The Green Team at Buffalo High School collected 50 pairs of shoes for the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe organization last week. Students were asked to bring in old athletic shoes to be recycled into gym floors, playground materials, and synthetic tracks.
The shoes were brought to the Albertville Nike store to be sent off for recycling. The recycling process uses a “slice-and-grind” technique where each shoes is cut into three slices. The slices are then fed through grinders and purifiers. The outsole portion is used for outdoor tracks, playground surfacing, and new Nike products. The midsole is used as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts. The fabric upper is used in the creation of cushioning pads for indoor facilities.
The Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program has been collecting and recycling athletic shoes since 1990. In the past 20 years, 25 million pairs of shoes have been donated globally. Anyone can contribute – there are drop-off locations in Albertville, Bloomington, Medford and North Branch.
