SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — When we’re not wearing shoes, we’re often tripping over them, as the average American owns up to a dozen pairs of shoes.
Buying shoes can also lead to “in with the new, out with the old”, with at least 200 million pairs of sneakers ending up in the landfill each year.
Walk into 605 Running Company and one of the first things you’ll see is a box full of donated used sneakers.
“I love shoes, I love running in shoes, I love the look of shoes. They’re not environmentally friendly once you’re done with them, so finding a way to repurpose them, reuse them is critical,” 605 Running Company owner Greg Koch said.
Greg Koch owns 605 Running Company and says members of the community are embracing this recycling project.
“I’ll show up to the store and there will be piles of sneakers waiting for me at the door,” Koch said.
The donation bin is a partnership with GotSneakers?.
“Keeping shoes out of landfills is the number one priority for GotSneakers? and why we’re doing it,” Koch said. “They send us boxes, they send us bags with pre-loaded FedEx shipping labels and so we’re able to collect shoes and send them off in a really easy way,” Koch added.
“They send us sneakers, we sort through those, we compensate people for their sneakers,” GotSneakers? Director of Strategic Partnerships Denise Blomberg said.
Blomberg is the director of strategic partnerships for GotSneakers?, which is based in Miami, Florida.
“A lot of organizations will use this as a fundraising tool, individuals can make money cleaning out their closets. At the core of our program is to keep sneakers out of landfills,” Blomberg said.
Blomberg says GotSneakers? has more than 150,000 partners across the U.S., and is on track to keep 1.5 million pairs of sneakers out of the landfill this year. Once the shoes land in Miami, even the collection bags are re-purposed.
“We take all of our collection bags and recycle those, we bale them, we send them to Trex which is a company that builds composite decking as part of their NexTrex initiative. They collect plastics of a variety of different sorts across the country and turn them into park benches,” Blomberg said.
The sneakers are recycled and re-purposed, and make their way around the world.
“Our primary markets are Central and South America being based in Miami that is the closest shipping lanes,” Blomberg said. “We work continuously with the same people that are bringing sneakers to their countries and helping others establish their own businesses in order to keep their families fed and housed,” Blomberg added.
Even if you don’t have a complete pair of shoes, donate your singles.
“We actually have a home for those with a buyer in Pakistan that buys containers of singles from us in order to be able to buy from other companies and allow people in his country to pair together a right and a left pair of sneakers that might work for them. It’s very humbling when you think about it because we have so much in the U.S.,” Blomberg said.
605 Running Company sends in 5-15 bags per month which brings in hundreds of dollars a year, money 605 uses to help support local organizations.
“We’re able to get a little bit of a kickback. We work with 15 different organizations locally throughout events and so we’re able to add in any dollars we get from our recycling efforts into our donations throughout the year,” Koch said.
It doesn’t end with money. GotSneakers? will also send an impact report.
“Environmental impact data about how many pounds of CO2 offset there were, how many gallons of water were saved, and how many pairs of sneakers were kept out of the landfill from their efforts,” Blomberg said.
And Blomberg is playing her part from the comforts of home in Sioux Falls.
“I have a background working for an international nonprofit that distributed new shoes around the world. COVID shuttered that operation and had the opportunity to go to work for GotSneakers? and to work remotely from wherever I happened to live, which I always tell people ‘I’m lucky to live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’,” Blomberg said.
Koch shares that sentiment.
“People have really taken to recycling and being part of the recycling program and that just makes me really proud of the Sioux Falls community,” Koch said.
And GotSneakers? is a project for anyone and everyone.
“Whether it’s building awareness for organizations who come to us and want to work with us on a fundraising basis or someone who just wants to clean their closet out, we really have a place for everybody,” Blomberg said.
“GotSneakers?” does not accept non-athletic footwear, but you can drop off your sneakers at both 605 Running Company locations in Sioux Falls.
If you’d like to sell directly to “GotSneakers?” as an individual or group fundraiser, click HERE.
