3 minute read
Don't throw away your work boots - donate them to Boots for Tradies!
WALT COLLINS
Walt Collins is a TV host across several Channel 10 series, including the hit show Buy to Build and the long running Healthy Homes Australia series. He has also has a carpentry trade background. Walt and two mates set up this initiative. donate Don't throw away your work boots - donate them to Boots for Tradies!
I think working in a trade like Landscaping or Building, we are under increasing pressure ethically as well as financially, to be more efficient with our materials, our budget and our wastage. In fact, at trade-school these days, there is a whole module dedicated to reducing your wastage in business and this most certainly applies to materials, but how do we apply this to other areas of our business?
Earlier this year I was having Friday knock off drinks with a few guys from our carpentry company and we were having a bit of a chat about what we throw out on a regular basis. Immediately one of the big standouts were our work boots. Let’s say all 12 chippies in our business threw away our boots twice a year... it really adds up. And in some cases, those boots really have a lot more life in them, given we need nice new ones for client and quoting purposes.
We had a bit of a hunt around to see if there was a charity that took boots as a donation and really, there wasn’t a lot around – certainly not in Melbourne. So as often happens with a good yarn and a site shed full of ideas people, we thought what if we took those donated boots, spruced them up a bit with new laces, soles and a clean and then sold them via an online store. That way we could donate the money, which is more useful, to the charities in need.
I contacted the blokes at an organisation called This is a Conversation Starter Foundation (TIACSF). This is a brand-new initiative which I think is one of the best around. They are aiming to reduce suicide and harm in tradies and construction workers, because we are highly overrepresented in Australia. It’s a simple idea, there is an SMS number that someone who is in crisis, or someone who is witnessing a decline in a mate’s mental health can message and it starts an immediate conversation with a crisis trained psychologist. Not a call centre counsellor, but a real psychologist.
This is going to save lives. But of course, the crisis psychologists need paying for even though they kindly only charge a minimal amount, so we are donating a large percentage of our income to them to help pay for the service.
After just two weeks of starting Boots for Tradies, we sold 19 pairs of used boots to people all over Australia. It is just a knockout success, but we can’t keep up with the demand for boots. The sorts of people buying our boots really does vary. We’re finding young apprentices who can’t afford $220+ for a new pair, are buying boots sometimes only worn a couple of times, for under $90. It’s a huge saving for them. We’re also finding that a lot of engineers and foremen are buying boots from us because they already have a few war wounds! Nobody wants to be that person rocking up to a work site with new boot syndrome! It’s a win-win scenario.
So, I think there are a few take-home messages if you’re reading this article. Yes, we’d love your boots. It doesn’t matter how worn they are, we can sell as is or use bits and pieces from them and we’ll do the clean-up. Just put them in a bag and get in touch. But if you’re talking to your apprentices and staff, mention there are options to buy boots cheaper from us. But importantly, check in on them. Just a friendly no fuss, ‘how’s things mate, you’re doing ok and everything in check’ conversation can have a profound effect. And if you think there’s something deeper going on, let them know about TIACSF. You could be saving a life.
