What to do with shoes and boots?
These boots are made for walking…so donate your unwanted footwear to charity shops where they can be sold on. Any shoes that are looking a little worse for wear can be taken to most recycling centres.
Household recycling collection
Shoes and boots aren’t collected in household recycling.
Household waste recycling centre (HWRC)
Most household waste recycling centres have containers for old shoes and boots.
Other recycling collections
Community recycling points with textile banks accept footwear. Shoes should be paired and secured with string or a rubber band as difficult to keep them together - however, even individual shoes can be donated as they are sorted and matched with other similar pairs.
What can you do?
Before you get rid of those unworn shoes, take another look. Could they be painted, decorated or repaired?
Repairing old shoes could be cheaper than buying a new pair.
Pairs of shoes in good condition can be donated to charity shops for resale.
Search online to find charities and community groups in your area who collect footwear.
Recycling is constantly evolving and changing so check back for updates or try our recycling locator to find out what you can recycle at home and where you can recycle or pass on unwanted items in your local area.
