Since many of these items cannot be recycled in your state and need to be mailed to the recycler, diehard recyclers may be faced with the moral dilemma of whether it’s worth the expense and resulting carbon emissions to ship an item off for recycling. Rather than delve into complex algorithms to solve this dilemma, I recommend reserving items like bras, medals, and trophies for recycling drives or bulk shipping. However, if you’re looking to replace a broken vacuum cleaner or worn out yoga mat, then some recyclers will offer you a discount on a new one. For you Clark Griswolds out there, you can upgrade your old incandescent Christmas lights for a discount on energy-saving LED lights. Sometimes recycling doesn’t just help the environment and your pocketbook. Just as thrift stores provide the opportunity for items to be reused while benefitting others, eyeglasses can be donated through most eyeglass retailers and through your local Lions Club for people in need. Similarly, if you’re in the mood for a new hairdo, your ponytail can be donated to a child with long-term or permanent medical hair loss. A great program for schools and community groups to raise funds while recycling difficult items such as chip bags and drink pouches is TerraCycle. They take these items and either recycle or upcycle them into new products that can be purchased at many large retailers. Terracycle has even incorporated their unique approach to recycling into their office design:  

Dana Krueger, a special education teacher at Northview's Highlands Middle School leads a Green Team at the school, dedicated to mammoth recycling efforts. The recycling efforts have garnered awards for the school and money from a recycling company. Through the efforts of a Green Team, recycling has become part of the school culture and daily efforts at Northview’s Highlands Middle School. The Green Team was launched in March 2011 and now because of the recycling club’s efforts the school recycles everything from candy and gum wrappers, chip bags, drink pouches to glue sticks, toothbrushes, shoes, and electronics. Recycling has been a long-time passion for Dana Krueger, a special education teacher at Highlands Middle School who leads the Green Team recycling club that meets weekly after school. She stresses to students, staff, and parents that just making one change can “make a huge difference.” Dan Duba, principal at Highlands Middle School, said the efforts of Krueger and the recycling team have lead to community building. “I believe it’s a life skill and something that is good for everyone,” said Duba, noting Krueger’s passion for the environment has spread throughout the school. Krueger and her Green Team have taken over an empty classroom where recyclable items are gathered and sorted. Recycled items initially have come from the school but now students and parents bring items from home. Krueger said most of the recycled items are boxed and sent to TerraCycle in New Jersey who pays the school. Although the focus is on recycling and reducing waste, last year the program made $1,200 that will be used for the recycling club and buying things for the school. The school now taps and stacks the lunch trays that are rinsed off and recycled through Dart Container, a company that retrieves about 20,000 trays a year. Every two weeks all the plastics go to Chef Container and paper is routinely recycled through the Paper Gator. Highlands Middle School was rewarded with a bench and birdhouse made of recycled plastic bags after winning a national competition from Virginia-based Trex Company last year. “We sent in nineteen, 44-gallon bags full of those plastic bags,” Krueger said. With a grant from the Northview Education Foundation, the Green Team sponsored a toothbrush swap. Students bringing in toothbrushes to recycle were given a brand new one to take home. Another foundation grant funded a Vermicomposting system with a worm factory that will demonstrate to students how food waste is composted.