Recycle Your Old Shoes
Posted on July 21st, 2009 - 10:30 AMFor years we have heard about recycling our plastics, aluminum cans, paper and used electronics – but what else can we recycle? I recently found out that my old running shoes can be recycled and remanufactured to make athletic surfaces. During the manufacturing process, my old shoes are cut into three slices which are then fed through a grinder and then purified. The purified material is then used to produce many different types of surfaces such as playground surfaces, tennis courts and outdoor tracks. Check out this recycling process! I don’t know of any other programs like it, but hopefully it will catch on. It is a cool process that will save energy and resources. And, like many other recycling processes – we also help the environment by reducing excess waste when we recycle our old shoes. Instead of piling our old shoes on top of a local landfill, we can put them to use in our parks and athletic centers. What other products in our home can we recycle? Let’s help prevent waste and conserve resources and energy through recycling in our homes and communities. Be sure to let us know what great ideas you have.
About the author: Michelle Gugger graduated from Rutgers University in 2008. She is currently spending a year of service at EPA’s Region 3 Office in Philadelphia, PA as an AmeriCorps VISTA.
Tags: nike, recycle, shoes, waste
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Question of the Week
July 21st, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Recycle zapatos
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July 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
So where are the shoe collection centers?
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Neil reply on July 24, 2009 3:34 pm:
On the homepage of the nikereuseashoe site, there is a map. Underneath it, select your country and then options will come up. I selected US, and then it asked for my zipcode. Boom! A collection center 1 mile from my house (it is a gym). I am now collecting old shoes at my office as a little bit of a community drive.
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July 21st, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I hope one day In China, we also can have suche a factory to do this action, and most people will like to send their shoes to recycle center.
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July 22nd, 2009 at 8:16 am
Hi !
“Recycling Shoes” - wonderful idea!
The rubber on the soles of your shoes can be broken down and reprocessed into a variety of products, most commonly athletic flooring.
The rubber is also used in track and playground surfaces and in some consumer products. The foam is used for cushioning outdoor sports courts. The upper fabric of the shoe is used for cushioning indoor sports courts.
Yes, I have read about Nike Reuse a Shoe Program which was started in 1993. Nike has two plants that reprocess the shoes, one is in the U.S. and the other is in Belgium. They opened the Belgium plant in 2005. Not only are the shoes recycled but also the process creates jobs both at home and abroad.
With Regards
Amrita
http://www.quality-web-solutions.com
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July 24th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I would say send them back to China, and let them recycle it!
We have enough junk as it is, and the pollution that these plants will create is not something we need here.
Robert Enriquez
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July 27th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
is a very good idea…
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July 28th, 2009 at 12:09 am
Athletic and tennis shoes are already being recycled at 10stoe.com. I sell a DIY kit to patch your shoes’ soles, which doubles the life of your shoes every time it is repaired. I have one pair that is 4 years old and I use to wear out a pair of tennis shes in four months. All you need is some fabreeze once in a while to recycle those odors.
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August 7th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Patching up old shoes is a great idea, but for runners, like me, your shoes need to be replaced every 6-8 months. This is dependent on how hard you are on them. Otherwise you can suffer some serious health consequences.
For 5 years, during high school and undergrad, I worked for The Finish Line, a shoe retailer. Every year we had multiple shoe dotations, and the donated shoes would be given to underprivilaged families. Also, during back-to-school and Christmas times, Finish Line would give discounts to customers who brought in shoes to donate. There are many other retailers who do this as well. But, the old shoes are given to the charity called Soles4Souls. More information can be obtained at http://www.soles4souls.org
Another great organization is Toms Shoes. There is currently an ATT commercial advertising their company. For every pair of shoes you buy, the company gives a brand new pair for a child in need. Although it has nothing to do with recycling, it is still helping out people who are in great need. The shoes are comfortable, decently priced, and not to metion pretty cool looking.
Nike does have a great show recycling program as well. Thanks for pointing that out Michelle!
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