Summer is over, school is back in session, wild nights and beach days are winding down, and your dingy old shoes are sitting in your hallway on their way to the trashcan. Though slipping on that beautiful shiny new pair is oh so tempting, take a moment to consider the impact you may have on the environment next time you are switching out your favorite kicks.

If your shoes are still wearable, but not your taste any longer, donate them. Donation centers, consignment stores, trade-in offers, and even online thrift and consignment stores will take or pay for your lightly used shoes so they can be worn by someone else. If your shoes are worn beyond the point of return, skip the thrift store and the trash can, and recycle them instead.

Did you know…

• 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown away every year in the U.S. alone
• The majority of shoes end up in landfills, taking decades or up to 1000 years to decompose
• Less than 5% of shoes are made using recycled materials
• The majority of shoes are made from recyclable materials