UCSB Shoe Recycling

The UCSB Shoe Recycling Program is a student-led initiative run through the Zero Waste Committee in partnership with the Associated Students Recycling Committee that diverts footwear from landfills through reuse and material recovery. Operating year-round with large-scale collection drives held at the end of each academic quarter, the program has recycled over 2,000 pairs of shoes, diverting more than 40,000 pounds of CO₂ and over 2 million gallons of water. The program demonstrates how campus-based partnerships can create scalable and measurable solutions for hard-to-recycle materials like footwear.