Sunday, November 13, 2016

How Many Shoes Are In Landfills?

The number of pairs of shoes people have in their closets compared to how many they actually wear is usually glaringly different.

According to usagainblog.com, studies in 2013 “estimated that 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced annually, and unfortunately, roughly 300 million pairs are thrown away each year.”

Shoes, made from a combination of vinyl, leather, plastic and a host of other materials, take anywhere from 25-40 years to decompose in a landfill. This length of time paired with the estimated 300 million pairs of shoes discarded each year means that landfills are inundated with shoes.

Some creative alternatives for disposing of unwanted shoes in the trash include donating them, repurposing them, and trading them with friends.

Next time you find yourself with shoes you no longer wear or want, consider an alternative to throwing them into the landfill.

usagainblog.com
waste360.com
homeguides.sfgate.com

1 comment:

  1. It is true that we usually wear a 2-3 pair of shoes and dump the rest of them. Recycling really helps and I have read a lot of it. Thanks for the share!

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