Sneaker Impact’s Miami location with shoes piled up – credit Sneaker Impact
Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.
Unique Miami Recycling Company Gives Discarded Shoes New Traction
In Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood, a local business sorts through thousands of donated sneakers to decide the best way to keep them out of landfills.
Whether pristine or worn out, each pair will have a future either as recycled material or with a new owner who will appreciate and continue to use them.
Sneaker Impact was founded by a man seeking a more environmentally friendly way to do business, and second-hand shoes is a good gig—the only competition is the landfill. Americans will own an average of 250 pairs of shoes in a lifetime, and that is unfortunately where many will end up.
“It’s all about accountability, sending the right product to the right market,” Sneaker Impact founder and CEO Moe Hachem told CBS News. “Sneakers are a necessity in the developing world. They are a form of transportation.”
Sneaker Impact receives around 1 million pairs of shoes annually through volunteer partners like running clubs, meaning that the cost to secure raw materials is virtually reduced to the labor of retrieving and sorting them.
Once in the Little Haiti facility, they are grouped together according to various criteria and stuffed into bags in orders of 200 to be sent around the world for resale.
“You’re not only reducing waste here at home, you are creating microbusiness opportunities in a developing country,” Hachem said.
Those that are condemned are shredded and sorted into foam and fabric, which are then sold as raw materials where they could be used to make carpet mats, floor mats, etc.
Sneaker Impact sells a gym sandal that’s made of 85% sneaker foam, a durable, flexible, and weather-resistant material that seems fragile because of the intense job it’s asked to do: namely, pound the pavement for hours at a time every week.
Watch the story here.
The good news is that waste is turned into useful products for those less fortunate. Today’s JohnKu talks about recycling. I hope you have a grand weekend.
Need by John W. Howell © 2025
Matching need with waste,
Is a form of useful grace. . .
Bless those who do it.
Fiction Favorites 
Dear John
What a great idea.
We often wonder why we frequently find single shoes on the beach. They get collected, but we have no idea where they end up.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I love these recycling stories. They make me think we will figure it out in the end. I wish the F4oC a peaceful weekend. Thanks for the good wishes.
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Lively share, John. Wish it were more widespread.
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Me too.
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With our technologies, most all our waste could be used and/or reused for something. This group needs to be commended!
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Never thought of shoes being recycled. Though, I tend to wear mine until they completely fall apart. So, I thought everyone did that.
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I had some with duct tape. I’m like you, I never imagined there would just be a toss away.
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While on mission trips, I saw how the local needs often exceeded the means of fulfillment. Thanks, John, for highlighting one clever solution. I marveled at how this out-of-the-shoe-box approach helps satisfy those needs.
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What a great comment, Grant. Thanks for sharing.😀
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I enjoy your Friday messages, John, and thanks for spreading the good news.
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Always a pleasure, Grant.
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You always find the best stories for us. This one is a great idea.
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I thought so too, Craig. 😀
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This got me thinking about how many pairs of shoes I’ve had that have been tossed…not many. As kid all my new shoes were handed down to my sisters and only tossed when they were falling apart. As an adult…I’ve still got shoes from decades ago. I wear them until they fall apart. Last year I threw out a twenty year + old pair of Keds sneakers. They had holes where my big toe fit, and the soles were so worn I could see the inside sole. I was amazed at how well the color still held up after all those years of wear. I’m glad many pairs of used sneakers are finding new life and being reused and repurposed.
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I never throw away shoes. I still have some from the 70s. They are classic and good quality. Of course, I don’t wear them much anymore. 😀
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Thirty to forty years to decompose…that boggles the mind. This is such a great thing what they are doing.
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I know, right? I like what they are doing too.
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Great project.
And all these shoes make an interesting picture as well.
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Yes, they do.
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Your JohnKu is perfect for this good news story!
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Thank you, Liz. Makes me feel good to hear that.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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I love when people come up with new ideas to relieve our waste output! Thanks for more good news, John 🙂
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I love that too, Denise. Thanks.
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This really is a good idea. Great to see another way of making use of a product rather than wasting it. Thanks, John.
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I like it too, Esther. I hope you have a good weekend.
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This is good news, John. Recycling, in any manner, is good for the environment.
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It is, Tim. I’m glad these guys thought of it.
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“Useful grace” – beautifully written, John. How wonderful that this effort is serving others. Thank you for sharing. 🌞
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I thought it was a good story, too, Gwen. I hope you have a peaceful weekend.
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I wear my sports shoes for years, John, until they are toast! But youngsters change those shoes not only fro foot growoh but also for fashion. So this in one terrific contribution. Plus there are so many poor people not only in the US but around the world that need shoes! Bravo!
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I agree, Noelle, It os god to know someone is filling that need.
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Celebrating with a loud WHOOP! How wonderful is this. Thank you for sharing, John.
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It is pretty incredible. Thanks, Annette.
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“Matching need with waste,…” – helping others and helping the environment. I had never heard of such a program. Yes, bless those who do it!
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I’m so glad they are doing it. I hope you have a lovely weekend, Joe.
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Reduce, recycle and reuse…what a great concept in a throw away world. Love this story, John.
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Thanks, Monika. I thought it was a good one, too.
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As someone who wears his sneakers until they are thoroughly trashed, it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around the condition of some of the sneakers that are being tossed. I especially like the idea of getting shoes to developing countries, which wouldn’t have access otherwise.
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I’m with you. Thanks Pete. 😀
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Love your Friday story shares. Always inspiring, thank you.
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They inspire me as well. Thank you, Michele.
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😊
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What a great idea! Win-Win.
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Perfect term, Jennie.
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🙂
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😀
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Another terrific recycling/repurposing endeavour.
There is still hope for the planet!
A fab JohnKu. Thank you!
OX OX
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There may be hope if more people do it.
OX OX OX
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OX OX OX OX
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🏆🏆
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I love reading stories like this. With everything going on in the world, your Friday columns make it a little better, John.
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I hope so, Teri. So lovely to hear. Thank you,
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This is an interesting story, John. Most items get recycled in South Africa as there is so much need.
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I can imagine that.
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Thanks, John. A great article and a wonderful positive idea.
But my nose can’t stop twitching about how that room must smell. LOL. Hugs.
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Ha ha ha
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