J L
in d o o rs
LIVIN G
GREEN
H
C A R P E T Consumer
interest helps lay it on
the line.
The mix of materials in carpet makes
it difficult and costly to separate in
the recycling process, but the desire
to address the problem is evident.
More than 243 million pounds of
carpet were recycled last year,
according to the Carpet America
Recovery Effort or CARE
(ca rpetreco very.org).
Best Steps
Currently, carpet
recycling is handled commercially,
so ask your local retailer if your old
carpet will be recycled when your
new flooring is installed.
IL E T S After the
h comes the crush.
Water-guzzling toilets threaten the
environment even after they’ve been
replaced with new efficient models
when they’re sent to the landfill.
Best Steps
Though available only
in limited areas, independent
recyclers salvage old toilets for their
replacement parts (such as lids) and
crush the leftovers. Porcelain chips
can be used for road paving; they’ve
also found their way into composite
countertops. Eventually, toilet
recycling is sure to become
widespread; for now, check with
your local waste management
division for disposal procedures.
.........
The rubber soles of
7 5 , 0 0 0
p a i r s
of sneakers can
T Z I^r
create an entire running track. The foam can be turned into the
sprirpz-surface of three tennis courts.
S H O E S A solution for downtrodden
sneakers becomes a runaway success.
One old pair of athletic shoes may be the least of your
recycling worries. But if you could help keep millions of
pairs out of the landfill, wouldn’t it be worth the effort?
Best Steps
Donate wearable shoes of any kind to a local
charity or to an organization such as
soles4souls.org.
Take
worn-out athletic shoes (any brand) to a Nike store or
one of its other collection sites. Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe
program is responsible for recycling the rubber, foam,
and fabric from more then 23 million pairs of shoes into
various types of surfacing, such as playground material.
For details, see
nikereuseashoe.com.
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1 0 2 OCTOBER
2009
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
