Flip Flop Recycling Ideas

We all love the simple flip flop…there is something about putting your flip flops on that make you instantly think of summer. Flip flops are everyone’s go-to holiday shoe, especially if you are jetting off to the sunshine, but do you know what the simple footwear is doing to our environment?

Flip flops are cheap and straightforward to manufacture but they tend to break easily which is why millions of flip flops are ending up in landfill or adding to the mountainous tide of plastic waste polluting our oceans.

According to Ocean Sole, whose mission is to turn flip flop pollution into art and functional produces, over 520,000 discarded flip flops are collected off the beaches of Kenya each year!

Flip flop pollution is becoming a global problem and I Love meet and greet want to get everyone talking about the issue which is why we have recently launched our #parktheflipflops campaign. We are currently collecting old flip flops at both Stansted and Gatwick Airport and are encouraging you to drop off any old flip flops you may have lying around so we can send them to Ocean Sole who recycle them into colourful, handmade pieces such as jewellery, art and toys.

Finding an environmentally friendly way to dispose of flip flops is challenging as they are difficult to recycle. We all have at least one pair of worn tired looking flip flops lurking at the back of our wardrobes but before you throw them away, I Love meet and greet has put together a list of recycling options to save them being added to landfill sites or ending up in our oceans:

Door Stops

Cut a wedge from the sole and use it to keep a door in the open position.

Floor Protectors

Foam and rubber flip flops are perfect as floor protectors - cut them into small rounds and place under chairs, table legs or cabinets to avoid scratching of wooden floors.

Stabilisers

Place under appliances (washing machines and tumble dryers) to stop wobbling and vibrating or put under uneven table legs.

Stuffing

Flips flops made from foam or rubber can be shredded and used for stuffing for several craft activities such as cushions, stuffed toys, draught excluders etc.

Children’s Activities

The soles of flip flops make great children’s rubber stamps – cut the soles into various shapes and let the kids dip into paint or ink and print onto paper.

Collecting Pet Hair

The grippy texture of rubber flip flops makes them an ideal object for collecting pet hair. Wear the flip flop on your hand and sweep it across floors, sofas and car seats – you will be amazed at the clumps of pet hair you will collect.

Stop Rattling Windows

If your older style windows are rattling in their frames, cut slivers of rubber and wedge them between the window and the frame.

Notice Boards

One of our customers uses her flip flops to make a cool notice board by nailing several pairs to the wall and then uses them to stick messages and pictures on.

If you have come up with any other ideas for recycling flip flops we would love to hear from you.

By Sarah Anglim at 17 Sep 2018