Are you thinking about throwing out your old sneakers? Rather than throw them in the trash, consider recycling them. Take a look at all of the benefits of recycling your old sneakers!
Unclutter Your Closets
Even when your sneakers are still wearable, you might buy a new pair and start wearing them more often. Then, your old pair just sits in the closet, taking up space.
When this happens with children’s sneakers, the piles can grow pretty quickly because they grow out of shoes so fast. By recycling shoes that you or your kids won’t wear anymore, you create more storage space in your home!
Raise Money for Good Causes
When you recycle your old sneakers through a fundraising program like GotSneakers, you earn money for each pair of sneakers that you can put toward a special cause.
A sneaker drive fundraiser is particularly lucrative for schools since children grow out of their shoes so fast. However, you can get your community involved in a sneaker drive for any cause, such as the Boys and Girls Club, the Humane Society, or any other organization of your choice. You can also keep the funds for a rainy day or purchase items for the school, community, or yourself!
Send Kids Off to School
Most school dress codes require children to wear shoes in order to attend classes. Sometimes, proper footwear is part of a required uniform. Since shoes aren’t easy to get in many countries, millions of children don’t get the education that they deserve.
When you send your old sneakers to GotSneakers they will be evaluated. Shoes that are at the end of their life will be recycled; however, shoes that can be cleaned and repurposed can find new life.
Reduce Health Risks
In some countries millions of people suffer from infections simply because they don’t have proper shoes to wear. The reason is that they must walk through areas where human waste isn’t handled properly. As a result, they contract parasitic worms from the contaminated ground. Such health conditions can even cause nutritional deficiencies in children. When they have shoes, these health concerns are a much lower risk.
Protect the Environment
When you throw your old sneakers into the garbage, they end up in a landfill. As they slowly decompose, the shoe chemicals leak into the soil and can eventually contaminate drinking water. This process has a significant impact on humans and wildlife.
Recycling your sneakers prevents this process, thereby protecting the environment!
Resurface Recreational Equipment
Recycled sneakers are broken down into parts and repurposed. Sneakers contain several different materials, including rubber, fabric, foam and leather. These materials can be salvaged and used to create and resurface playgrounds and courts used for playing sports. Additionally, they can be repurposed into new shoes, insulation and carpet padding just to name a few!
Reap the Benefits of a GotSneakers Drive
To take advantage of these benefits, register (for free) to start a GotSneakers shoe drive that recycles old, wearable sneakers in your home and community. We provide all of the materials that you need, and postage is included. Raising money for a cause while helping the environment and others in need has never been so easy.