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| The
National Recycling Coalition and Nike Expand the
Reuse-A-Shoe Program to 25 Community Recycling
Centers Across the United States |
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| The Pilot
Program Hopes to Collect More Than 125,000 Pairs
of Used Athletic
Shoes | |
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 Beaverton, OR (23 January,
2003) —The National Recycling Coalition
(NRC) today formally announced a partnership with
Nike that expands the Reuse-A-Shoe program to 25
communities across the United States. For the
first time, community recycling centers will be
able to add used athletic footwear to existing
recycling programs. Since the launch of the
Reuse-A-Shoe expansion to NRC members in November
2002, 19 recycling organizations, from Portland,
Ore. to Atlanta, Ga., already have committed to
collecting a minimum of 5,000 pairs of old
athletic shoes by June 2003.
In addition,
participating recycling organizations will also
have the chance to apply for two $25,000 seed
grants to be applied toward a new sports surface
made with Nike Grind, the resulting material
comprised of recycled athletic shoes from the
Reuse-A-Shoe program.
"NRC members, the
people who run recycling programs in thousands of
communities across the nation, are always looking
for innovative and cost-effective ways to add new
items to their recycling programs. Through this
exciting partnership with Nike, we can help them
do just that," said Kate Krebs, Executive Director
of the National Recycling Coalition.
"Closing the recycling loop is a shared
responsibility, from collecting and processing
used items like athletic shoes, to recycling them
into new products like sports surfaces, to buying
and using those recycled products in our every day
lives. Manufacturers and retailers, consumers, and
recycling professionals must all work together.
The NRC-Nike partnership is an excellent example
of how, by doing what each of us does best, we can
create new environmental, economic and community
benefits through recycling," said Krebs.
Under the partnership, the National
Recycling Coalition will continue to educate its
extensive national network of 20 state affiliates
and more than 4,000 member recycling organizations
and advocates around the country about the
Reuse-A-Shoe program and the new opportunities
provided by the partnership. NRC will also provide
technical assistance to the participating
organizations that are members of the Coalition.
Nike will manage the logistics of picking up shoes
from each of the 25 participating recycling
centers, recycle the shoes in its Reuse-A-Shoe
recycling center in Wilsonville, Ore. and provide
Nike Grind material to its strategic licensee
partners--FieldTurf, Rebound Ace, Atlas Track and
Connor --for use in sports surfaces.
After
registering with NRC and Nike, recycling
organizations are responsible for collecting and
properly storing old athletic shoes in the way
that best suits the organization’s needs. When
enough shoes have been collected to fill a 27-foot
trailer (approximately 5,000 pairs), Nike will
arrange for the shoes to be picked up by Roadway
and shipped to the Reuse-A-Shoe recycling facility
in Wilsonville, Oregon free of charge. The
National Recycling Coalition and Nike will also
provide each organization with communications
tools to promote its collection effort, including
customizable radio spots, media releases, posters,
print ads and logos that feature the
call-to-action “Get Your Old Shoes Back in the
Game.”
“Partnering with the National
Recycling Coalition allows a wide range of
recycling organizations access to a program that
has been primarily focused at retail audiences,”
said Beth Farnum, manager of the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe
program.
The 19 organizations that have
already committed to the program represent a
diverse group of universities and municipalities
across the country. Each of the participating
organizations is adding the Reuse-A-Shoe program
to current recycling efforts. The City of Portland
will collect shoes at five recycling depots
throughout the Portland metropolitan area.
"Recycling is an everyday, active step
where citizens can participate in an
environmentally beneficial activity," said Bruce
Walker, Solid Waste and Recycling Program Manager
for Portland, Oregon's Office of Sustainable
Development. "We are pleased for the opportunity
to expand recycling opportunities for Portland
residents through this new program."
Emory
University in Atlanta plans to kick off its
collection before Spring Break and continue
through the end of the semester in May. Collection
bins will be visibly placed throughout the campus.
"Recycling is a standard for the Emory community,"
said John Scheve, Emory University's Recycling
Supervisor. "Collecting used athletic shoes is
just one more way for our students and staff to
engage in the process."
After the pilot
year is over, Nike and the National Recycling
Coalition will re-evaluate the program and
determine how to expand and enhance the
partnership going forward. Each of the 25
first-year recycling organizations will have the
opportunity to continue the Reuse-A-Shoe program
in 2004 based on their success in 2003.
About the National
Recycling Coalition
Founded in 1978,
the National Recycling Coalition, Inc. (NRC) is a
nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization representing all
the diverse interests committed to the common goal
of maximizing recycling to achieve the benefits of
resource conservation, solid waste reduction,
environmental protection, energy conservation and
social and economic development. Its 4,000 members
include recycling and environmental organizations;
large and small businesses; federal, state and
local governments; and individuals. The NRC is
dedicated to the advancement and improvement of
recycling, and also source reduction, composting
and reuse, by providing technical information,
education, training, outreach and advocacy
services to its members in order to conserve
resources and benefit the environment. For
additional information about the NRC, please visit
http://www.nrc-recycle.org/.
About Reuse-A-Shoe
Reuse-A-Shoe collects, slices, and grinds up
used (any brand) and defective (Nike only)
athletic shoes to make Nike Grind material, which
is then used in sports surfaces. Since its
inception in 1993, the Reuse-A-Shoe program has
recycled more than 13 million pairs of shoes, and
has helped donate over 100 athletic courts,
tracks, fields and playground surfaces to
communities around the world. Nike Grind material
from the shoes collected in the pilot year of the
Reuse-A-Shoe program with the National Recycling
Coalition will be allocated to Nike’s licensees–
FieldTurf, Rebound Ace, Atlas Track and Connor.
Reuse-A-Shoe is an integral part of Nike’s
new NikeGO initiative launched in the fall of 2002
to increase physical activity among youth ages
9-15–and give them the means to do it. Programs
include the NikeGO Fund, NikeGO After School
program, NikeGO Girls program, Reuse-A-Shoe,
Bowerman Track Program and numerous field/court
and product donations. Through NikeGO, thousands
of youth will be encouraged to discover the joy of
movement and physical activity in an effort to
help lead healthier lives. For more information
please visit http://www.nikego.com/and www.nikebiz.com/reuseashoe.
###
Individuals
that would like to participate in the Reuse-A-Shoe
program outside of one of the 25 participating
organizations for 2003 can send in their shoes
directly to the Nike Recycling Center in
Wilsonville, Oregon, or they can drop their shoes
off at any of the 11 Niketowns in the U.S. or at
participating retailers. They can also participate
in a collection set up by one of the organizations
participating in the national Reuse-A-Shoe
expansion by mailing their shoes to the contact
and address listed on the Reuse-A-Shoe website.
A complete list of the organizations and
their addresses are listed at:
www.nrc-recycle.org/pressroom/pressreleases.htm |
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