Dow and Sport Singapore partner to establish permanent shoe waste collection ecosystem in joint commitment to sustainability
Since July 5, new orange bins around Singapore are collecting used sports and school shoes to be recycled into jogging tracks, playgrounds and fitness corners.
A ‘first-of-its-kind’ in Asia Pacific, the ecosystem will help reduce landfill load on and extend the lifespan of Semakau, the country’s only offshore landfill.
The ecosystem aims to recycle 170,000 pairs of used sports shoes per annum.
The ecosystem builds upon the nationwide success of the ‘Others see an old shoe. We see the future.’ project in 2020, which saw more than 75,000 pairs of shoes collected, equating to approximately 3.3km of jogging track built. Together with the success of the pilot infrastructure build in 2019 at the to-be-unveiled Kallang Football Hub, bringing the project from idea to reality is evident.
Public-private partnerships across the value chain plays a key role in the project success. Partners such as facilities provider Sport Singapore, surface specialist B.T. Sports, recycler Alba WH, sports retailer Decathlon, Standard Chartered Bank, materials science innovator Dow, and collection point partners are all critical.
Such collaboration is critical in moving Singapore from a make-use-dispose society to a circular economy. It encourages people to rethink what can be done with waste that was previously simply sent to landfills.
This project aligns with Dow’s long-standing commitment to tackling sustainability challenges, including its recently announced target to Stop the Waste and enable 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through direct actions and partnerships by 2030.
Members of the public can give a second life to their used sports shoes and contribute to building new sports surfaces and infrastructure at any of the 100 targeted collection points including participating ActiveSG sport centres and stadiums, Decathlon stores, schools and tertiary institutions, and more all over Singapore.
This circular economy project collects used sports shoes, school shoes and football boots without metal studs from the general public. The rubberized soles and midsoles are then ground into rubber granules that are used as a material to build sports infrastructure, partially replacing hazardous recycled tires. A water-based and solvent-free binder technology then binds the granules together. The result is environmentally friendlier and safer sports infrastructure for users delivered through partners collaborating for a more sustainable future.
According to a report by market research company Statista, an estimated 22 million pairs of shoes are sold in Singapore yearly. The project is well-positioned to encourage a higher recycling rate in the country.
More information about the project can be found at http://go.gov.sg/old-shoe-new-future
