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Natural Awakenings Dallas -Fort Worth Metroplex Edition

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Shoe Recycling Drive at Run for Environment to Benefit Green Source DFW

Sep 01, 2015 02:52PM ● By Julie Thibodeaux

Gather up old shoes and take the opportunity to recycle them at the Green Source DFW Run for the Environment on October 24 at Red Oak Creek Trail located next to Alan E. Sims Cedar Hill Recreation Center in Cedar Hill.

This will not only keep shoes out of the landfill, but it will also support GreenSourceDFW.org, an online publication covering environmental news and green trends in North Texas. The green news venue, a project of the Memnosyne Institute, will be paid for every pound of shoes donated.

Run sponsor Commodity Recycling Solutions is the Fort Worth-based company collecting the shoes. They will hand them off to Dallas-based National Recycling Solutions, the downstream recycler. According to Joan Meeks, founder of Commodity Recycling Solutions, any type of footwear will be accepted, not just athletic shoes. The only shoes not excepted are shoes with metal cleats.

Running for Environment Mother Earth“There's an opportunity to do a few things with them [shoes] before they go into the landfill,” says Meeks.

The shoes in the best condition will be resold by National Recycling Solutions at their retail resale store, Thrift Giant, which has locations in Dallas, Irving and Denton. Other shoes will be sold to the free market.

“The free market is basically people from less fortunate countries who buy them dirt cheap,” Meeks explains. “If you don't have shoes at all, in some places, a beat-up shoe with a hole is better than walking barefoot.”

The remaining shoes will be stripped of its rubber soles, which will be ground up and made into other commodities such as playground services. Metals on the shoes can also be recycled.

Drop off shoes at the run, or if you are not able to attend, drop off shoes for the Green Source DFW shoe drive anytime through October 24 at Commodity Recycling Solutions, 5043 Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway (287), Fort Worth. Attach a note stating they are for Green Source DFW. 

For questions about the shoe drive call 817-300-6958 or email [email protected]. To register for the run or for more information visit the Run4Environment.org.