Nature is once again beckoning us to romp in its springtime magnificence. As you get ready to respond to the invitation, assess the stockpile of outdoor gear taking up space in your home or garage. Before kicking old items to the curb, consider this: Numerous organizations offer innovative recycling programs that give your goods a second life. This year, learn how to spring clean with a conscience.

PARTS AND LABOR  “We’ll take broken bikes, accessories, helmets,” says Arik Grier, outreach coordinator and office manager for Bikes Not Bombs, which is based in Boston. “Even a broken bike that doesn’t work or [is] missing half its parts, we can still pull parts off of that and recycle the parts we can’t use.” 

For nearly 25 years, Bikes Not Bombs has turned retired two-wheelers into usable transports utilized locally and internationally. Every week, volunteers sort through donated parts or strip usable pieces off of old bikes. 

Youth programs and apprenticeships teach repair basics and let participants acquire the bike they work on. And the nonprofit’s reach extends overseas, where it ships nearly 500 semi-assembled bikes and parts to partnering countries 10 times a year. 

Bikes Not Bombs partners “in areas with a real need and with a group that has a social justice mission to what they’re doing,” Grier says. The organization hosts bike drives across the Greater Boston area and in nearby states. New York City is home to Recycle-A-Bicycle, a similar endeavor. All donations are tax deductible. For more information, visit www.bikesnotbombs.org or www.recycleabicycle.org. 

SNEAK ATTACK  Not sure what to do with those grungy running shoes hiding under your bed? Turn them into something practical. Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program collects nearly 1.5 million pairs of sneakers a year (any brand) and reuses every part of the donation. Rubber from the outsole is ground up and used in track and playground surfaces, gym flooring tiles, and new footwear; the midsole seconds as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts; and the fabric upper is reincarnated as cushioning pads for indoor basketball and volleyball courts. (It’s estimated that 2,500 pairs of shoes are needed to create an outdoor basketball court.) Nike has numerous dropoff locations. For more information, visit www.nikereuseashoe.com. 

UNDERNEATH IT ALL  If tattered fleeces and past-their-prime baselayers fill your dresser, don’t fret. Since 2005, Patagonia has been transforming retired threads into dapper duds. 

The company’s Garment Recycling Program collects all brands of Polartec fleece and Capilene baselayers and recycles their fibers. Patagonia uses the material to create new clothing, including baselayers and jackets. Drop off your used clothing at any Patagonia retail store or mail it to its service center. For more information, visit www.patagonia.com/recycle.

ROPED IN  Ingenious climbers know how to turn their used ropes into effective dog leashes or colorful rope rugs. For those not artistically inclined, Maine-based Sterling Rope offers another solution. Mail your petroleum-based cords to the company’s office and it will take care of the rest. 

John Branagan, Sterling Rope’s outdoor product manager, learned about a European rope company’s recycling program and wanted one in the U.S. Since 2006, the company has collected thousands of pounds of rope that are ground up, melted down, and reused. But instead of shipping all materials to a recycling facility, Branagan has linked up with companies that reincarnate some of the threads into key chains, bracelets, dog tags, and dog collars. The remaining fibers are given to organizations after processing. Don’t worry if your ropes have sand and aluminum oxide remnants from carabiners; the company accepts them. “We need to be mindful of the lifecycle of our products,” Branagan says. “If [a company] brands something, they should be a responsible venue for recycling it.” For more information, visit www.sterlingrope.com/recycle.