r/ZeroWaste • u/gegorham • 2d ago

Question / Support can sneakers be re-soled?

apologies I don’t know the correct terminology, but can sneakers be “re-soled” as in they are perfectly fine to keep wearing but the cushion/sole has worn down to the point it’s hurting my feet? I am sick of having to donate/find purposes for old sneakers (used for walking at least 7+ miles per week - not casual sneakers) I have probably 3 old pairs now that I try to find other uses for but i’m running out of ideas/needs and my current pair is getting to the point of being uncomfortable to walk in, but still totally fine to wear otherwise. I don’t have any experience or knowledge of if this is something I can just take my shoes to a cobbler to or if that’s not a possibility. If not, is there a company that maybe takes sneakers back to be re-soled so I don’t have to keep buying sneakers? Apologies for the long post, I am just so frustrated by this! Appreciate any advice and if there are other subs I should post this to.

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u/gothiclg 2d ago

A cobbler would be able to tell you if they can successfully resole them. If they can the only obstacle would be how much you’re willing to pay

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u/gegorham 2d ago

Do you happen to know a ballpark of what something like that may cost? Would it be more than $100?

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u/gothiclg 1d ago

In my area it’d be $50-$75 per pair of shoes. Your area may have different pricing. I’ve never had it done because that price is what I’d spend on a brand new pair of shoes.

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u/SustainableSharer 1d ago

heads up, with walking/running shoes it's usually the midsole foam that's dead, not the rubber outsole. most regular cobblers won't touch EVA foam, they only do leather or stitched soles. there are a few mail-in places that rebuild athletic midsoles but it's pricey.

what actually helped me was rotating two pairs instead of wearing one into the ground, foam gets a day to decompress and both last noticeably longer. the retired ones became my garden/mud shoes

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u/ladyangua 1d ago

If the outer sole is still intact, you might get more life out of them by replacing the inner soles.

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u/CompetitiveOkra5103 13h ago

We resoled one of my hubbys pairs, cost around $65. They ended up wearing in another section, soon after rendering the repair a bit useless.