A first-of-its-kind recycling program at UC Santa Barbara has a plan for your old shoes — instead of throwing them out, give them new life. Spearheaded by second-year environmental sciences major Matthew Schoen for his project in the Environmental Leadership Incubator (ELI), a large-scale shoe drive on campus runs April 1–12, with drop-off bins located at the Recreation Center (Rec Cen), Intercollegiate Athletics Gym (ICA) and the San Miguel, San Nicolas and San Rafael residence halls. Only sneakers and casual street shoes and hikers will be accepted to the reuse and recycling program.
After the introductory drive in April, Schoen is aiming to have permanent bins at the Rec Cen, ICA, and the Student Resources Building, plus two-week collection drives at the end of each academic quarter at all of the campus dorms. He’s also working on setting up a collection bin in Isla Vista. To learn more about shoe recycling and its impact, check out this article in The Current or in Noozhawk.