The average household with children amasses its share of broken, trash-bound toys. For Earth Month, Tom’s of Maine has partnered with recycler TerraCycle to help prevent broken toys from ending up in landfills. The natural personal care product manufacturer says its Less Waste Challenge toy recycling program is part of an initiative to educate consumers and their children about the amount of waste their household sends to landfills. "Knowing what to do with broken toys is a challenge because as parents we don't want to be wasteful and throw them away. We want to show our kids there are better solutions," said Susan Dewhirst, goodness programs manager at Tom's of Maine, in a statement. "The act of recycling a toy together can be a way for parents to start a conversation with their kids about what we can all do to take care of the planet for generations,” Dewhirst said.

Collected, donated, recycled

The number of broken toys sent to landfills is significant, says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. In fact, a recent study found that 55% of parents frequently throw out toys to reduce clutter in their homes. The companies hope to divert broken or unwanted toys from landfills by collecting, donating, and recycling them. To get in on the program, consumers can print out a free shipping label, load up an old box with up to 10 pounds of unwanted toys, and ship the box to TerraCycle. Toys that can be recycled include:

• Dolls
• Discarded toys or toy pieces
• Cards
• Dice
• Game boards
• Packaging from board games
• Books with sound
• Handheld electronic games and players
• Remote control vehicles
• Electronic stuffed animals
• Baby toys
• Building sets
• Stuffed animals
• Puzzle pieces
• Game pieces
• Action figures

Trash to treasure

By taking part in the recycling initiative, “Parents can feel good knowing that broken toys can be 100% recycled or reused, which helps planet Earth,” Szaky said.   Beyond donating old toys, families can help the earth by taking Toms' #LessWasteChallenge pledge to reduce their household waste by one pound per week. Additionally, visitors to the Tom’s of Maine website can find environmentally-friendly DIY projects that can be done using items that might otherwise be tossed in the trash.

What to do with toys once they are unwanted or broken? Tom’s of Maine and TerraCycle say they have an option. It’s pretty obvious what to do with cans, glass containers and even plastic bottles once they’re empty. But for other products, such as plastic toys, recycling can pose a tricky question. After all, the types of plastics that are accepted into waste management streams vary by municipality. But natural personal care company Tom’s of Maine, in a partnership with TerraCycle, says it has a solution. As part of the brand’s Less Waste Challenge, consumers can collect and box broken or unwanted toys and send them to TerraCycle. The process is simple. Customers click a link to print a free shipping label, and then send the goods to TerraCycle. Both companies infer that any toys will be accepted, including plush toys such as stuffed animals. In the meantime, TerraCycle is trying to boost the recycling of toys, including electronic gadgets, by selling boxes that are designed to encourage and scale their recycling. Neither company has disclosed how the toys they collect will be recycled or upcycled. Tom’s of Maine has promoted the recycling of toys before. Two years ago, the company tried to raise awareness of the fact that billions of toys are purchased annually, and cited statistics suggesting that over half of them are tossed away when no longer wanted. The company also partnered with TerraCycle on the initiative, which similarly allowed customers to mail in their old toys for recycling. There is one caveat: Both companies suggest that customers not ship the box until at least 10 pounds of toys are tucked inside. But unlike other recycling campaigns — such as TerraCycle’s recent partnership with Garnier, which also called for a high volume of waste in one package — accumulating 10 pounds of toys should not be too steep of a challenge for the typical household. As the global economy recovers, the sales of toys have surged. One trade association reported that the American toy industry alone surpassed over $20 billion in sales last year. But the wide use of plastics in these toys, many of which have a short life, highlights concerns that far too many of them end up in municipal dumps. Reports from publications including the Guardian, which suggest that recycled toxic electronic waste has come back as children’s toys, further indicate that the industry can do far more to become more responsible and sustainable. This toy challenge is part of a Tom’s of Maine initiative to educate consumers about the amount of waste their households send to landfill. Last year, the company accelerated its waste diversion awareness efforts by urging customers to reduce the amount of waste tey throw away by one pound a week. The maker of natural toothpaste and deodorant says such behavior changes have prevented the disposal of over 226,000 pounds – or promises from approximately 4,300 customers.

What began as a watershed victory for environmental activism has grown into a month-long observation of global proportions: April 22nd’s Earth Day has expanded into the April-long Earth Month. Since Earth Day’s origin in 1970, the month of April has continued to be an important time for environmental action, observation, and celebration. The campaigns and initiatives slated for this April have the chance to make long-lasting and considerable impacts, galvanizing activists and conscious consumers into action. See if you can get involved with some or all of the initiatives, events and activities scheduled this Earth Month, and get your family, friends and community to join you.

March For Science

A variety of collaborative international conservation and environmental efforts occur throughout Earth Month each year, using April as a time to heighten public awareness of environmental issues and the need to create realistic, actionable solutions. This year, in the wake of the U.S. presidential election and increased global political activism, there are more opportunities than ever for people to have their voice heard, the old-fashioned way. In over 300 cities across the world and in Washington, D.C., The March for Science is a series of rallies and marches set to be held on Earth Day, April 22 to celebrate science and safeguard the scientific community. Inspired by the 2017 Women's March of January 21, 2017, The March for Science is an international, non-partisan event for scientists, science enthusiasts, and concerned citizens in favor of scientific evidence-based policymaking. You can find a satellite march near you here.

Tom’s of Maine Less Waste Challenge

Manufacturers and major brands are increasingly stepping in to invest in the next generation of environmentalists. This coming Earth Month, we are working with our sponsorship partner and natural care brand Tom’s of Maine to help support their second Less Waste Challenge, which last year saw thousands of individuals and families pledge to reduce a collective 130,000 pounds of waste from their everyday lives. Toys are a waste stream that children understand, adding an element of engagement that brings complex waste management issues to their level. This year, Tom’s of Maine will not only continue to share expert tips and waste-reduction strategies on their program landing page and social media platforms, but run a toy recycling program through TerraCycle during the campaign. Consumers will be able to download a free shipping label directly from the program landing page to solve for old toys. Make the pledge here.

D’Addario Recycle and Restring Events

Did you know that musical instrument strings are not recycled through municipal recycling programs? It is estimated that more than 1.5 million lbs. of instrument string metal could be put into landfill every year. This April, musicians nationwide are invited to attend a free recycle and restring event at their local music supply store.  Sponsored by D’Addario, the instrument manufacturers, musicians can bring any old instrument strings for recycling and get their electric or acoustic guitars restrung with D’Addario NYXL or Nickel Bronze Acoustic strings. Old strings collected during the event will be recycled through Playback, D’Addario’s free, national recycling program powered by TerraCycle. Find your nearest recycle and restring event here.

Tom's of Maine is partnering with the recycling experts at TerraCycle again this spring to promote its #LessWasteChallenge and Toy Recycling Program. Tom's of Maine is providing families with free shipping labels to mail broken toys to TerraCycle for recycling. Susan Dewhirst, goodness programs manager at Tom's of Maine, says, "The act of recycling a toy together can be a way for parents to start a conversation with their kids about what we can all do to take care of the planet for generations." Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle adds, "Toys are a waste stream people don't think about that often, but the amount of broken toys sent to landfills is significant and there hasn't been a way to dispose of them. Parents can now feel good knowing that broken toys can be 100% recycled or reused, which helps planet Earth." Zero Waste By 2020 Tom's of Maine is taking its own #LessWasteChallenge by having a goal of zero waste to landfills by 2020 at its manufacturing facility in Maine. The company has also partnered with TerraCycle to create the Natural Care Recycling Program, which now has 8,590 participating locations. The program collects personal care packaging from any brand, helping to keep 700,000 pieces of packaging out of landfills since the program began in 2012.

Tom's of Maine is partnering with the recycling experts at TerraCycle again this spring to promote its #LessWasteChallenge and Toy Recycling Program. Tom's of Maine is providing families with free shipping labels to mail broken toys to TerraCycle for recycling. Susan Dewhirst, goodness programs manager at Tom's of Maine, says, "The act of recycling a toy together can be a way for parents to start a conversation with their kids about what we can all do to take care of the planet for generations." Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle adds, "Toys are a waste stream people don't think about that often, but the amount of broken toys sent to landfills is significant and there hasn't been a way to dispose of them. Parents can now feel good knowing that broken toys can be 100% recycled or reused, which helps planet Earth." Zero Waste By 2020 Tom's of Maine is taking its own #LessWasteChallenge by having a goal of zero waste to landfills by 2020 at its manufacturing facility in Maine. The company has also partnered with TerraCycle to create the Natural Care Recycling Program, which now has 8,590 participating locations. The program collects personal care packaging from any brand, helping to keep 700,000 pieces of packaging out of landfills since the program began in 2012.   

With Earth Day just one month away, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about ways to go green in your everyday life. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the different actions you can take to go green, so start small! This means making changes to your daily routine and home life. Once you have accomplished eco changes in your household, you can move toward more significant changes. Listed below are 7 easy ways you can be more planet-friendly at home. 1. Purchase Eco-Friendly Personal Care Products One of the best starting points when moving towards an more eco-friendly lifestyle is with your personal care products. Look for products from brands that use recyclable packaging, non-toxic ingredients, and practice sustainability. Tom’s of Maine is one of my favorite brands when it comes to personal care products for my family. Sustainability is a priority in their transparent business practices as they take several environmentally friendly production measures. All of their toothpaste cartons are made of post-consumer recycled paperboard, waste ink is utilized to print corrugated cases, vegetable based inks are used on professionally printed materials and packaging, and they are powered through 100% renewable wind energy. Additionally, their products are recyclable through the TerraCycle program.

Approximately 55 percent of parents throw away toys to reduce clutter in their homes, according to a study by natural and sustainable product manufacturer Tom’s of Maine. In an effort to keep those toys from ending up in landfills, Tom’s of Maine has partnered with N.J.-based TerraCycle to collect, donate and recycle toys from households across the U.S. during Earth Month.   “For Earth Month 2017, we’ll be focusing on this tangible issue of broken toys and, to do that, we are partnering with TerraCycle for the national Less Waste Challenge toy recycling program,” Susan Dewhirst, Tom’s of Maine public relations communications manager, says in a statement. “We ran a similar toy recycling program in 2015, and due to high demand, we ran out of boxes in just 72 hours. This year, we are providing participants with downloadable shipping labels so that more toys can be recycled. We hope to divert more than 5,000 pounds of broken toys from landfill during Earth Month 2017.”   The toys that are collected through the program go through an extensive sorting process. If the toys are unable to be donated to charities like The Salvation Army or Goodwill due to missing pieces, malfunction or other reasons, they are manually sorted and processed for recycling in TerraCycle’s facility.   “To start the recycling process, we manually remove all of the e-waste and more hazardous items like batteries and the circuit board from the electronic toys,” says TerraCycle Director of Process and Product Development Rick Zultner. “For toys that don’t have an electronic component, we break them down by polymer type and separate out the metals, plastics and other materials. From there, the materials are placed in their designated waste streams for proper recycling.”   One of the biggest challenges TerraCycle faces with recycling the toys and their materials is the variety of items that are sent to its facility. Because of the different shapes and materials of each toy, the recycling process requires a lot of manual work, which can be timely. But according to Zultner, creating partnerships with companies like Tom’s of Maine makes the process easier because they can help TerraCycle overcome the challenges that pop up during the recycling process.   “There’s a different process for how we recycle things like board games and electronic waste than action figures or dolls,” TerraCycle Founder Tom Szaky said in a statement. “There’s a real complex solution behind the scenes, but the good news is that everything is 100 percent recycled into new materials. This creates two points of value from the environmental point of view: it eliminates toys from ending up in the waste stream and it recycles and reuses all of the valuable materials that make up these toys—from the metals that make up electronic toys to the plastics that make up plastic toys to the fibers that make up the dress of a doll.”   While majority of the toys created in the world today are able to be recycled despite some challenges, the demand for more electronic and interactive toys could present more recycling challenges in the future.   “I think the complexity of toys is increasing in terms of the parts that go in them, the motions they make and the technical abilities of the toy manufacturers themselves,” says Zultner. “By increasing the electronic capabilities and the enjoyment of the toys, manufacturers are making them more difficult to recycle. As long as the manufacturers don’t add too many different polymers to the toys of the future, I think we will still be able to separate and recycle materials.”

It can be difficult to find a place to recycle toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, dental floss boxes, beauty product containers, No. 6 plastic Solo cups, cereal bags and granola wrappers, Emily Hopta said. But Hopta, a parent volunteer at Charleston Montessori, started a program at the private school in May 2013 that seeks to keep such items out of landfills. By the end of last year, the 45-student school had recycled more than one ton of material. “We’re a small student body, but [are] making a pretty big impact,” Hopta said. She said the school kept a running total of the recycled amount as a motivator. “The children realized they recycled the weight of a polar bear,” she said. “It’s just a fun visual.” Hopta said most of the recycled items come from the students themselves, though Charleston Montessori has partnered with local businesses to recycle their stuff, too. She said the Charleston office of the Kay Casto & Chaney law firm deposits the Solo cups from its water cooler into a bin that a family from the school collects. The school, on Charleston’s West Side, also collects the No. 6 plastic cups from Taylor Books and Edgewood Country Club in Charleston and First Presbyterian Church in Dunbar. It also takes the plastic beauty product containers from local salons. Hopta said that, in November, a friend of the school collected 63 pounds of Gu Energy Labs gel packets at the Chicago Marathon. The school also collected gel packets discarded by Charleston runners. The school partners with Trenton, New Jersey-based TerraCycle, which itself partners with various companies to recycle their waste. TerraCycle says its collection programs operate in 20 countries. The school won $500 for the Gu gel packet recycling contest, bringing the total amount raised through the program to $1,800. Hopta said $400 will go toward classroom materials, and $1,400 toward the school’s scholarship program that helps kids pay the tuition. Hopta said other companies that have rewarded the school and local charities in recognition of the recycling program are Tom’s of Maine, a personal-care products company that donated $250 to the school and 250 toothpaste tubes to Covenant House of West Virginia, a Charleston-based nonprofit that aids the homeless and others in need; and Huggies, which donated diapers to the YWCA. Lauren Taylor, TerraCycle’s global director of communications, said some products it receives are reused, but generally the items are shredded and melted down into recycled plastic and turned into pellets. “It might go into a playground, a picnic table, a park bench, anything,” Taylor said. She provided what she said were third-party reports to the Gazette-Mail that indicate that recycling such materials — including shipping costs incurred related to the recycling — has less of an environmental impact than discarding the materials. But she said the reports weren’t for publication. Jennifer McGee, a co-director of school, said parent volunteers help store materials before they’re mailed, and children at the school, who span ages 3-12, sort materials. She said the school can ship boxes of materials using free shipping labels printed from TerraCycle’s website. McGee said businesses interested in providing materials to the school can call 304-340-9000 and can visit www.terracycle.com to see what items can be recycled. Individual donations currently aren’t being accepted. Like the Kanawha County Solid Waste Authority, the school doesn’t accept glass. McGee explained that, as children gets older, the school wants to expand their sense of community from just playing with friends to, eventually, thinking globally. “We really try to get them interacting with their school community and then, eventually, the local community and beyond,” she said.  

Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive are standing out from the bevy of manufacturers participating in the annual "Hannaford Helps Schools" cause campaign by staging account-specific promotions at the Ahold Delhaize chain. Colgate-Palmolive's Tom's of Maine is reprising a contest it ran at Hannaford last year to again award one of the schools participating in the cause campaign with four garden beds made from recycled materials through the manufacturer's ongoing partnership with recycling company TerraCycle. The prize goes to the school that receives the most votes from Aug. 29 to Nov. 28 via a web page within terracycle.com. Updates posted on TerraCycle's Facebook page and shared by Hannaford link to the page.

After Nationwide Vote, Teachers from North Carolina, Kansas and Michigan Chosen for Creating the Most Innovative Lessons in Environmental Education Is there one inspiring school project that will always stick with you? Lessons learned in the classroom often last a lifetime, which is the idea behind the new "Green Your School Fund" created by Tom's of Maine in partnership with Donorschoose.org. Teachers across the country were tasked with submitting classroom projects that help kids care for the planet and learn about pressing environmental issues in their community like air and water quality and sustainable agriculture. A portion of the "Green Your School Fund" was set aside for an innovation challenge, where teachers were asked to come up with exceptionally creative green projects. The top prize of $25,000 in classroom funding goes to a project idea from Cleveland Elementary School in Cleveland, NC. As determined by a nationwide public vote, the winning project teaches students sustainability as they learn to build vertical hydroponic gardens that use a solar powered water system and composted foods left over from student lunches to help the garden thrive. "Providing our young people with real world experiences and ways to solve important problems now will foster a love of learning and give them a competitive edge in becoming future problem solvers," said Lynn Bradley, the instructional technology teacher at Cleveland Elementary School who submitted the project. "We all need a champion to make a lasting impression that validates what we do as educators, whether it is by molding our talents, opening our eyes to a new idea or leading by example. This school year, Tom's of Maine has proven that sharing their passion for environmental stewardship through philanthropy can change the lives of many. Our learning will never be the same!" In second place, receiving $15,000 in classroom funding, is a project submitted by first grade teacher Holly Taylor from Adams Elementary School in Wichita, KS to improve air quality and combat the school's growing asthma problem by having students create air-filtration devices. The third place winner, receiving $10,000 in classroom funding, is a project submitted by sixth grade teacher Lori Barr from Pinewood Elementary School in Jenison, MI, which will allow students to examine bacteria in their local lake and explore ways to make it once again safe for swimming. The other seven finalists, each receiving $2,000 in classroom funding, were submitted by teachers from Ashford School in Ashford, CT; Buddy Taylor Middle School in Palm Coast, FL; Cummings School in Memphis, TN; Ella White Elementary School in Alpena, MI; Nauset Regional Middle School in Orleans, MA; Polo Park Middle School in Wellington, FL; and Sequoia Middle School in Pleasant Hill, CA.