Old shoes, of use to any charity?

PBA

I've got a few pairs of old shoes which I need to get rid of. They're worn out so charity shops wouldn't be able to sell them. However I know that charity shops sell on unsaleable clothes & textiles to be turned in to rags, so they still get a bit of money from them. Does anyone know if old shoes would be useful to anyone in this sort of way, or if they're only good for the bin?

mary43

Different areas may vary but I know of a town in Northamptonshire there were bins at various points in the main shopping street for people to put discarded shoes.
Try the www.dontdumpthat.com for your area. Our site has a forum where queries such as yours could be mentioned -I assume all the ddt sites work the same.
Good luck.................seems a shame to waste something that may be of used if one way or another.

kb36

Most branches of Clarks now seem to have a bin for collecting old worn out shoes which they pass on to the Blue Peter appeal - usually in the children's dept. If not my local cobbler has one too so maybe yours does....?

ahai1

I had no idea as I usually throw away my old shoes even though they could be repaired.

wishiwasarichgirl

if they are ladies shoes try ebay, I've heard that "well worn shoes" get a lot of views! :eek:

edit, never had the nerve to try it myself, always chuck them away

PBA

Thanks to all for your replies, especially KB. I tend to buy cheap tat shoes from the likes of Primark, so when they're wearing out they can't be repaired, so it's good to know someone can get some use from them. Website about the UNICEF shoebiz appeal, and link to find your nearest participating store, is here:

http://www.unicef.org.uk/pages.asp?page=115

demented_2

Hi The homeless people are always thankful for shoes. I work near a nightshelter and always take any shoes there, even if they are worn down, they are alway pounced on by the clients. Don't forget that ladies are made homeless as well so they are always looking for better shoes than they might be wareing at the moment, although i'm not too sure if stiletto's are a good idea to give to them, they might fall off them in when they're in a drunken state. Trainers go like a flash and socks even if they do have a small hole in them.

oldtoolie

PBA said "They're worn out so charity shops wouldn't be able to sell them."

You have answered your own question. "Cheap tat shoes" these days are a complex mix of glue, plastic, fabric and leather. As such, they are pretty much unrecyclable -- unlike fabric. If they are worn out, they are, like the Monty Python parrot, dead.

If they are worn out, throw them in the rubbish bin. Don't pass the buck to a charity which will have to use valuable volunteer time to sort through your rubbish and then pay a commercial rubbish company to take it to landfill.

Quackers

PBA wrote: »

Thanks to all for your replies, especially KB. I tend to buy cheap tat shoes from the likes of Primark, so when they're wearing out they can't be repaired, so it's good to know someone can get some use from them. Website about the UNICEF shoebiz appeal, and link to find your nearest participating store, is here:

http://www.unicef.org.uk/pages.asp?page=115

Hi,

I work for Clarks and all stores have a wheelie bin where you can dispose of old shoes.

They started it as part of a Blue Peter appeal but once that was finished they decided to continue with it as it was so successful.

If your local Clarks store hasn't got their Wheelie Bin on the shop floor its probably hiding in the stockroom so just ask - they should take them off you

Buggins

Hi - In the South of England there are Salvation Army "bins" around in various car parks and they take shoes so long as they are paired up in bags or tied together. I think they may send some of them abroad - but at least they get used or recycled.
Hope this helps
Buggins