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Want to dispose of, or recycle, your pre-loved running shoes in a responsible way? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as you may think

We’re regularly told to get rid of our old running shoes after 300-500 miles of wear. For someone running 20 miles a week, that means disposing of two to four pairs a year – or more if you run higher mileage.

But this running industry myth is fuelling a fast-fashion shopping habit among runners –and so contributing to more and more shoes ending up in landfill. It's estimated that 300 million shoes end up in landfill annually in the UK –and, once there, a pair of shoes take around 1,000 years to break down. According to Ellie Wardell, a co-founder of The Green Runners – a running community set up to inform runners of how they can reduce their impact on the planet when training, eating and racing – there are three key reasons for this. 'The majority end up in landfill or incineration due to: the pure volume of shoes being produced and bought, the complexity of the materials, and the lack of recycling solutions,' she says.

Running shoes are made up of many different materials, which makes them very difficult to recycle. That's because different fibres need to be treated differently in recycling, and so need to be separated into different parts at end of life. 'While there are recycling schemes in existence, it’s important to read the finer print as to what this "recycling" comprises, and what shoes they accept (e.g. unworn vs end of life),' says Wardell.

In the UK, you can donate pre-loved clothes and shoes via charity shops, collection bags and clothing banks. However, it's worth pointing out that only around 10% to 30% of donated garments are actually sold through charity shops. The rest are sold to textile merchants, who then sort and grade the clothes, and those deemed suitable for reuse are shipped abroad, often to developing countries. From there, clothes and shoes are distributed to local markets where traders sell the second-hand clothes for people to wear.

This second-hand garment trade is worth billions and while on the surface it looks to be a clever way of saving clothing from landfill, the countries in which the millions of tonnes of used clothing are passed onto have no outlet for the excess they receive. For example, every week, Kantamanto Market, in Ghana – the largest second-hand clothing market in West Africa – receives 15 million items of used clothing. But 40% of those products are discarded due to poor quality. As a result, Ghana's capital, Accra, has become an environmental catastrophe. Overflowing with waste, clothes are burned on street corners or on huge bonfires, or sent to landfills, where the overflow ends up in the ocean, as rainfall flushes the discarded clothing into the sea. Ghana, like many other countries in the Global South, has thus become another landfill for countries in the Global North.

The best thing runners can do, then, is wear their trainers for as long as possible.

Wardell recommends that runners follow the Waste Hierarchy: Refuse -> Reduce -> Reuse -> Repair -> Recycle -> Recover -> Disposal when considering disposing of kit.

Dan Lawson, founder of running kit upcyclers ReRun Clothing and the inspiration behind The Green Runners, agrees. 'The most sustainable kit is the kit you're wearing,' he says. He encourages runners to think twice before buying a new pair or running shoes.

'Ignore advice on when to change your trainers,' he says. ‘Shoes can last thousands of miles. I have experience of being an elite GB ultra-runner and I haven’t worn new trainers for four-and-a-half years. It baffles me how shoe companies bang on about shoes’ short lifespans; they should be doing everything to make them last longer.’

Record-breaking ultra-runner Jasmin Paris, who is also part of The Green Runners, agrees. The below photo shows a pair of shoes worn by Paris for well over 2,000 miles of running.

These old favourites won’t make it to @JasminKParis kit for @UTMBMontBlanc. After 2750 happy miles they finally gave in, mid trek! The rest of her kit is the most sustainable she has - the kit she’s already got. Tried, tested, trusted & repaired #HowYouKitUp #actionbasedpledge pic.twitter.com/be5szZYUyi

When asked how many miles she believes running shoes truly last for, she said: 'The shoes that fell apart this summer were a pair that I wore new for UTMR in September last year. Since then, I ran a lot of my training in those (my guess is 70-80%). Given that my average weekly distance must be around 100km, that's 70-80% of (43 weeks x 100km) i.e. 1880-2150 miles. It might be more, but I think that's a fair guess.'

The more you can look after your running shoes, the longer you'll be able to preserve them for. And that begins with keeping them clean. ‘Avoid the washing machine at all costs,’ says Christian Allen, product expert at Runners Need. 'This is because some materials in shoes should not be exposed to heat or submerged in water – or they risk getting damaged. Instead, use a sponge with some soapy water to keep shoes clean and hygienic.’

He also advises saving your running shoes for running specifically. ‘Putting them on for other activities will wear them down quicker and add on empty miles. And make sure you’re wearing the correct socks. If your socks aren’t made for running then they can cause damage to the inner material. Lower cut socks can also cause premature wear on the inside, so it is best to stick to longer pairs.'

Depending on where they are damaged, you can also repair your running shoes at home. ‘You can actually repair any rips to the uppers of your trainers by using RockTape and a glue called Elastic Fantastic,' explains Lawson.

If your running shoes are in good condition, but you no longer wear them, the best thing you can do is donate them or give them away, to help stop someone else buying new kit.

A few organisations will accept used sports clothing, including Wales-based social enterprise Play It Again Sport, which accepts pre-worn sports clothing and sells it at a fraction of the original cost to those who need it, with any proceeds supporting groups providing sporting activities for local people. The charity has collection bins across Rhondda Cynon Taff (South Wales) and accepts donations at its office in Pentre. It also offers a referral scheme, where schools, social workers and sports coaches can request clothing and equipment for an individual who would otherwise be unable to take part in sport. The company now also offers a service called DropPoint for any donations that aren’t from their local area in South Wales. More info here.

Yorkshire-based not-for-profit Preloved Sports also resells pre-worn shoes and kit and donates the proceeds to charity. You can donate via a number of drop-off points in and around Yorkshire, to their facility in Malton, Yorkshire, or by post.

Another UK-based scheme is Kitsquad, which provides donated second-hand adventure gear to low-income individuals, enabling them to experience the physical and mental benefits of exploring the great outdoors, using the correct gear. Find out more here.

Nottingham-based-Sharewear Clothing offer free-of-charge clothing to people in economic difficulty. As with the other organisations mentioned here, they will, however, only use clothes and shoes which are of high quality. Kit can be dropped off, or posted, to their National Processing and Distribution Centre in Nottingham. Check the website for more information.

Care 4 Calais, a volunteer-run charity delivering emergency aid to refugees in Calais and areas affected by the European migrant crisis, also accepts clothing and shoe donations. You can find your nearest drop-off point here.

To prevent someone else buying a new pair of running shoes, you can gift yours to a friend, or sell them online through sites like Ebay, Depop and Facebook Marketplace. You can also sell and buy used running gear through the Facebook group 'Running Gear Buy and Sell'.