Recycling Shoes for the Environment (and Others)

Recycle these ASAP please!!!

In the past, when shoes became unwearable, they were thrown away or taken to the landfill where they added to the existing piles. Today, recycling is a friendlier solution for getting rid of worn-out footwear. Not only does this create a cleaner environment, but the components produced through recycling can be used to create new products. This process prevents landfill overflow and creates an atmosphere of stewardship and sharing among societies. How do people get started?

The easiest way to recycle footwear is through a program like Nike’s ReUse a Shoe, which breaks them down and uses the resulting nylon, rubber, and foam to create products like Nike Grind, a component in athletic mats, or even new footwear to donate to others. Nike’s website lists over 200 drop-off locations around the world where people can bring athletic shoes and LIVESTRONG wristbands to be recycled or donated.

While Nike focuses mainly on preserving a trash-free environment, other programs such as Crocs Cares, Soles4Souls, and the Cinderella Project focus on donating. These organizations collect worn Crocs, athletic footwear, and high heels to donate to impoverished communities across the globe. For example, Crocs Cares donates Crocs to developing nations to prevent the spread of disease; the Cinderella Project donates formal evening wear and accessories to teenagers who cannot afford them for proms and formal dances. Websites for each of these groups list locations and contact information for donating gently used pieces.

Finally, for those who wish to recycle within their local communities, Recyclerfinder.com provides a free application for computers and mobile devices so people can search for nearby facilities. Plenty of options exist for turning shoes into usable materials or for donating them to a worthy cause, both of which keep them out of the landfill and on people’s feet where they belong.

Find places to recycle shoes at RecyclerFinder.com!

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Touchdown! Recycling at America’s Sports Stadiums

Congrats Giants, great game!

With the excitement of Super Bowl Sunday still on people’s minds as they gather around the water cooler to discuss the plays and highlights, we want to ask the question just where does all that trash go? Are stadiums doing anything to be environmentally responsible?

Sports stadiums across the U.S. are joining the movement to go green. At the college and professional levels, recycling initiatives and other methods to minimize waste are helping the environment and earning the programs nationwide recognition.The statistics are startling. In an average year, an estimated 65 million football fans generate 19,500 tons of trash. Cans, bottles and food containers pile up in trash receptacles from the parking lot to the stadium to the restrooms.College football stadiums, in particular, have made great strides in protecting the environment. One well-publicized example is participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Game Day Challenge for college sports stadiums.

In 2008, The New York Times featured the University of Colorado Buffaloes for introducing a composting and recycling initiative that eliminated 80 percent of their waste. They replaced Styrofoam containers with cardboard, and people looking for trashcans in the stadium found composting and recycling bins instead.

In 2010, the EPA presented UC Davis with an award for similar zero-waste efforts. After the games, students and volunteers often had to sort through the containers. Yet, in both cases, once people got over the learning curve of what needed to be recycled and composted, the process was easy. It was helpful to have both written information in the form of programs and billboards at the games, along with staff members instructing the fans.

The efforts are not limited to food containers. Prepared food at games is a huge source of waste that can be recycled, and much of it is now delivered to local shelters and soup kitchens.

Find places to recycle almost anything @ www.RecyclerFinder.com