Guide for Reuse, Repair, Recycling, and Safe Disposal
for Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the City of Palo Alto
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Shoes - Poor Condition

Shoes for donation should be in good condition for reuse. Consider bringing shoes to a local cobbler to transform your shoes through stretching, cleaning, resoling, polish, and strap/buckle repair/replacement to bring you joy once more.

Poor condition looks different to different folks. Tie or rubber band pairs of shoes so they stay together and donate them for possible reuse or recycling.

Vendors

Vendor Address City Destination Disposal Method Notes
Sports Basement (Walnut Creek) 1881 Ygnacio Valley Rd Walnut Creek Recycle Free Drop-off
DSW Stores DSW
43530 Christy Street
Fremont Recycle Free Drop-off Donated shoes go into micro-enterprise programs in developing countries around the world. They are sorted and, together with our partners, we determine where they need to be sent to make the most impact. Yes, we do accept single shoes. All styles, types and sizes of shoes, as long as they are gently worn for reuse or they will be recycled.
Sports Basement (Sunnyvale) 1177 Kern Ave Sunnyvale Recycle Free Drop-off
On The Run 1310 Ninth Ave. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off On The Run can only accept a small quantity of gently used athletic or walking shoes as there is a space constraint in the store. The shoes will eventually be donated to charities.
EkoLinq 4300 Black Ave
#5486
Pleasanton Recycle Free Pick-up
Road Runner Sports (Berkeley) 1326 Tenth St
(behind REI)
Berkeley Recycle Free Drop-off running shoes/sneakers only. All heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled to reuse materials or to convert waste into new energy.
Tri-CED Community Recycling 33377 Western Ave. Union City Recycle Free Drop-off Accepts clean ripped, stained, worn fabric/clothing is resold on the textile market, for the rags market or carpet padding/seat stuffing.
Nike Factory Store - Livermore Valley Paragon Outlets 3202 Paragon Outlets Drive
Suite 3202
Livermore Recycle Free Drop-off Accepts all brands of althletic shoes. Can drop-off ten pairs at a time at customer service.
Zara (Walnut Creek) 1275 Broadway Plaza Walnut Creek Recycle Free Drop-off
Nike Clearance Store - San Leandro 1275 Marina Dr
(Drop-off Bin inside Nike Clearance Store)
San Leandro Recycle Free Drop-off Nike Reuse-A-Shoe collection. Accepts all brands of althletic shoes. Can drop-off ten pairs at a time at customer service.
Recycle for Change (Angel Wash House) 5205 3rd St. San Francisco Recycle Free Drop-off Clean and dry; bagged to stay clean and dry.
7-G Recycling 1180 Ames Ave Milpitaas Recycle Free Drop-off Contact them to find a business that hosts a drop-off bin, or hold a collection event.
Next Step 902 San Pablo Ave Albany Repair Drop-off for a Fee
Northface Outlet 1238 Fifth St Berkeley Repair Free Drop-off, Buyback Drop-off Accepts Northface apparel and gear only for Renewed processing. See website. Join XPLR Pass™ and when you trade in your old gear, you’ll receive a $10 credit, valid online and in stores*.
Foster City Shoe Repair 939 Edgewater Blvd Foster City Repair Free Drop-off
Boat Feet Shoe Repair 1212 W Hillsdale Blvd San Mateo Repair Free Drop-off
Nick's Shoe Repair 747 23rd St Richmond Repair Drop-off for a Fee
Paul's Shoe Repair Services 2281 Shattuck Ave Berkeley Repair Drop-off for a Fee
Birkenstock Shoe Repair Locator 100 Wood Hollow Drive
Headquarters
Novato Repair Free Mail-in Use online tool to find shoe repair shops that specialize in Birkenstocks. Repairs will be for a fee.
Oakland Style Lab / Sole Space Lab 308 12th St Oakland Repair Drop-off for a Fee At Solespace Lab, we bring your sneakers back to life with expert care. Customization: Personalize your sneakers with unique designs and hand-painted details. Repairs: From sole replacement to stitching, we fix sneakers. We teach and offer services in sneaker cleaning, repair, and customizing. Repairs typically take 3-5 business days. we prioritize sustainable and non-toxic materials to protect your shoes and the environment. Workshop in Oakland is easy to find & visit. Offer camps for building & customizing sneakers, fashion camps where science meets sustainability, in school workshops teaching sustainable fashion and design. Classes offered (ex. Intro to bio textile design, at home shoe repair, reconstruct your sneakers, how to copy your clothes, intro to sewing, birekenstock revamp, art of sneakers).

Curbside Service

Garbage Special Action Note
Alameda
Unusable condition by others.
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Albany
Unusable condition by others.
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Berkeley
Unusable condition by others.
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Castro Valley Sanitary District
Unusable condition by others.
###
Dublin
Unusable condition by others.
###
Emeryville
Unusable condition by others.
###
Fremont
Unusable condition by others.
###
Hayward
Unusable condition by others.
###
Hayward (Oro Loma - L2)
Unusable condition by others.
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Livermore
Unusable condition by others.
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Newark
Unusable condition by others.
###
Oakland
Unusable condition by others.
###
Piedmont
Unusable condition by others.
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Pleasanton
Unusable condition by others.
###
San Leandro
Unusable condition by others.
###
No light up shoes. Bagged clean/dry textiles are collected during your regular collection day on the first full week of June and October for all residents. See sanleandrosorts.com/textile for what clean/dry items to collect for reuse and recycling. Bags will be picked up by a separate vehicle. No donation receipts provided.
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San Leandro (Oro Loma - L3)
Unusable condition by others.
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San Lorenzo (Oro Loma)
Unusable condition by others.
###
Unincorporated Oro Loma (L1)
Unusable condition by others.
###
Union City
Unusable condition by others.
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RE:Source is an online directory for reuse, repair and proper disposal options for the California East Bay area and Palo Alto. Our goal is to connect you with the best options for what you need to get rid of or repair. Please note that we do not accept any items directly.

If you have questions or feedback about this directory, please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.

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