How to recycle your old flip flops

A lot of very well known flip flop brands from Brazil are well known for being very ecological in their manufacturing, with the obvious close ties to the rainforest many Brazilian flip flop companies have very well established recycling programs for both the flip flops and the chemicals used in production.

Flip flops and sandals from well known brands are built to last. But like most things, they still have a shelf life. So, what do you do with your flip flops when they’ve had their last trip to the beach? Actually, there are quite a few things you can do with an old pair...

Shred ‘em

Did you know you can shred an old pair of flip flops? Maybe don’t use one of those mini paper shredders from your desk though. Once you’ve shredded your flip flops, you can use them as stuffing or packaging.

Stack ‘em

Flip flops are the perfect thickness for placing under chair or table legs to avoid scratching, under appliances to stop them wobbling or vibrating (especially for washing machines or tumble dryers) or even use a wedge flip flop as a door stop (just remove the thong strap). You can always cut them to size if you want them to remain subtle.

Float ‘em

If you’ve got a pair of foam flip flops, you can create lots of floating items like cup holders and floating items for kids.

Pedicure ‘em

Keep a pair of old flip flops in your car and you’ll always be prepared for a pedicure (in the UK, it’s less common for nail salons to give customers flip flops while their nails dry).

Pin ‘em

I love this idea - Take your old flip flops and pin them to the wall. Their foam or rubber base make them perfect for pinning items to for a quirky piece of wall art.

Upcycle ‘em

If you get desperate, we’ve heard that you can fashion a new pair of shoes out of them by placing a flip flop inside a pair of socks. Interesting idea, but we might leave that one for the fashion adventurous for the moment!

So, you can either come up with some creative uses for your old flip flops, or recycle them safe in the knowledge that it won’t go to waste.

How do you feel about recycling and upcycling? Do you do a lot of it?