New Balance triggers outrage by dumping new sneakers in rubbish cart

Disposing of hundreds of unused New Balance trainers in a rubbish cart outside the brand’s closed shop in the UK has caused outrage for being "horrendously wasteful."

The discarded sneakers were strewn across the pavement next to the New Balance Factory Shop on Main Street at Shap, Cumbria, inducing people to drive to the shop and rummage through the skip.

Mark Proudfoot, landlord of the Crown Inn next to the shop, said many people could be seen "walking away with new pairs of trainers" over the weekend.

New Balance has been contacted to instead donate the shoes to families or individuals in need.

The New Balance shop closed in January.

The site has since been cleaned up, a spokesperson for New Balance confirmed.

According to New Balance, a general contractor doing work on-site had cleared old stock items from their store, including single shoes that could not be paired, damaged products, and samples.

The company added that they are re-evaluating their procedures when determining what can be appropriately recycled or donated.