Nike Used Sneaker Recycling

Posted by Snow in Eco-News, Re-use on 04 27th, 2009 | no responses

So I am telling people around the coffeehouse about the Nike used sneaker recycling program, and I am finding out that not too many people know about it. I am surprised that word of mouth for programs like this don’t get distributed at office water coolers faster than you can, well, shake a pair of Keds.

It’s not just for Nike shoes. It’s any old shoes. Any name brand sneakers, old sneakers, those sneakers that don’t fit, the ones you outgrew in two wearings. A good afterlife for sneakers has now been provided. Gather ye Adidas while ye may!

I thought the idea sounded offbeat when i first heard about it too. Then I checked it out online. The Nike site had a big bunch of news about it. When a company like Nike gets behind an idea, you can believe it goes all out.

And the best part? Nike slices and dices used shoes up in a grind process so the materials come out ready for manufacture. Make that re-manufacture. I love it when an entire company embraces the re-use concept. The thing is, you could probably fill up a landfill or two with used sneakers. Or a dozen of them.

But it’s what they do with the used sneaker material that I really love. They go to third world countries and disadvantaged areas and build sports courts with the stuff. That’s right. State of the art sports courts for people whose love of sports can then be enjoyed by the community.

Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe is up and running. Nike Grind is the program that builds the sports courts. Nike’s partner companies help make the surfaces.

The following list shows what part of the athletic shoe and approximately how many pairs of athletic shoes, or the manufacturing equivalent of sneakers, or parts thereof, generally go into making each type of athletic surface: