Learn how to restore your old kicks this weekend at Save a Sole!
How many old shoes do you have hidden away rotting in your cupboard at home?
Do you know what happens to these shoes when you finally decide to throw them out?
Sadly, most old shoes, even the ones that are just dirty and still wearable, end up finding their way to the landfill. These shoes then take a very long time to decompose. Running shoes, for example, can take 1,000 years to break down.
Thankfully, this can easily be avoided by recycling your shoes. Yep, that’s right. Shoes can be recycled.
Here’s how:
Upcycling
If your shoes still fit you, but their just dirty or you just got bored of them, why not give them a makeover? Get creative with some PVA glue, sequins, paint, fabric, lace and create the shoes of your dreams.
Sell
Have shoes in excellent condition but the wrong size. Give them a new lease of life with someone who loves them (and can fit them). You and the earth benefits from this exchange: extra money in your pocket and one less pair of shoes in the trash.
Donate
Shoes not in excellent condition? or you don’t have the time to sell them? Drop them in at a charity clothing bank, or take them to your local charity shop. This way, your shoes are kept out of landfill and a charity can raise money from the sale of them too!
Amazingly, you can partake in all three methods mentioned above at the Save a Sole event this weekend (Aug 24 and 25).
Save a Sole is a shoe recycling and restoration event organised by Sole Kleen and Art, My Foot.
FYI, Sole Kleen is a shoe care specialist company which started professionally cleaning shoes 3 years ago.
Meanwhile, Art, My Foot is a group of hobby artists who make hand-drawn customised art on shoes.
At the event, you can spend the weekend being productive by learning how to make your shoes last longer at their shoe cleaning and shoe painting workshops.
While you’re there, you might also get a chance to have Sole Kleen and Art, My Foot clean and pimp out your shoes themselves for special rates.
The offer is limited to 20 pairs per day though, so if you really want this you have to be there early!
Besides the chance to give your old shoes a new lease of life, the event also lets you give back to your community.
Last weekend, Sole Kleen collected toddlers and kids’ shoes (from eight months to six years old) to be restored.
They will be selling these restored shoes during the event on a pay what you want price basis, with prices starting from RM15.
A portion of the profits from the sale of these shoes and any of the unsold restored shoes will be donated to charity.
Create something beautiful and save money?! We’re so in!
