair them to be resold in their 1-World and Best Bundle stores, as well as be purchased wholesale. There are depots in New South Wales, Melbourne, Perth, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and Malaysia.
The remaining shoes will go to the Australian Textiles Manufacturing Malaysia (ATTM) facility in Selangor, Malaysia. The ISO-accredited facility is audited yearly and contributes to 15 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development goals. (More info on ISO accreditation here)
ATTM holds to its zero-to-landfill promise that it will never send any of the materials it receives to landfill.
The rubber sole shoes, like sport shoes, are converted into new building materials for playground flooring and other rubber composite products.
What remains is reprocessed as PEF (processed engineered fuel) for the local cement industries. The byproduct of this waste-to-energy is then utilised in the cement mix itself, resulting in zero material being sent to landfill.
