Monroe County Department of Environmental Services (MCDES) participates in a program with the National Recycling Coalition and Nike, Inc. that allows area residents to recycle their unwanted athletic sneakers instead of throwing them in the garbage. Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe Program recycles and grinds athletic footwear and turns them into sports surfaces. Sneakers may be brought to the Monroe County ecopark (open 9/21/11) for recycling during operating hours (click here for details). The program will only accept sneakers that do not contain metal (grommets, eyelets, zippers, tags, etc.). Shoes, boots, clogs, crocs, sandals, flip-flops and sneakers that light-up are also not acceptable.

Monroe County ecopark Facility
10 Avion Drive
Rochester, New York 14624

From I-390:

Take Exit #17 (Scottsville Road - NY 383). Go south for 2 miles and turn right on Paul Road (Rt. 252A). Stay on Paul Road for 1.3 miles, turn left into the facility (Avion Drive) and follow the signs.

From Jefferson Road at Scottsville Road:

Turn north on Scottsville Road and continue for 1.2 miles. Turn left on Paul Road (Rt. 252A) and continue for 1.3 miles, turn left into the facility (Avion Drive) and follow the signs.

Monroe County residents may also reuse good condition sneakers by donating them to an organization like those listed here.

For more information call (585) 753-7526.

Program History:

Since 2004, MCDES--along with Cascades Recovery, schools (Brockport Middle, Brooks Hill Elementary, RIT, SUNY Brockport, SJFC, RCSD #9 School, Park Road Elementary, Nazareth College, SUNY Empire, MCC, Harley Upper School, Munn Elementary, Charlotte High School, Klem South Elementary) and community groups--has helped take old defective sneakers and turn them into something that ultimately helped benefit young people around the world.  Sneakers were collected at a high school basketball game, a schoolwide recycle rally or even Pae-Tec Park. Monroe County also hosted a public collection at the Monroe County Resource Recovery Facility in 2006.
Nike separates collected footwear into three main materials (upper fabric, midsole foam and outsole rubber) which is then ground up. Nike has successfully found constructive uses for all of the materials from these post-consumer and defective athletic shoes. Nike GRIND (the ground up sneakers) can become a new soccer field, football field, tennis or basketball court, outdoor track, or even a safe playground surface. Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program started in 1993, and has recycled over 16 million pairs of sneakers. One outdoor running track will keep 75,000 pairs of old sneakers out of the local landfill and put to good use. Each outdoor basketball court or a tennis court is made from over 2,500 recycled sneakers. And, a small elementary school playground surface will keep almost 5,000 sneakers out of our landfills.

 

Getting old sneakers back in the game has been a very successful project with about 25,000 pair of sneakers shipped to Nike by MCDES.

More Info

• Nike Reuse-a-Shoe
• EPA
• NYS - DEC
• American Plastics Council
• National Recycling Coalition
• Newspaper Association of America