TreadLightly is celebrating a new recycling record this month but is calling on Australians to ‘step up’ for National Recycling Week to help reach its target of one million recycled shoes.
For National Recycling Week (7-14 November, 2022) TreadLightly is celebrating that Australians have collected over 600,000 pairs of unwanted sports and active lifestyle footwear for recycling which stretches to over 360km (that’s Sydney to Canberra and beyond!) and is calling for Aussies to help reach its target of one million shoes by 30 June 2023.
TreadLightly is a new national recycling initiative, powered by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) and recycler Save Our Soles (SOS), helping Australians to recycle their pre-loved sports and active lifestyle shoes by giving them new life as change room flooring, anti-fatigue mats and gym mats across Australia.
A perfect opportunity
Shaun Bajada, Executive Director, ASGA says that National Recycling Week is the perfect opportunity for Australians to do their bit for the planet by recycling their unwanted shoes and spreading awareness of the initiative, as training shoes have components that take up to 1000 years to break down in landfill.
‘National Recycling Week is a good reminder to go through your wardrobe to find any old sports or active lifestyle shoes that you no longer need. The TreadLightly program continues to evolve at a rapid rate. It’s rewarding to know we’ve made a positive impact so far with more than 600,000+ pairs of shoes recycled but we’ve still got a long way to go.
‘Every month we’re increasing our volume of shoes recycled. We’ve gone from recycling 1,000 kgs per month to around 12,000 kgs per month. And as the program continues to gain momentum, we look forward to ramping up our collections over the next six months to reach our target of one million shoes recycled.’
Mr Bajada said the ASGA are calling on Aussies to step up on their socials to help raise awareness around shoe recycling. ‘Film a fun workout in your old trainers or take a selfie dropping them off to the collection units and feel good knowing you’re contributing to saving the planet.’
Creating a local solution to a global problem
TreadLightly partners with 26 of Australia’s leading sports brands to allow consumers, retailers and manufacturer’s the opportunity to create a local solution to the global waste problem – making it easier than ever before for us all to tread lightly.
To participate in National Recycling Week and help keep unwanted shoes out of landfill, simply head to one of TreadLightly’s 600 collection points across Australia. To find your local collection point visit: treadlightly.asga.com.au/collection-locations.
