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Nike Recycles Your Shoes for a Sustainable Future

We all have old shoes lying around the house, no longer suitable for athletic activity, but seemingly too decent to be sent to a growing landfill. Now you can recycle your athletic shoes with the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program and they could become a basketball court, track, field, playground, or consumer product.

Nike started recycling shoes in 1990 and it’s now a part of their “considered design philosophy“, a commitment to innovation and sustainability. During the recycling process, worn-out shoes are divided into three materials which are incorporated in to the products of industry-leading sports surfacing companies, as well Nike’s own product manufacturing.

Up to 10 pair of athletic shoes of any brand are welcome, as long as they are not cleats and do not contain metal. With Reuse-A-Shoe bins available in 300 locations in the U.S. , plus locations in Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, recycling your shoes is easier than ever. While finding a local drop off location is the best option for the environment, you can also organize a recycling drive or ship your shoes to Nike with a Reuse-A-Shoe shipping label.

Now, let’s hope this is one of many steps away from Nike’s past questionable practices.

Photo Credit: d70focus on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

Written by Melissa Elliott

Melissa Elliott is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. Her personal blog, TheUrbanHousewife.com, documents her culinary adventures from her kitchen to vegan food around the world. When she's not glued to her computer or on the road, she loves to spend time with her husband, Ryan, cats Beamish & Scurvy, and beloved chihuahua, Strummer.

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