I kind of see where the "outrage" might come from in the lead as apparently they promised that the shoes were going to be recycled. However, the mantra is "reduce reuse recycle". Clearly it is better in the save the planet sense that perfectly good shoes were reused rather than destroyed for playground padding. I'm a liberal in general but this kind of false outrage makes us look foolish.
I find the extent to which Dow lied to be outrageous. It did not say the shoes would be recycled, but specifically said they would be used to make playground padding. Why shouldn’t honesty be expected? After all, this is a country where people still get caned. Reusing the shoes as was the case is of course better.
Actually, I think there is a case for fraud, somewhere in this mess and if authorities care to pursue it. Lying to the public, to encourage the donation of shoes, then various "middle men" making profits selling them, and where it was known that no recycling was taking place.