In my neighbourhood there are several places where you can leave shoes for recycling, proceeds going to charities. What they don’t mention is what condition the shoes need to be. I habitually wear shoes until they fall apart and I am reluctant to then leave them at the recycling point as I can’t see what use they could be, and may even cost the charity to dispose of them. Is my reluctance well founded, or is there actually some use for broken-down old footwear in the same way unwearable clothing can be sold for rags?
At our local Salvation Army store, there are used shoes for sale. These are in various degrees of wearable condition. I’d guess that there’s no market for shoes that can’t be used, even as waste, and that any expense in getting rid of them must be borne by the Salvation Army. On the other hand, maybe the rubber soles can be recycled for some building or secondary use material, and if the recycling place is asking for shoes for that purpose, then give 'em up. Ah, crap - I don’t know.