Schools called to step up for the planet

shoe recycling

TreadLightly is calling on schools to step up and collect unwanted shoes from teachers, students, and parents over one-week (21-27 March) to help keep shoes out of landfill.

The school shoe recycling initiative is open to all childcare centres, primary and secondary schools around Australia, with eight prize packs valued at more than a total of $12,000 up for grabs.

TreadLightly is a new national recycling initiative that’s working closely with Australia’s top sporting and active lifestyle brands to recycle unwanted sports shoes and give them new life as useful products such as retail flooring, anti-fatigue mats, gym and playground surfaces.

TreadLightly is powered by the Australian Sporting Goods Association (ASGA) and recycler Save Our Soles (SOS).

Shaun Bajada, Executive Director, ASGA says that TreadLightly wants to help all children understand the important role they can play in reducing landfill and lowering their impact on the planet.

“Children go through so many shoes as they grow and at TreadLightly we want to make it easy for kids to play an active role in helping the environment and learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle,” \ Bajada said.

“We are asking schools to help us step up for the planet by collecting as many shoes as possible from teachers, students and parents over one week – for the chance to win one of eight prize packs.”

Shoes take more than 1000 years to breakdown in landfill and TreadLightly is on a mission to recycle one million pairs of shoes by 2023 – saving nearly 500 tonnes of footwear from reaching landfill.

TreadLightly was created to reduce the sporting and active lifestyle industry’s environmental footprint by empowering brands, retailers, and consumers to give preloved footwear a new life.

There are more than 400 drop-off points around Australia.

For more information, visit: www.treadlightly.asga.com.au

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