Recycle Your Sneakers

You can recycle lots of things.  You can compost your old food scraps, you can recycle your batteries, cellphones, old soda cans, torn or ripped clothing and so much more.  But what about those old sneakers?

There are many organizations, beyond the usual route of Goodwill, that would be more than happy to take your old sneaks off your hands.


Soles4Souls

This organization takes both new and used sneakers and gives them to people in need all over the world, from hurricane ravaged New Orleans to countries on the other side of the hemisphere devestated by tsunamis.

Check out www.soles4souls.org for more information on where to donate.

Hope Runs

This non-profit group works in Kenya and Tanzania with AIDS orphans providing empowerment through education, athletics and social entrepreneurship.

Go to www.hoperuns.org for more information.

Shoe4Africa

This Kenyan organization's goal is to provide empowerment to those in need through education, athletics and health initiatives.

Go to www.shoe4africa.org to find out how else you can help.

Nike Reusue-A-Shoe

Send your shoes here for them to grind down to make playground and sports surfaces.  And they will take any brand of shoe you send, not just Nikes.  This is a great place to send shoes waaaay past their prime.

nikereuseashoe.com or call 800-344-6453.

One World Running

This Boulder, CO based organization takes new and near-new running shoes and other athletic equipment for use in third world countries.

Go to One World Running Blog or call (303) 473-1314 or (303) 828-4391 for more information.


The Shoes Bank

Provides shoes to children in need both here and abroad.

For more information about the Shoe Bank, go to www.shoebank.org.

Heart and Sole

Provides shoes to those most in need the world over.

For more information go to www.com.msu.edu.

Warren Striders Track Club, Inc

This Ohio based organization provides running sneakers to local families that cannot purchase adequate running shoes for their children.

Go to warrenstriderstrackclubinc.com for more information.

Sole Responsibility

A non-profit organization formed by a group of runners in Ottawa, Canada who donate gently used running and walking shoes overseas.

Go to www.soleresponsibility.org to see how you can help.