Australians love their thongs and now they can give their worn-out Havaianas a second life thanks to a new free national recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle.
With every one in ten Aussies wearing Havis, the program is aiming to divert five tonnes of old footwear from landfills.
The Havaianas Recycling Program will provide an end-of-life solution for Aussies nationwide to ship in or drop off their old Havaianas.
The thongs will be recycled into soft-fall matting used in playgrounds and gyms. From today, participating stores in Queensland, South Australia, West Australia and The Northern Territory and regional New South Wales will provide in-store recycling stations for consumers to drop off their worn-out or outgrown thongs.
The program is set to expand rapidly in Victoria and New South Wales pending COVID-19 restrictions.
Tom Nolan, general manager of Havaianas Australia said: “Our aim has always been to create long-lasting durable footwear for consumers to love and wear to death. We believe that Aussies live their best laid-back lives when they’re moving around in their thongs.
“We’re also conscious that every pair of Havis has a finite lifespan, and unfortunately they aren’t kerbside recyclable. “This will be the first-ever free recycling solution for thongs in Australia.
“We’ve chosen to partner with TerraCycle who have the expertise and network to make this possible. We’re calling on Aussies to help us meet our goal of saving five tonnes of Havis from landfill, which is more than five swimming pools of thongs.”
General manager of TerraCycle Australia and New Zealand, Jean Bailliard, said: “It’s heartening to see an iconic global brand like Havaianas take such a positive step in the right direction to create a sustainable solution for all of their products in Australia.
“In many ways, thongs are a staple of Australian life. They’re made from durable, long-lasting natural rubber that can’t be recycled in your curbside bin. We expect this initiative will divert hundreds of thousands of thongs from landfills, and encourage other brands to follow suit.”
The participating Havaianas stores (listed below) will accept most Havaianas thongs – for all the information on what’s accepted head to the TerraCycle website. Customers can drop off their used Havaianas in-store at no cost.
If proximity is an issue, consumers can download a label and ship their old Havaianas for free through Australia Post.
Stores currently open, with additional to come: QLD: Burleigh Heads, Noosa Heads, Yeppoon, Coolangatta, Broadbeach Waters, Brisbane Airport, Biggera Waters. Regional NSW: Nowra, Huskisson, Coffs Harbour, Tormina, Port Macquarie, Forster. SA: Adelaide. WA: Innaloo. NT: Palmerston
