Old Friend Shoes

Nike wants to make your old tennis shoes in brand new athletic surfaces! The recycling process is very simple. Nike has placed bins Reuse-A-Shoe in 300 locations across the United States and in places of deposit in Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe. These landing sites accept shoes from any brand, not just Nike sneakers. It is important, however, that the shoes are clean and they have no metal spikes. Nike does not currently recycle dress shoes or flip-flops. If you do not live near a site recovery, you can mail your old sneakers to Nike processing center in Wilsonville, Oregon. (Address: Nike Recycling Center c / o Reuse-A-Shoe 26755 SW 95th Ave., Wilsonville, OR 97070.) However, considering the carbon footprint of transporting your shoes. It may actually be more "green" donate your old shoes locally or find a creative use for them at home (eg, gardening shoes or even a chew toy for dogs) than to send them through country.

Once enough of shoes were collected at a landing site, they are shipped in bulk to a treatment center for Nike Reuse-A-Shoe. These recycling centers are located in Wilsonville, Oregon and Meerhout, Belgium. (Again, it is important to study the environmental impact of the transfer modes of Nike. Ship shoes Nike says the greatest amount possible to reduce the environmental impact, but there may be a more environmentally friendly to recycle your old athletic shoes at home.)

After being collected and sent to a recycling center for Nike, your old shoes are torn. The shoes are divided into three sections: the outsole rubber, midsole foam and fabric upper. Sole, soles and stems are sent each along a separate conveyor belt where they are crushed into a material that can be used again. Material rubber sole is used to make playground surfaces and running tracks as well as the soles of new shoes. Material midsole foam transforms into a cushioning material for outdoor tennis courts and basketball courts. Material from the top fabric is used to create blocks placed under indoor volleyball, and basketball. Zipper pulls, buttons and snaps are made from Nike Grind rubber and foam.

Nike recycling facilities are currently at their capacity. The brand is one of the only major shoe companies to implement a major project to recycle shoes. For more information on how to donate footwear as an individual, or how to apply to run a reader Nike Reuse-A-Shoe, visit Reuse-A-Shoe Nike www. nikereuseashoe.com.