Dear Gerry,
It’s fall in Boulder County, a.k.a. Sportsland America—time to pack up the parasail and tote out the teles. While switching gear, if you notice a few items in the sports closet that are a little too 2003 and just not “sick” enough for this year, don’t toss ‘em. (Note: If you’re thinking “sick” is a synonym for “unwell” you’re out of date, ask your 12-year-old to translate.) When it comes to sports equipment, think reuse before recycling, because one person’s “wack” equipment might be another’s “I could learn on this” equipment. We’re fortunate in this community to have a lot of options for reusing sports gear.
Let’s start with running shoes. If your athletic shoes are in good, reusable shape, you can donate them to a thrift store or charitable organization. Some athletic shoe stores in the area, including Fleet Feet and Runner’s Choice as well as the Bolder Boulder store and office locations, collect shoes in good shape to be donated to the One World Running program. But if you know no one’s going to want to wear your stinky, holey shoes that leave sole on the pavement as you run, then it is time for recycling. Worn out athletic shoes can be recycled at the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder CHaRM (Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials) where they’ll be turned into material used to resurface athletic fields, courts, tracks and playgrounds. Also, this week, in honor of International Walk to School Day, worn-out athletic shoes are being accepted at participating Boulder Valley Public Schools through the 13th of October. For both collections, please give us only athletic shoes with a distinct upper, cushioned midsole, and outer sole—this means no hiking boots, dress shoes, winter boots, sandals (even if they’re athletic sandals) or slippers. No athletic shoes with metal parts, cleats, spikes or mud, please.
Reusable sports equipment—from skis and ice picks to roller blades and kayaks—can find new homes through one of the great used sports equipment stores in the area. Try the Boulder Sports Recycler which accepts donations and other items for consignment, or the Boulder Outdoor Center that accepts kayaks, rafts and paddle sports equipment on consignment. Play It Again Sports buys, sells, trades, and takes on consignment in-season sports equipment. Of course you can use one of the great thrift stores in our town like the Salvation Army or the Humane Society Thrift Store, or try Extras for Education at 303-823-9460 which accepts sporting goods in good condition for distribution to Boulder County schools and non-profits.
Another option for reusing absolutely everything and anything is to give it away for free online through Boulder’s new online Freecycle Network. Freecycle is the grassroots, free alternative to e-Bay. The Boulder Freecycle Network is a local online exchange where folks post notices about anything they’d like to give away or to find things they need. The only requirement is that the item must be free. To sign up for Freecycle (it’s free), go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BoulderFreecycle/ or visit freecycle.org and click on your community.
And lastly, if you REALLY want to be phat (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), start a gear exchange in your neighborhood to trade and upgrade.
