Georgia group collects 50,000 pairs of shoes for program

Feb. 8 -- The Georgia Recycling Coalition has collected 50,000 pairs of shoes for the Soles4Souls shoe-recycling program since a partnership between the two organizations began in October.

The recycling coalition placed 200 shoe recycling drop off bins throughout the state as an effort to divert gently worn shoes from the landfill. The shoes are then recycled or repurposed by the shoe charity.

Soles4Soules has distributed more than 7 million pairs of shoes to people in need worldwide. They recently committed 1.3 million pairs of shoes to the country of Haiti to help the victims of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

The organization said nearly 300 million shoes end up in landfills every year, where it can take them up to 40 years to decompose.

For more information on how to get involved and donate, visit www.giveshoes.org.

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com