Dedham Junior Women's Club to Sponsor "Recycle Your Sneakers" Campaign

According to the Nike Grind website, "helping to protect the future of sport requires changing the way we think about waste. With Nike Grind, we’re driving toward a more circular future, turning what was once considered waste into new opportunities to create. By rethinking the full potential of materials, we’re pioneering sustainable innovations that help benefit people and the planet."

With that quote in mind, the Environment Committee of the Dedham Junior Women's Club will be sponsoring a sneaker collection from June to September 2022. There will be collection boxes at at the Main and Endicott Branch Libraries. Tennis shoes, running shoes, and sneakers can be dropped off in the boxes at the libraries. The shoes will then be brought to a local Nike Store where the shoes will be sent off to the Nike Grind Program.

Did you know that according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Americans throw away at least 300 million pairs of shoes each year. These shoes end up in landfills, where they can take 30 to 40 years to decompose. Since its inception in 1992 the Nike Grind Program has recycled 130 million pounds manufacturing scraps, unused materials, and end of life shoes. Nike Grind has been recycled into other products such as tracks, fields, indoor and outdoor courts, playgrounds and grip tape.

So do your part for the community and planet, check those sneakers in your closets, mudrooms, and under the beds. Are they worn? Are they going to be replaced soon? Then don't send them to the trash, drop them off at the libraries were those end of life shoes will get a second chance to be useful.

For more information on the Dedham Junior Women's club, visit djwc.org. For more information on the Nike Grind Program, visit Nikegrind.com.