A ‘feet’ for 4-H

By Deb Gau
There’s a trash bin in the lobby at the Marshall Area YMCA that keeps filling with old shoes. It’s not a prank, however — it’s a recycling project from local 4-H kids.

The bins, located at several spots around Marshall, are there to gather sneakers for the “Reuse A Shoe” project organized by the Lake Marshall Eagles 4-H club.

The program is in the second week of a two-week run, and so far the shoes are stacking up.

“People asked us, ‘What are you gonna do with the shoes?’ and then we said we’re going to make them into basketball courts and baseball diamonds,” said 8-year-old Kesmond Willert, one of the club members.

“That’s about the third time we picked up shoes there,” parent volunteer Jenna Puetz said of the bin at the YMCA. Other drop locations include the Avera Marshall Fitness Center, Curves and Holy Redeemer School.

“We put a bin at the school and I told a lot of people about it,” said 10-year-old Kendra Nelson, one of the club members. “A lot of people have been asking me what kind of shoes they should bring.”

At first glance, athletic shoes might not seem like recyclable material. But Puetz said shoe manufacturer Nike sponsors a program to recycle rubber soles, foam insoles and shoe uppers into other products.

Sneaker soles can be processed into rubber mulch or surfaces for playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts or track lanes.

“It’s easier to fall on, and you don’t get splinters like with some wood mulches,” Puetz said. “We’re hoping to get even 2,500 pairs. That’s enough to do a playground. I think a basketball court is the same.”

On Saturday, the shoes will be counted, sorted and brought to a recycling center in Fargo, Puetz said.

Community pride projects are an annual part of 4-H, and Puetz said the Lake Marshall club wanted to do something that would be a good fit for its mostly younger members.

“The parent volunteers came up with two or three different ideas, and the kids voted on them,” Puetz said. “This was the one they picked.”

The drive kicked off last week at Bike Safety Day in Marshall, where club members gave out fliers with information about their project.

“It was a lot of fun. I got to be on the radio, too,” Nelson said, spreading the word about the shoe drive. “I practiced what I was going to say the night before, but I got it the first time.”

Nelson said her favorite part of the project has been “just letting people know some things they can do to help the environment.”

“I think it’s so cool, because there will be less shoes in the landfill,” Kesmond Willert said.

“It’s very fun and very interesting,” said Kesmond’s sister, Kestlyn, a kindergartner. “It will help keep our earth more clean.”

Reuse A Shoe continues through Friday. Donated shoes must be tennis shoes without metal cleats.

“You can bring in old shoes, just tennis shoes, no dress shoes,” Kesmond Willert said. “And you just throw them in the bucket and we can do the rest.”