Nike, recycling group want your old sneakers.

Byline: Scott Maben The Register-Guard

Give us your tired, your poor, your gamy cross-trainers yearning to be ground to a pulp.

Local recycling advocates have set out to collect 5,000 old pairs of athletic shoes in the next two months as part of the national Reuse-A-Shoe program launched by Nike and the National Recycling Coalition.

The worn sneakers will be hauled to the footwear giant's Wilsonville recycling center and shredded into Nike Grind, a material used in new sports surfaces.

Eugene, naturally, was a shoo-in for the program, which is starting up in 26 cities nationwide.

"This is Track Town USA," said Julie Daniel, general manager of the nonprofit BRING Recycling. "We'll do our darnedest to get 5,000 pairs."

In a place swarming with runners and athletes, it shouldn't be that difficult, she said.

"People who use their athletic shoes a lot know they're pretty much grody by the time you're done with them," she said. "There's not a lot of reuse for them."

Nike's solution, she added, "is an example of a big company starting to take some responsibility for the product they make. And it's just one more thing we can keep out of the landfill and put back into use."

BRING has challenged local schools to join the shoe drive. The first five to sign up will get setup help from BRING and can enter a drawing for $100.

"We just want to challenge the community to go through their closets and gym lockers and see if we can meet that goal of 5,000 pairs," Daniel said.

BRING is collaborating on the effort with Lane County Waste Management and the University of Oregon's athletic department and campus recycling program. Assisting are the Beverage Recyclers of Oregon, the city of Eugene and Weyerhaeuser.

Since its inception in 1993, Reuse-A-Shoe has recycled more than 13 million pairs of shoes.

Previously, the program recycled defective and discontinued Nike shoes, collecting only a limited amount of used shoes. As demand for Nike Grind grows, the company is reaching out to communities where recycling already is popular.

Nike Grind is sold under several trade names for sports surfaces.

Nike also has donated more than 100 athletic courts, tracks, fields and playground surfaces to communities around the world.

DROP-OFF SITES

Shoes will be collected at:

Earth Day celebration April 19 on Eugene's Broadway

BRING Recycling Warehouse, 86441 Franklin Blvd.

Science Factory at Alton Baker Park (call 682-7888)

Various spots on the UO campus (call 346-0961)

Glenwood Central Receiving Station, 3100 East 17th Ave., Glenwood

Cottage Grove, Veneta and Florence transfer stations