Before you throw out your old shoes, think about recycling them instead. Recycling your shoes is a great way to help the planet, as well as other people who need shoes of their own.

When you want to recycle your shoes, you have two options: You can either literally “recycle” them or you can donate them. Many programs exist where you can drop off your gently-worn shoes to go to homeless people in your community, as well as people in Third World countries.

Actually recycling your shoes means less garbage at the landfill.

If your old shoes don’t seem to have any life left in them, think again. Shoes with holes in them, material damage and weak support can be put to good use. The company Nike has a “ReUse-a-Shoe” program that takes old athletic shoes and recycles them for material to use at playgrounds and athletic sites such as basketball courts and tracks. You can drop your shoes off at a local Nike store, or ship them to company headquarters in Wilsonville, Oregon. Check out their site for more information: http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/

Running Free is another store that accepts old shoes to donate. Based in Canada, they have donated shoes to the homeless, shelters, as well as those in need in countries such as Uganda and Kenya. Visit their site here: http://www.runningfree.com/recycle.aspx

Other stores offer the same kind of program. Whether they actually recycle the shoes or donate them, they still manage to put your old shoes to good use. You can also try organizations that specifically want donated shoes to pass on to those who need them:

Sole Responsibility (http://www.soleresponsibility.org/): A nonprofit organization based in Ottawa, Canada, they donate old and gently-worn shoes to needy people overseas.

The Shoe Bank (http://www.shoebank.org/): Another nonprofit, The Shoe Bank is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with over 160 locations in the Lone Star State where you can drop off your gently-worn shoes. These shoes go to charities, shelters, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, hospitals and needy people in Third World countries.

And some organizations that pass on old shoes are:

Recycled Runners (www.recycledrunners.com.au): Based in Australia, they accept donated shoes from Australians to pass on to other Australians and those in the Pacific region.

Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder ChaRM (Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials) (http://www.ecocycle.org/charm/index.cfm): Located in Boulder, Colorado, they take those old, nonwearable shoes and recycle them for new materials.

A page on the site Run the Planet (http://www.runtheplanet.com/) lists various organizations you can try to donate your old and gently worn shoes:

(http://www.runtheplanet.com/shoes/selection/recycle.asp)

Finally, you can always list your shoes on sites such as Craigslist or Freecycle. There’s no need to throw out an otherwise good pair of shoes, or even overlook the recycling possibilities of a pair of shoes that don’t appear to have any value left. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Find a new home for your old shoes outside of the trash bin and soon those old sneakers will be put to good use again.