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We only have one planet and it’s up to all of us to look after it.”
Earth Day, World Environment Week and Global Recycling days are a good reminder to think a little more about the choices we make. And recycling sports equipment is an area we need to be more aware of. After all, we're a very sporting nation. Here are a few ways that rebel sport can help you make good decisions.
Shoe recycling
There are over 27 million people in Australia, and we all must really love our shoes, because every year we import over 25 million pairs of them. Unfortunately, nearly all of it eventually ends up in landfill*.
The worst part is that it takes up to 1000 years for your average shoe to decompose **. There are literally mountains of discarded footwear in Australia, and addressing this problem is a mountain we all must climb together.
The good news is that there's an initiative called TreadLightly, operated by the Australian Sporting Goods Association that allows you to recycle your old shoes and divert hundreds of tonnes of waste from landfill at the same time. So, gather all your old or unwanted sports shoes, thongs, footy boots, trainers, runners and golf shoes – and send them to a better place. Literally.
Shoe recycling is available at all rebel stores. You can find your local rebel store by clicking the button below. The footwear is then collected and sent to a recycling plant for sorting and breaking down. Next, the components get transformed into something useful, like gym mats, floors…even a kid's playground. A playground or landfill? It's a simple choice really.
Ball recycling
It's predicted that 330 million sports balls are made worldwide each year*** – but where do they end up? We are proud to partner with TreadLightly's Sports Ball Recycling Program, that provides collection and recycling services for sports balls, making it easier to responsibly dispose of the products you no longer use and keeping the materials in the economy, and out of landfills. There are collection bins in many of our rebel stores.
Bag recycling
The reusable Rebel Recycling Bag is a great way to carry your stuff.
They are manufactured from a lightweight polypropylene woven fabric compliant with Australian standard recycling colours. Plus, the durable material ensures the bags are easy to wipe down when soiled. Best of all, they are completely recyclable at end of their life.
These recycling programs are just one small step in the right directction for rebel. They will continue to unearth new ways to make a lower impact, and find more ways for customers to dispose of unwanted products. After all, we only have one planet and it's up to all of us to look after it.
*Source Australian Government - Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (2021).
**Clean Up Australia website.
*** CBS News – Ecological Impact of tennis balls is out of bounds, environmentalists say (2023)