TerraCycle Toothpaste Tube Toothbrush Holder Upcycle your toothpaste tubes into this fresh bathroom caddy By: Tiffany Threadgould Materials: 5 empty toothpaste tubes scissors ruler clear tape hole punch ribbon or plastic lanyard binder clips

I was recently searching online for a homemade green crafts project and discovered an interesting bathroom caddy made out of toothpaste tubes and thought it might be a fun green crafts project to try. However, once I discovered the silver inside of toothpaste tubes and how durable the material was my homemade green crafts project went in a different direction.

TerraCycle is a company that is on a mission to eliminate waste and they are achieving this goal by enlisting the help of kids and their parents all across America through their "trash for cash" collection programs, called Brigades. TerraCycle currently has 27 different Brigades and each one represents a different type of waste you can sign up to collect and send to the company, such as Capri Sun juice pouches, Colgate oral care products, Chip Bags, Pens, Wine Corks, and more!

Another Recycling day is planned by Girl Scout Troop 3263 for September 11 at Market Square in South Hill.   New items have been added to the recycling collection and the Recycle campaign will include collecting several different items (all trash) to help raise money and awareness for recycling and they have found a company that will pay us for our trash or you can drop it off at Airtec in South Hill.  Some of the young ladies are earning awards with this project.  Several of the items that we will be collecting are: Ink jet and toner cartridges, Newspapers, Magazines, And paper, Used drink pouches (ex Capri Sun), candy wrappers, chip bags, cookie wrapper, Gum Packages, Cell Phones, Scott Toilet Paper wrappers, Kashi Packages, Used Neosporin tubes, Huggies Diaper wrappers, Malt-o-Meal cereal packages, Used Colgate Toothpaste tubes and boxes, Stonyfield Yogurt, Elmer’s Glue, Scotch Tape, and Phone Books.  If you would like additional information please go to http://www.terracycle.net If you would like to register please make sure you list Girl Scout Troop #3263 as the charity.  You do not have to register to participate in this event.  You only need to register if you wish to mail the trash to the company directly, however, the troop is currently registered and the above trash is what we are in need of to help this troop start saving the planet.

Of course, recycling and being eco-friendly extends to arts and crafts as well. A group called TerraCycle uses what might be considered trash to re-purpose into a variety of new products. On their website  <http://www.terracycle.net/> they have tote bags made of Capri Sun pouches, for example, as well as a multitude of other products for home, garden, school, and gifts. TerraCycle contracts with schools and non-profits to collect their materials. You can join a Brigade and earn money for your non-profit organization by signing up here <http://www.terracycle.net/signup> . Portland, being the green city it is, has collected nearly 70,000 pieces of otherwise-trash, and made about $1,500 for schools and other organizations in Portland through TerraCycle. To date, Menlo Park Elementary School has the top spot in number of items collected, keeping almost 6,000 pieces of trash out of Oregon landfills. The TerraCycle folks are sharing a DIY craft idea, designed by Tiffany Threadgould, TerraCycle's Chief Designer. Here are the plans for a toothbrush caddy, or maybe you want to use yours as a pencil holder. Either way it's a cute idea for re-purposing used toothpaste tubes. The directions call for Colgate, but presumably any brand would work.

While many companies boast of using 100% recycled materials for their paper or cardboard products, there are not many companies who take the extra step in saving the earth by "upcycling" previously non reusable products. TerraCyle is one company that is seeking to change that. TerraCycle's slogan is "outsmart waste" and this is exactly that this company has been doing since its inception nine years ago. Founded by a 19 year old Princeton student <http://www.terracycle.net/about_us> , TerraCycle has been focused on finding ways to upcycle everything from Capri Sun packages to Frito Lay chip bags. Because TerraCycle is an upcycling company, and not a recycling <http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/607/recycling.html>  plant, the company does not turn juice packages into more juice packages. Instead, old "trash" finds a new life as it is changed into fashion bags, backpacks, fences, and more for a total of 186 upcycled products to date <http://www.terracycle.net/products> . Many of these products can be found for sale in stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, The Home Depot, Office Max, Petco, and Whole Foods Market.  The purpose of upcycling, overall, is to reduce landfill waste by producing products that are even better than the original item; in fact, most of the items used in TerraCycle's upcycling program would normally be considered non-recyclable.

Here is a fun DIY craft, written by Terracycle's Top Designer, Tiffany Threadgould, to upcycle your toothpaste tubes into a creative and unique bathroom caddy.

TerraCycle Toothpaste Tube Toothbrush Holder Upcycle your toothpaste tubes into this fresh bathroom caddy By: Tiffany Threadgould Looking for a refreshing alternative to throwing away your toothpaste tubes? This easy do-it-yourself project upcycles your empty tubes into a simple toothbrush holder. Upcycling materials like these are a great way to reuse without costing a mint. Materials: 5 empty toothpaste tubes scissors ruler clear tape hole punch ribbon or plastic lanyard binder clips

Here is a fun DIY craft, written by Terracycle's Top Designer, Tiffany Threadgould, to upcycle your toothpaste tubes into a creative and unique bathroom caddy. Gather these supplies: 5 empty toothpaste tubes <http://www.ecosizeme.com/.a/6a011168a9a565970c0134861118c5970c-popup> scissors ruler clear tape hole punch ribbon or plastic lanyard binder clips

I found a great way to upcycle your toothpaste tubes - check it out! TerraCycle Toothpaste Tube Toothbrush Holder Upcycle your toothpaste tubes into this fresh bathroom caddy By: Tiffany Threadgould Materials: 5 empty toothpaste tubes scissors ruler clear tape hole punch ribbon or plastic lanyard binder clips