• Originally published October 26, 2009 at midnight, updated October 28, 2009 at 4 p.m.

Some days, the inordinate amount of time I spend on the Web actually yields something useful and exciting. Case in point: Who knew that shoes could be recycled?

In 1993, Nike debuted its Reuse-a-Shoe program, an effort designed to keep shoes from ending up in landfills across the country.

Today, more than 15 years since the program's launch, the company recycles nearly 1.5 million pairs of athletic shoes each year into products called Nike Grind Rubber, Foam and Upper. All brands of athletic shoes are recycled by Nike.

The soles of shoes are turned into Nike Grind Rubber, which is then used to make track and playground surfaces, interlocking floor tiles for home gyms and even new shoe soles.

Nike Grind Foam is made from the midsoles and incorporated into basketball and tennis court surfaces.

Fabric from the shoes is recycled into Nike Grind Upper, used as padding for volleyball and indoor basketball courts, as well as equestrian surfacing. It takes about 2,500 pairs of shoes to make a basketball or tennis court and 75,000 pairs to make a running track out of Nike Grind.

In recent years, the product has also been incorporated into consumer products like hacky sacks and keychains, as well as buttons and other accessories on Nike apparel.

Nike Grind surfaces can be found around Texas, including the outdoor basketball court at Calderon Boys and Girls School in San Antonio, the indoor basketball court at a Boys and Girls Club in Houston, and the Hawley school district track near Abilene.

Though our city does not have a Nike Reuse-a-Shoe drop-off location, Victorians can still participate. Shoes can be mailed to Nike Recycling Center, c/o Reuse-A-Shoe, 26755 S.W. 95th Ave., Wilsonville, OR 97070.

Collection centers can be found inside some Nike retail stores, including Katy Mills Mall near Houston and the outlet malls in San Marcos and Round Rock. Nike stores around the Dallas-Fort Worth area and in the Rio Grande Valley have collection centers as well.

Christmas shopping season is just around the corner, so you can begin to amass a collection of shoes from friends and family and take them with you when you do your out-of-town shopping.

Nike generously accepts all brands of athletic shoes for recycling. However, there are guidelines that must be followed. The program is limited to athletic shoes such as running shoes, walking shoes, sneakers and the like. Cleats are not accepted. Shoes containing metal are not accepted, along with dress shoes, sandals or flip-flops. Donated shoes cannot be damp or wet.

Sometimes you hang on to a pair of shoes well past their prime. Tossing them in the garbage is easy, but that rubber sole is going to be in the landfill for at least the next 50 years. If you have shoes in such rough condition that they are virtually unusable, think about giving them a new life as a volleyball court or a running track.

Meridith Byrd is a marine biologist and invites readers to contact her at meridith.byrd@gmail.com.

• Print
• •
• Share
  • Share this item

    Send this to a friend

  • Grab the link

    Copy and paste the link:

  • Blog about it

    Blog about this page.

  • Close
• •
• Favorite