We want to say one big thank you to our Sports Village members - so far we have collected an amazing 100+ pairs of old running trainers in our recycling boxes located at the Sports Village and in the Oval (student only site).
When the team at JogOn approached us a few months ago with their aim of removing one million pairs of running shoes from landfill, we knew immediately that we could help and wanted to be a part of this great cause.
Did you know?
- 18 billion pairs of running shoes are bought every year.
- 33 million pairs of running shoes go into landfill each year.
- 3 million people are suffering from foot related diseases around the world.
What is the JogOn Trainer Recycling Campaign?
The ‘Jog On’ campaign was set up by founder and CEO, Tony Piedade. Tony has found there are in the region of 18 billion pairs of running shoes sold in the world every year. That’s the equivalent to 2 pairs of running shoes per person on earth. Yet, there are millions who have no shoes and suffer terribly from sole related diseases. The ‘Jog On’ team believe there are in the region of 30+ million pairs of shoes that end up in landfill each year with many pairs that have a lot of life left in them. This is why they set up the campaign and are in search of partners to spread the word.
Herts Sports Village’s Director of Sport, David Connell is an avid marathon runner with many running achievements under his belt. When Tony approached the team at the Sports Village, David and the team knew they had to help with the ‘Jog On’ mission. ‘Jog On’ has partnered with logistics and distribution companies to deliver collected running shoes to 15 destinations around the world.
Together we can continue to make a difference.
As a community, we can support the initiative by dropping off any old running shoes to one of the ‘Jog On’ recycling boxes located in the Sports Village or in the Oval (specifically for UH staff and students). These shoes will then be collected and redistributed around the world (either to charities, NGO’s, micro-economies or if they are no longer usable, the rubber will be shredded to help make playground surfaces).
Give your running shoes a second chance - there are literally millions of people around the world who would benefit from them.
It's super easy to help the cause!
- Just clear out any old running shoes or trainers that you have lying around at home. Kids trainers are also welcome!
- Tie the running shoes together using the shoe laces.
- Drop your old or unwanted trainers in to one of our collection boxes.
- When the box is full, someone from JogOn will collect, sort, clean and distribute!