Despite this capitalist climate, there are those who work tirelessly towards creating a more sustainable way of life in order to safeguard nature.

Given that most shoes have a short life expectancy after which they end up in landfills, environmental NGO EcoKnights launched a shoe recycling campaign, ‘Old Soles New Life’ on July 20.

To ensure the success of the campaign, EcoKnights collaborated with material science company Dow Chemical Malaysia and textile recycling company Life Line Clothing Malaysia.

The goal of the programme is to collect at least 4,000 pairs of old shoes, to be repurposed into a 135 sq m playground surface for Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Tadom (A) – an indigenous school in Banting that was severely damaged by the floods in December last year.

“Shoes take many years to decompose. In addition, they contaminate the environment by releasing harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater,” said Fadly Bakhtiar, programme director at EcoKnights.

In 2019, a similar campaign was held in Singapore by Dow Chemical and the local authorities, which led shoe recycling to become a permanent fixture in the country.

“They collect about 16,000 pairs of shoes per month, which is equivalent to five metric tonnes,” he told FMT.

All rubber shoes without metal parts, including school shoes, slippers, sandals and football boots can be dropped at the EcoKnights office at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, or at any one of the over 20 bins located around the Klang Valley and Johor.

Do also take note that only clean and dry shoes should be donated. The campaign will run till the end of September this year, after which the soles will be sent to a grinding facility in Singapore to be processed into rubber granules.

Life Line Clothing Malaysia will be responsible for collecting the shoes and transporting them to the warehouse, while Dow Chemical Malaysia will provide the sustainable water-based, solvent-free binder to hold together the materials to build the playground surface.

Fadly said they hoped to unveil the new playground surface by the third week of October in conjunction with “Sustainability Week”, a global event that advocates sustainable living.

But the project doesn’t end there.

The ultimate goal is to create a shoe recycling ecosystem, where recycled shoes will be used to make various sports infrastructures such as fitness corners and sports surfaces, which is safer and environmentally friendlier than the current practice of using recycled tyres, which can be hazardous.

As such, more bins will be added over time. Individuals and organisations interested in collaborating or sponsoring the bins, can get in touch with EcoKnights.

“To ensure the continuity and sustainability of the project, we need a grinding facility in Malaysia and thus we are also seeking donations and funding to make this a reality,” he shared.

Feedback from the public has been encouraging thus far and they’ve almost reached their target of 4,000 shoes.

In fact, several organisations in Perak and Penang have also expressed interest in conducting collection drives.

“Ultimately, we hope to install around 75 bins in more accessible locations, including malls and sports facilities,” he said, adding that they can also deploy temporary bins at event venues.

As of 2021, Malaysia’s recycling rate stands at 31%. Fadly said that the shoe recycling initiative could help the nation achieve its 40% recycling rate target by 2025.

“At the end of the day, we hope to make this a national movement, as a step towards a more sustainable future.”

Just imagine, if every Malaysian were to discard a pair of shoes, there would be 33 million pairs of shoes in landfills in just one year, the equivalent of about 10 million kilograms of shoes.

So, do you part for the environment and drop your old shoes into the designated recycling bins. Better still, help collect old shoes from your colleagues, friends and family members to further reduce the carbon footprint.

Get more information on ‘Old Soles New Life’ and the locations of shoe recycling bins here. For enquiries, contact EcoKnights.

Visit EcoKnights’s website, Facebook and Instagram accounts for more information about their sustainable events and activities.