By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
Gianna Tartaglia saw forgotten sneakers in the Timberlane School’s lost and found box, and she sensed an opportunity.
She researched places where the sneakers — and other shoes donated by the community — might be put to fuller use, and then founded a Shoe Recycling Club with about 15 like-minded Hopewell Valley Central High School juniors.
They promoted the cause via posters and school announcements, appealing to the instincts to “help people, save the planet and gain a profit,” according to a poster.
As a result, hundreds of pairs of gently used shoes of all kinds — sneakers, cleats, loafers, work boots — are on their way to one of 50 countries (the girls don’t know where, exactly) for others to put to good use.
On Friday, five girls packed up several boxes and sent them to Shoebox Recycling, a for-profit company in Fairless Hills, Pa. The recycled shoes are inspected and send sent to various business owners in developing countries, who sell them in marketplaces for profit.
Everyone wins. The recycling club gets 50 cents for each pound of shoes sent to the company, and the club can donate that money to some other charity at home. Shoes can be diverted from landfills. Companies in far-off countries get material to sell in a business that enables them to hire people.
“By recycling shoes, not only will they (students) be helping people around the world, but also inspire a new generation of recyclers and environmentalists,” said Gianna.
