Better Bins is devoted to bettering the Earth's environment through diverting the tremendous amount of running shoes, apparel, and nutrition that end up in landfills each year. That diversion is equipping stores like West Stride with the opportunity to provide their consumers a place to recycle running gear that can no longer be used. We take back, we recycle, Better Bins transforms, we keep out of landfills, we help Earth recover. We are closing the loop and supporting full circularity in the run speciality world.

Footwear donated to Better Bins is recycled through Sneaker Impact, in which one of three things will happen: If the footwear is in a condition to be reused, they send it to developing countries where the shoes are then given to local communities. If the footwear is no longer usable, it is distributed to waste innovation centers to create electricity for local power grids through combustion, or it is entered into Sneaker Impacts end-of-life grinding program, and that material is used to create new shoes.

The clothing and socks are recycled through Recover, which uses 100% recycled and organic materials to make new apparel and accessories. Recycle's 360 Closed Loop program takes old apparel, separates it, grinds it down, and makes new yarn that is then made into new gear, which creates an infinitely circular textile economy.

Wrappers are recycled through a partnership between TerraCycle and GU Energy Labs. TerraCycle takes hard-to-recycle items like food wrappers and turns them into raw materials to be used in new products. The packaging is cleaned, separated by material type, melted, and remolded to make new products such as recycling bins, park benches, shipping pallets, or bike racks.

Better Bins accepts: athletic shoes, hiking boots, insoles, sock liners, arch supports, cotton, polyester, cotton/poly blends, any single serving sports nutrition (gels, chews, waffles, drinks) wrappers from any brand.

Better Bins does not accept: non-sports nutrition (chips, cookies, jugs, tablet tubes) wrappers, dirty socks, dirty clothes, socks with grips, zippers, buttons, elastic, sandals, dress shoes, kids shoes, heels, track/cross country spikes, cleats, winter/ski boots.

Eco Sneakers states that there are about 400 million children that are living in extreme poverty today, and a large number of them have never owned a pair of shoes. Walking barefoot makes you susceptible to unwanted discomforts, which is exacerbated by location, age, and health status. Eco Sneakers is a business that takes shoes and either recycles them to create materials for new shoes, or reuses them so that somebody in need can use these gently used shoes.