Whether your children have outgrown their wellies or worn them out from all their adventures. Instead of throwing them in the bin, why not recycle your old wellies!

It is important to recycle or even upcycle your wellies, as it helps to reduce the amount of waste we create and to reduces our impact on the environment. To help you do this, we’ve come up with 5 ways to recycle your old wellies:

1. Plant Pots

Not only will your plant pots look unique, but they will be helping the environment too! Here’s how to make your own wellington plant pots:

  1. Make sure to give your old wellies a good clean with warm soapy water.
  2. This step is for the adults. They will need to make drainage holes in the bottom of the boot, this can be done using a drill or a screwdriver.
  3. Now the children can get involved again. Next you need to add a layer of stones or pebbles to the bottom of the boot, the smaller the better. We are adding these to the bottom of the wellies to weigh down the boot. It will also help reduce the flow of water draining through the boot from the plant.
  4. Next you will need to add compost to the inside of the boot and fill it to so there is around a 2cm from the top of the welly.
  5. You are ready to plant your flowers or seeds! Press the seeds deep into the soil so it can grow effectively. Or you can dig  down a little and pop your plant in there!

Remember to water your welly planter and make sure it gets a good mixture of sunshine and shade to help your plants flourish.

Your little ones could also get creative and paint some cool designs on your new wellie plant pots. Just remember that you would require waterproof paint so your designs will stay on in the outdoor elements.

flower wellies

3. Use your Wellies as Storage

We love this one! Give you old wellies a good clean with warm soapy water and turn them into your new storage boots. You could keep your little ones building blocks in them, other household items or maybe keep them in the shed for garden tool storage. You could even put two holes at the top and thread through a strong bit of string to use as a handle or to close the top of the welly.

2. Welly Garden Shoes

garden shoes aka clogs

If your old wellies still slightly fit but they are too worn to be worn in the great outdoors, a great idea is to cut them down into a good old pair of garden shoes aka clogs.

This is a DIY job for adults, but all you need to do is snip off the top part of the wellies and cut them into a shoe shape. This will make them easy to slip on and off and get some use out of them in the garden!

4. Create a Welly Birdhouse.

This idea is for the adults to make but your kids will find this impressive! All you need is a few materials and your old wellie boots. We will help you create this over a few steps:

  1. Cut a hole, around 5cm in diameter, about 6cm from the top, on the front of your boot. Once you have done this, cut a small slit underneath this hole. We are going to use this hole to place a lollipop stick.
  2. Now it is time to make the roof. You will need two thick pieces of wood and secure them to each side of the boot so that they can join in a peak at the top. With the boot upright, secure the wood to the side of the boot; you could use screws or a staple gun. Then bring the two pieces of wood together at the top to make a peak and screw them together using a screwdriver.
  3. The adult part of the activity is all done, so you can involve your children now! They could be creative and decorate the bird house. Remember is you are painting your welly birdhouse, you will need to use waterproof paint or gloss, so they can last  longer when outside.

Remember to put the birdhouse somewhere safe in the garden and keep an eye out for any new visitors.

5. Donate Your Wellies

Some wellies are made from PVC, which contains plastic. So not all wellies are recyclable. Your wellies may not fit you anymore, but they could be the perfect wellies for someone else.

Before you donate, check the condition of your wellies to make sure they are useable for the next person.

Or a fun way to pass your wellies on, is to donate them to a scarecrow! If you have a scarecrow in your garden or in a field, why not give them a pair of wellies!

Now that you’ve recycled or upcycled your old wellies, you may need a new pair. Check out our super lightweight, durable wellies, that fit for TWO sizes! You can find them on our Wellies Page. You could even pair them with a new puddle suit!