FANCY a playground where the surface is covered with rubber repurposed from used shoes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FANCY a playground where the surface is covered with rubber repurposed from used shoes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This not only provides a smooth and safe play area, but is also an environmentally friendly move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Non-governmental organisation EcoKnights together with materials science company Dow Chemicals Malaysia (Dow) and textile recycling company Life Line Clothing Malaysia (LLCM) are going one step further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They have started a programme called \u201cOld Shoes, New Life\u201d where used shoes are being repurposed to upgrade a playground for SK Bukit Tadom in Banting, Selangor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two-month programme, launched on July 20, is the first shoe waste recycling initiative in Malaysia and SK Bukit Tadom has been selected to benefit from the first phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EcoKnights founder and president Yasmin Rashid said the goal was to see a significant behavioural shift among Malaysians in terms of material consumption, treated and discarded waste as well as repurposed materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the programme, LLCM has placed 17 bins throughout Klang Valley and Johor for the collection of old shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EcoKnights programme director Fadly Bakhtiar said the number of bins would be increased later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hope that the public will donate their old shoes and from that point, we can create an ecosystem by recycling shoe waste,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around 4,000 shoes are needed for a 135sq m space of the SK Bukit Tadom playground, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The old shoes, he explained, would be taken to a grinding facility in Singapore and turned into granules, after which Dow would provide a binding solution to produce the rubber surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fadly said the grinding facility was currently only in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe hope to raise funds to have a similar facility in Malaysia as it is becoming expensive to have it done in Singapore due to transportation costs, among other things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fadly added that they were currently in talks with local councils and property developers to provide the service of constructing sports and playground surfaces using repurposed shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n