Students at three primary schools in Islington have collected 500 pairs of unwanted shoes in just two months to be recycled and provide affordable footwear for people living in developing countries.
And at the same time 12 other Islington primary schools joined the scheme and are now working twards decreasing landfill waste and making sure thousands of pairs of shoes are reused. Now that 15 schools are collecting shoes they can expect to collect 39,000 pairs of shoes by the end of the year.
Through Islington Council’s A1 Borough Schools’ Environmental Project, Montem, Yerbury and Sacred Heart Primary Schools have already paired up with Shoe Friends to help prevent thousands of pairs of shoes from going to waste.
Lead Member for Sustainability, Cllr Bridget Fox, said: 'The children at Yerbury, Montem and Sacred Heart are great shoe friends and are putting the three Rs into practice - reduce, reuse and recycle. I'm now looking forward to seeing how many shoes children from 15 schools can collect.'
The schools are working in partnership with textile recycler LMB Education who run the scheme and visit each school to do fun recycling workshops with the students.
If you would also like to recycle shoes in Islington please take them to the new Household Reuse and Recycle Centre on Hornsey Street, N7, your nearest charity shop or to a street textile recycling bin.
The council is also encouraging staff to recycle their old shoes and a special Shoe Friends bin has been placed in the Municipal Offices on Upper Street.
The Schools Environmental Project is part of Islington's ongoing A1 Borough project which aims to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives, works or studies along the A1.
ENDS
Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008