Shoe recycling efforts helps county

KAPA‘A — “Everybody has some sitting at home collecting dust,” said Jeni Kaohelaulii of Work It Out, an active lifestyle shop in Kapa‘a.

Kaohelaulii is one of the individuals credited with providing the inspiration for the County of Kaua‘i to get involved with the first Nike Reuse-A-Shoe recycling program, said Emily Ishida, speaking at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event, Saturday night.

That recent collection was a successful pilot program, county officials said in announcing the continuation of the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.

“We had almost a full container,” Kaohelaulii said. “I did a lot of promotion on the first program, getting it out in my window and telling all of my customers and family. It was successful for us.”

In addition to the heavy word-of-mouth campaign by Kaohelaulii, she said Work It Out offered customers bringing in shoes a discount on new shoes purchased there.

That promotion won’t be offered until the next big push the county makes for another collection, Kaohelaulii said.

During the county-wide collection that ended April 26, there were approximately 450 pairs of worn-out athletic shoes collected and shipped to Nike’s recycling facility in Oregon.

“The Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program is a great program. It keeps old shoes out of the landfill and a new product called Nike Grind is being made from them. It makes perfect sense for the county to continue this low-cost recycling program that contributes to our sustainability,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. in a press release from the county.

Kaohelaulii said she just hates to see things go to waste and would rather recycle them.

“A lot of shoes come from tourists who shop too much and don’t have enough room to pack shoes,” Kaohelaulii said. “Or, they don’t want to pack dirty things. We go through a lot of them when they bring them in and the usable pairs are usually donated to thrift stores. Having the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program keeps the others from ending up in the trash. I just don’t like to see things go to waste.”

The mayor said partners in the pilot collection included the City and County of Honolulu that extended the program to the Outer Islands for the first time this year, the Kaua‘i Fire Department whose fire stations served as collection points, Deja Vu, Esaki’s Produce, Famous Footwear, Foot Locker and Work It Out.

“I want to thank the organizations that helped us lay the foundation for a permanent Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program here on Kaua‘i,” Carvalho said.

Old athletic shoes can be dropped off at the various locations including Deja Vu and Famous Footwear at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center, Work It Out in Kapa‘a, the Kaua‘i Resource Center on Ahukini Road, and the Lihu‘e Civic Center at the Mo‘ikeha and Pi‘ikoi buildings.

All brands of athletic shoes are accepted in the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, except for those containing metal such as steel-toed shoes, or those with metal cleats.

No slippers, dress shoes, or wet or damp shoes will be accepted.

The recycled shoes will be sent to Nike’s recycling facility in Oregon where a “slice and grind” technique will be used to split the shoes into three types of Nike Grind materials.

The rubber from the outsole is used in track surfaces, interlocking gym flooring tiles, playground surfacing materials and consumer products such as new footwear outsoles and trim items.

Foam from the midsole is used as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts as well as futsal fields.

The upper fabric is used in the creation of cushioning pads for indoor basketball and volleyball courts as well as equestrian surfacing products.

Nike launched its Reuse-A-Shoe program in 1990 and since then, has recycled more than 22.5 million pairs of old athletic shoes worldwide.

For more information, visit the county’s Web site at www.kauai.gov, or call the County Recycling Office at 241-4841.