Don’t throw your old running shoes in the dumpster! Instead of turning them into landfill fodder, let them be reincarnated into new sports surfaces.

While I’m not a huge fan of Nike, I’m a big fan of the company’s Reuse-A-Shoe program, which collects worn out shoes, grinds them up, and makes them into sports fields, courts, and tracks, as well as playground surfaces.

And yes, Nike’ll take ANY brand of shoe — fortunate for me, because I pretty much only wear Adidas Brevard running shoes.

Find a drop-off location here. Mine was Niketown in Beverly Hills, so I took the 720 east, walked in, and asked the greeter person for help at the door.

We walked to the back of the store where, according to him, there’s usually a large bin. But it was missing when I dropped in — perhaps it was being emptied by someone? So I gave them to a girl behind the register, who assured me they’ll be recycled –

If there’s no dropoff spot near you, mail them in to: Nike Recycling Center, c/o Reuse-A-Shoe, 26755 SW 95th Ave., Wilsonville, OR 97070.

BTW, if you find your feet or knees hurt when they run, go to a good running store like Top to Top (NOT Nike or Sports Chalet where running isn’t the primary thing) and ask for help picking the right ones for your running style.

Update: The Nike Run Hit Remix 5k happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 15 will have a deposit bin for runners to leave shoes for recycling :)

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