Home > Gear Reviews

Trade in smelly old cycling shoes for a discount on a new pair with Shimano’s Earth Day initiative

Canada's first cycling footwear recycling program offers a 25 per cent discount in exchange for an old pair of bike shoes

Do you have a smelly pair of shoes that would be very hard to pass on to another cyclist? You wouldn’t be alone if you have a crummy pair of cycling footwear in your closet that is in desperate need of replacement. But what do you do with them? Tossing them in the trash seems so wasteful, especially since so many of the materials in cycling shoes won’t naturally break down in landfill. Shimano in partnership with TerraCycle, have launched a new program to solve just this problem.

With Earth Day around the corner, bike component and accessory manufacturer Shimano launched the new initiative to reduce waste. In collaboration with international recycling business TerraCycle, Canadian cyclists will be able to drop off old cycling shoes from any brand and receive a 25 per cent off discount on a brand new pair of Shimano shoes at 70 participating retailers across Canada.

Owners of old cycling shoes that are ready for retirement will be able to drop them off in TerraCycle Zero Waste Boxes that will be found in participating bikes shops across the country. Recyclers will be rewarded with an incentive to replace their old shoes with a pair of Shimano footwear.

The program hopes to collect thousands of old cycling shoes which can be hard to discard in an environmentally friendly way because of the use of synthetic materials, rubber, plastics and carbon fibre in their construction. The program began on March 10 and will run until April 20 in time for recreational and competitive cyclists to get in a fresh pair of Shimano shoes by Earth Day on April 22.

“While we bring to market cycling shoes across Canada, we need do our part in protecting nature and recycling plays a key part. With this program we’re ensuring that Shimano is also taking products back in the most ecologically way possible,” said general manager of Shimano Canada, Tim Hadfield.

After the conclusion of the program, the shops will return the boxes to TerraCycle. The recycled shoes will then be broken down into reusable raw materials. The recycling company says it plans to break down key components of cycling shoes like the carbon fibre, rubber and nylon outsoles, uppers and buckles for recycling.

Canadians who want to participate in the program can find a full list of the shops offering the incentive at bike.shimano.com.