FAQ

TreadLightly is an industry-led, national recycling program that empowers, supports and unites the entire Australian sporting and active lifestyle community - including brands, retailers, manufacturers, athletes and consumers - to reduce the industry's environmental footprint.

TreadLightly is providing a local solution to the global waste problem and making it easier than ever before for us all to tread lightly. Over 20 billion pairs of shoes are manufactured globally each year. 25 million sports shoes are imported into Australia each year and only around 1% of all old footwear is currently collected and recycled. The rest end up in landfill or incineration plants. The environmental impact is significant because shoe components take more than 1000 years to breakdown.

Yes TreadLightly is proudly Australian. All materials are collected, recycled and manufactured in Australia. TreadLightly works closely with a trusted panel of recyclers who manage the entire process from extraction to product development at one of our production plants in either Victoria or Queensland.

We know there is often a lot of mistrust and misinformation about recycling. We take transparency in the recycling process very seriously, so we have created an entirely Australian-owned and Australian-based recycling solution. This is how it works: 1. Individuals can drop off their unwanted sports and active lifestyle footwear at a TreadLightly collection unit at any participating retail location. 2. The footwear is collected, sorted at our warehouse, and taken to a local recycling plant for sorting and processing. 3. At the recycling plant, shoes are cut into pieces, various metals and textile fluff are extracted and separated. 4. The recycled crumb is then sent to manufacturers to create new products like retail flooring, anti-fatigue mats and other products.

TreadLightly has the capacity to recycle the shoes in its product line, which is why we are very selective with what we recycle, our collection locations and who we partner with. We manage collections and capacity closely to ensure we can keep up with demand and we can turn shoes into recycled product as quick as possible! When shoes are collected from retail stores, they are taken to a local storage facility to be sorted. Shoes spend an average of approx. two months here before they are shipped to a local recycler to be turned into recycled crumb. The shoes are then processed and cut into pieces, reusable components are extracted, including rubber, leather and fibres and turned into recycled crumb. TreadLightly aims for 100% of the shoe to be recycled. While we work to find a sustainable market for our product, the recycled crumb is temporarily stored. Once the market is found, the reclaimed materials are used to manufacture new products such as gym mats, anti-fatigue mats, retail flooring and more!

Yes, this is possible. Please get in touch with us directly at treadlightly@asga.com.au or visit www.saveoursoles.co for more information.

We aim for 100 per cent of the shoe to be recycled. There are lots of different components in shoes that can be recycled including foam, rubber, leather, polyester and even metal eyelets.

TreadLightly recycles all sports and active lifestyle footwear from sneakers to athletic lifestyle shoes, school shoes, hiking boots, slides and gum boots. We recycle all brands/shoes that our brand partners sell. For a full list of what we recycle please visit here.

TreadLightly’s primary focus is on reducing the impact of Australia’s sports industry. As individuals we use sports and active lifestyle shoes more than any other type of shoe and more than 25 million sports shoes are imported in Australia each year. There are Australian companies that recycle other shoe categories like our recycling partner Save Our Soles. For more information, please visit https://www.saveoursoles.co/

If you have other footwear you’d like to recycle that we can’t take, we encourage you to donate them to your local opportunity shop or charity clothing store, alternatively, there are programs like Fitted For Work in Australia that repurposes work clothing for women entering or re-entering the workforce. You can also visit Save Our Soles for more information on its work boots recycling program.

Yes! We take all sports and active lifestyle footwear that our retail partners sell. This includes leather sports and school shoes, trainers, gum boots, leather sports shoes, slides and thongs, runners and golf shoes.

For now we only recycle sports and active lifestyle shoes. TreadLightly is currently working on solutions to address waste from other elements of the sporting and active lifestyle industry. Watch this space!

To find your nearest collection location, visit our treadlightly.asga.com.au ‘Find a Collection Location’ and enter your postcode. There are new collection locations being established all the time, so if you don’t have one near you, please check back soon for updates.

  To find your nearest collection location, visit our treadlightly.asga.com.au ‘Find a Collection Location’ and enter your postcode. There are new collection locations being established all the time, so if you don’t have one near you, please check back soon for updates.

The TreadLightly program continues to evolve and grow. Occasionally there might be a casual staff member that is unaware of the initiative. Please get in touch and we’ll try and rectify as soon as possible and we will help you find your nearest collection location.

At this stage, collection boxes are only available to our brand partners which are major sports and active lifestyle retailers, but you can take your unwanted shoes to a store closest to you to be recycled by TreadLightly. Visit here to find your nearest drop off point.  Please note, there is a limit of 10kgs (20 pairs) of shoes per person, per visit.

TreadLIghtly is passionate about helping all students to understand the important role they can play in lowering their impact on the planet. Check out our Education Page for more information on our school drive, competitions or to download resources for the classroom.   Please encourage teachers, students, and parents to drop off their unwanted shoes at a local collection point!

 Many organisations are beginning to realise the importance of driving positive change and reducing their impact on the planet. If you’re interested in how you can partner with us please send us an email at treadlightly@asga.com.au As an individual reduce waste and recycle wherever you can, and encourage your family, friends and colleagues to do the same. The Australian Government has a dedicated website with more information on recycling if you want to find out more. If your question isn’t listed here, please get in touch.

We strongly encourage community participation. Please download our community posters and spread the word of the TreadLightly program, be sure to recycle any unwanted sports and active lifestyle shoes and your closest collection location.

TreadLightly are currently only focusing on major running events only. However, as we continue to grow, our goal is to expand our capacity to support smaller, local events. If you are hosting a major sporting event and would like to partner with TreadLightly, please reach out to us at treadlightly@asga.com.au

TreadLightly collection boxes are only available to our major sports and retail store partners. If you wish to spread the awareness of the TreadLightly program, please download our community posters and encourage your customers/staff to drop off their shoes to a local collection point. Please remember there is a limit of 20 pairs of shoes per person per visit.

You can drop off up to 10kg of shoes per person, per visit at our partner stores. This is equal to approximately 20 pairs of shoes.

Since our inception in 2021, TreadLightly has recycled one million pairs of shoes and repurposed them into recycled shoe crumb ready to be made into useful products such as retail flooring, anti-fatigue mats, and gym and playground flooring. You can find our recycled shoe crumb in retail stores across Australia, behind the counter and in change rooms. TreadLightly continues to work closely with its brand partners and supply partners to look for new ways to innovate to find sustainable solutions for its recycled crumb, from shock pads to playgrounds and underlay for sporting surfaces.