Shoes made from recycled materials are not a new green fashion trend, but at Okabashi, located in the U.S., they go a step further: Not only are sandals and flip-flops made from recycled plastic, but the company also takes back its old shoes for recycling at the end of their useful lives.

Okabashi’s line of sandals comes in an assortment of styles and colors. They are molded from a blend of plastics that is vegan-friendly. The average pair of Okabashi sandals contains 15-25 percent recycled plastic.

When customers are ready to retire a pair of well-worn Okabashis, the shoes can be mailed to the company’s Buford, Georgia, factory. The customer will receive a coupon for their next purchase. The old shoes are ground down and included into new sandals, achieving a closed-loop recycling process.

The company also incorporates the plastic scraps leftover from production into the plastic mixture to make new shoes, making their manufacturing process virtually waste-free. The 2 percent of re-ground material that Okabashi can’t recycle in its factory is sent to a partner company to be made into other plastic products. The company recycled more than 100,000 pounds of plastic last year.

To learn more, contact Deron Johnson at DJ Associates Footwear, AAA Indoor Market & Bazaar, 2400 New Haven Blvd, Melbourne. 321-704-0444. www.djfootwearusa.com. Show room hours Friday – Sunday 11am-6pm.