An innovative shoe recycling project in Brescia is transforming discarded footwear from postal workers into flooring for playgrounds. The initiative, titled “Old Shoes Make Good Play,” was conceived by a group of employees from Poste Italiane and aims to annually recover over 25,000 pairs of safety shoes, which will be converted into shock-absorbing material for children’s play areas. Recently, trucks loaded with approximately 300 kg of used shoes ready for recycling departed from the Brescia Dalmazia operational center.
Francesco Raimondi, a postal worker involved in the project, expressed his satisfaction in contributing to such a useful and sustainable initiative. The footwear is collected every two months from Poste’s logistics centers across Italy and sent to the mail sorting center in Ancona for preparation for new use. With 5,500 kg of shoes, it is possible to create 50 square meters of flooring, and the company plans to expand the project to include helmets and used uniforms as well. This initiative reflects Poste Italiane’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.