A: Established in the early 1990s, Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program collects old, worn-out athletic shoes for recycling, transforming them into Nike Grind, a material used in creating athletic and playground surfaces as well as select Nike products. Learn more about how it works.

A: Nearly two decades ago, Nike began looking for a way to reduce the company's environmental footprint and reduce the amount of shoes that ended up in landfills. Nike first started by collecting athletic shoes at key retail locations and shortly thereafter teamed up with other recycling centers to establish shoe collections in communities across the country. See Reuse-A-Shoe history for a detailed timeline.

A: Part of Nike's Sustainable Business & Innovation division, Reuse-A-Shoe stands as one of Nike's longest-running environmental community programs and is an integral part of Considered Design, which aims to close the loop on our manufacturing processes. Read more about the Reuse-A-Shoe program's mission.

A: More than 1.5 million pairs of post-consumer shoes are collected for recycling each year. This is in addition to thousands of tons of manufacturing scrap material that is recycled. Since the program began, we've collected more than 24 million pairs of used athletic shoes. See the recycling process in action.

A: Unfortunately, the Reuse-A-Shoe program doesn’t currently have enough staff or resources to arrange for speaking engagements.

A: There are a number of great organizations out there dedicated to shoe donation, where lightly worn shoes are collected and sent to needy communities or individuals. Nike Reuse-A-Shoe is different because we take worn-out shoes – ones that would otherwise go to a landfill – and turn them into something new, like tracks and playgrounds. If your kicks still have plenty of life in them, we encourage you to research shoe donation options in your area. But once your kicks reach retirement, Reuse-A-Shoe is the place to go. Learn how shoe donation and shoe recycling are different.

A: At Nike, we focus on what we do well: designing and manufacturing athletic products. There are a number of organizations out there that collect and donate shoes to needy communities, and we’d like to applaud their efforts – not try to compete with them. 

A: To date, no other athletic footwear organization has created a similar program or has devoted the time and resources needed to find innovative uses for recycled footwear and manufacturing scrap materials that Nike has. Nike continues to identify and create innovative ways in which the company can minimize its environmental footprint and that of the entire athletic shoe manufacturing industry. Read more about our mission.

A: Recycling shoes is extremely easy. Bring up to 10 pairs of shoes to any Reuse-A-Shoe collection location, which can be found at all U.S. Nike retail stores as well as some global Nike locations, as well as places like universities, athletic clubs, special events and community recycling centers. Find a shoe recycling location near you.

A: You can mail your shoes directly to Nike's recycling facility. Unfortunately, Nike cannot pay for shipping costs. However, to ensure that the shipping and collection of shoes doesn't negatively offset the environmental benefit of recycling, we encourage you to drop off your shoes at a collection point if possible. Download a mailing label and learn more.

A: You can drop off athletic shoes of any brand for recycling. Sandals, flip-flops, dress shoes, boots and other types of shoes are not accepted. We also can't accept shoes containing metal such as cleats or spikes, because these represent a safety hazard when ground into Nike Grind. Read more about our recycling requirements.

A: Nike's recycling equipment is set up specifically for the material and dimensions of athletic shoes. In addition, shoes containing metal cannot be made into Nike Grind material for safety reasons. Learn more about how your shoes are recycled.

A: Yes, anyone may collect up to 10 pairs of shoes and bring them to a collection center. However, you must become an approved drive organizer before collecting a larger number of shoes. This is due to the capacity of our stores and our recycling facilities. Currently, we can only support shoe drive requests from the United States and Vancouver, Canada. Find out more and apply to host a drive.

A: Your shoes are transported to one of two facilities, located in Wilsonville, Oregon and Meerhout, Belgium. There, they are processed into Nike Grind material. See how the recycling process works.

A: Because Reuse-A-Shoe is considered a recycling program and not a shoe donation program, we are unable to generate receipts for shoe recycling efforts.

A: At this time our recycling facilities are only able to process athletic shoes and manufacturing scrap from our own facilities. Please know we are working diligently to expand our recycling process. Learn more about the recycling process.

A: If you live in France or Japan, your country does not have Reuse-A-Shoe collection locations at this time. However, there are sports and playground surfaces in your country donated by Nike’s community investment programs that contain Nike Grind. On the map, the Nike Grind logo denotes the location of a surface that contains Nike Grind, while the red shoe icon denotes a drop-off point. If you're having trouble with the map, use our drop-off location finder instead.

A: The red teardrop icon denotes your location based on the ZIP code you entered. Drop-off locations are shown with a shoe icon. If you do not see a shoe icon, try zooming out. If you still don’t see any, that means we don’t currently have collection opportunities in your area. See a list of drop-off locations. 

A: Due to our recycling facility's capacity, we are currently only able to accept applications from community organizations within the United States and the Vancouver, Canada metro area. You must also be near a Nike retail location and committed to collecting a maximum of 200 pairs of shoes.

Typically our drive partners are schools, sports teams and other community-focused groups, but we are working diligently to increase our capacity, which will allow us to open the program up to a much larger number of groups. In the meantime, all drive organizers must apply to host a drive through our online application form. Learn more and apply now.

A: All approved Nike Reuse-A-Shoe Community Activists can receive marketing materials for their shoe drive, including up to two collapsible bins and up to two kits. Each kit includes two posters, 10 flyers, 50 buttons and 50 stickers. Unfortunately, due to the substantial interest in this program, Nike is limited in the support it can offer groups looking to host their own collection, so all groups are required to apply in advance in order to receive these materials. Please know that we are working diligently to expand the Reuse-A-Shoe program to create more collection opportunities and facilitate participation. Learn more and apply to host a drive.

**Please note: All Community Activist collection bins and marketing kits are on backorder until April 1, 2010. All orders received during February and March will be shipped at that time for drives beginning in April**

A: Check your email for an automatic confirmation that your application was received (also check your bulk/junk folder). We usually review and approve or deny applications within one to two weeks.

A: Read the approval email you received carefully for directions. You will need to contact the retail store manager identified in this email to coordinate your drive, including a day and time to drop off your shoes. You’ll also want to send us any images of your drive so we can put them on our Community Activist page, along with signed image release forms for anyone pictured. You’ll find the link to this form in your approval email, as well as directions on where to send your images and releases.

A: If we weren’t able to approve your shoe drive at this time, please refer to our guidelines for individual shoe recycling. So as not to overwhelm our retail locations and shipping logistics, please bring no more than 10 pairs of shoes at a time to your nearest Nike retail store or other recycling partner location.

If you want to do more, you can always ship as many shoes as you’d like to our recycling facility in Wilsonville, Oregon. However, Nike cannot cover the costs of these shipments or support shoe drives outside our retail areas. We also occasionally hold larger Reuse-A-Shoe drives during special events like races and games. Sign up for our newsletter on our homepage to be notified of upcoming Reuse-A-Shoe events.

A: Nike Grind includes three types of raw materials made from recycled athletic shoes and manufacturing byproducts: rubber from the outsole, foam from the midsole and fabric from the upper. These materials are ground up and used by select companies in sport and playground surfaces, as well as in numerous Nike apparel, footwear and equipment products. Learn more about using Nike Grind.

A: Nearly every part of the shoe gets recycled through the Nike Grind process. The outsole becomes Nike Grind Rubber, the midsole becomes Nike Grind foam and the fabric upper becomes Nike Grind Upper. Learn more about how Nike Grind is made.

A: Industry-leading sports and playground surfacing companies utilize Nike Grind to manufacture high-performance athletic surfaces such as tennis and basketball courts, running tracks, athletic fields and playgrounds. Additionally, Nike has discovered innovative uses for Nike Grind in various products such as footwear and apparel. See how Nike Grind is used.

A: Nike works exclusively with premier surfacing partners that share in a commitment to excellence, value and sustainability. Current partners include Atlas Track & Tennis, Ace Surfaces, Everlast, Playtop and Training Ground. Learn more about our partners.

A: Yes, Nike Grind materials are identical to “first generation” raw materials used in synthetic sport surface manufacturing, providing the same performance as traditional materials, but with an environmental benefit as well. Nike Grind surfaces may also provide added benefits and value because the low oxidizing attributes of Nike Grind may lead to added durability in surface compositions.

A: The following list shows what part of the shoe and approximately how many pairs of athletic shoes, or the manufacturing equivalent thereof, generally go into making each type of athletic surface:

• Outdoor basketball court (midsole foam): 2,500 pairs
• Outdoor tennis court (midsole foam): 2,500 pairs
• Full field or soccer pitch (outsole rubber): 50,000 - 75,000 pairs
• Mini soccer field (outsole rubber): 10,000-20,000 pairs
• Running track (outsole rubber): 75,000 pairs
• Playground (outsole rubber): 2,500 pairs
• Indoor wood basketball court (upper fabric): 2,500 pairs
• Indoor synthetic basketball court (midsole foam): 2,500 pairs

A: Nike's vision is that the individuals and organizations that collect shoes for recycling are doing so to help reduce the number of shoes that end up in landfills and to help support this important environmental program. Nike has established partnerships with leading surface providers that can install a surface containing Nike Grind; however, Nike does not donate surfaces to organizations or individuals as a result of their efforts to collect shoes.

Nike has established the Bowerman Track Renovation Program, which is a global program that provides matching cash grants to community-based, youth-oriented organizations that seek to refurbish or construct running tracks. Recipients of a Bowerman Track Renovation grant are encouraged, but not required, to use Nike Grind in their track projects. Learn more about applying for the Bowerman grant and Nike’s other giving programs. 

A: We do not currently offer Nike Grind samples or educational kits for classrooms. In the past we offered a recycling education program, Air to Earth, but unfortunately this program is not available at this time. We will update our website if this program or other Nike Grind samples become available.

A: We greatly appreciate your interest in using Nike Grind material in your manufacturing process and product. Currently, U.S. Nike Grind material is only incorporated into athletic surfacing products and playgrounds. However, as we work to expand our collection and recycling capacities over the next few years, we will be looking to identify additional uses for it as well as ways in which we can truly close the loop on the manufacturing of our products and get it back into them.

A: Nike Grind material is only incorporated into athletic surfacing products and playgrounds by our premier surfacing partners. The only exception to this is synthetic turf infill, which is available as an individual product. Learn more about our surfacing options.

A: Nike Grind material is sold to a select few partners in the sports and playground surfacing industry who meet our criteria for being socially and environmentally progressive. Nike Grind partners must demonstrate an industry leadership position and an appetite for innovation, research and development to incorporate Nike Grind materials further into their product ranges.

If you represent a sports or playground surfacing company that meets these stringent requirements and are interested in being considered for a Nike Grind partnership, contact us about becoming a Nike Grind partner.