Kicking the landfill habit

Shoe shops around the world are doing a roaring trade. Sturdy leather boots, frivolous pink stilettos, ultra-trendy trainers and simple summer flip-flops are flying off the shelves, as people hop from fashion to fashion, from school to wedding breakfast to fitness regime to dinner party. So great is the demand for footwear that Selfridges has just opened the world's largest shoe department. The major retailer clearly believes the current trend of global shoe sales doubling every 20 years will continue. With waste footwear an increasing problem around the world, the author investigates how industry and academia are developing ways to recycle worn-out shoes.