The rubber flip-flops will be turned into material used for playgrounds. As the mother of a 3-year-old daughter who often takes spills, Heidi Weiss appreciates the soft rubber mats that break her little one’s falls on the playground. “I think they’re awesome, they really are,” she said. “As a mom, I know I don’t have to worry.” That is why Weiss, store manager of the Old Navy store in Cranberry Township, is pleased her company is teaming with international recycling company TerraCycle to collect used flip-flops in honor of Earth Month. The rubber flip-flops, which TerraCycle spokeswoman Megan Yarnall said are difficult to recycle, will be repurposed into four public playgrounds across the country through the Flip-Flop Replay program. Although Weiss said the store has participated in other company-wide initiatives such as collecting T-shirts for the troops overseas and donating coats through the One Warm Coat program, this is the first time the store has participated in a large-scale effort to collect and recycle flip-flops.