TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

Nordstrom Wants to End the Waste Problem in the Beauty Industry

Have you ever noticed how many words us beauty people have for using up our products? There's "hit pan," which is code for cleaning out a shade in a makeup palette. There's also "empties," a cutesy way of saying you've used your products until the last drop. But the important part, at least where Mother Earth is concerned, is what comes next – and it may not be what you think. As we reported early this year, throwing empty products in your blue recycling bin with the best of intentions unfortunately isn't enough to ensure that your used packaging will have a second life. Only nine percent of all plastic waste ever produced has actually recycled. This is due in part to the complex nature of product packaging, which makes it difficult to sort for users and impossible to sort for waste management machines. Lotion pumps, for example, are typically made with a metal spring and plastic tubes. Even if you rinse it out and toss it in the bin, the multifaceted materials mean it'll end up in a landfill. Or in the ocean. Or on Trash Mountain.

HOW TO RECYCLE YOUR DISPOSABLE MASKS

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB PPE

Covid-19 has created an entirely new, massive wastestream. Terracycle has found a way to recycle PPE and prevent this garbage from polluting our waterways. Covid-19’s spread is merciless. The disease has now infected nearly 36 million people worldwide, killing more than 1 million, including 210,000 Americans. Thankfully, we know one thing slows it down: face masks. Studies show face masks can help reduce the spread of Covid-19 by up to 85 percent and help save lives. The director of the CDC says masks are our best defense against the disease, and that if all Americans wore them, Covid-19 would be controlled in 6 to 12 weeks. Needless to say, face masks are essential to protecting human life, but they have a downside — an overwhelming amount of waste that will take hundreds of years to decompose. The Guardian recently reported there were more face masks in our seas than jellyfish.

Nordstrom Launches BEAUTYCYCLE Nationwide First major retailer to offer a recycling program for all brands of hard-to-recycle beauty packaging, in partnership with global recycling leader, TerraCycle

TerraCycle Include USA Nordstrom

BEAUTYCYCLE, the first beauty take-back and recycling program accepting all brands of beauty packaging at a major retailer, launches today at Nordstrom. Each year, more than 120 billion units of plastic packaging are produced by the beauty industry, but less than nine percent gets recycled. Customers can now bring in their empty beauty product packaging to be recycled at any of Nordstrom’s full-line stores or Nordstrom Local service hubs in the continental United States. Through this program, Nordstrom aims to take back 100 tons of hard-to-recycle beauty packaging by 2025 to ensure it’s recycled. Many municipal recycling centers do not accept beauty materials and packaging, as they often contain a mix of materials that are not locally recyclable.

Less Than 9% of Beauty Products Are Recycled, but Nordstrom's New Program Aims to Fix That

TerraCycle Include USA Nordstrom

In an effort to reduce the amount of waste in landfills created by plastic packaging in the beauty industry, Nordstrom has announced a new nationwide recycling program called Beautycycle, in partnership with global recycling leader TerraCycle. As of Oct. 1, shoppers can bring in their empty beauty products to be recycled at any of Nordstrom's full-line stores or Nordstrom local service hubs in the US. At the Beautycycle drop-off boxes available at the department stores, shoppers can dispose of empty cosmetic, hair-care, and skin-care packaging, regardless of the brand or where the product was purchased. This new initiative makes Nordstrom the first major retailer to offer a recycling program for all beauty products. Nordstrom's press release states that less than nine percent of the 120 billion units of plastic packaging produced by the beauty industry are recycled each year, and they hope to change that.

Enjoy a safe, fun and Earth-friendly Halloween

TerraCycle Colgate Include USA CVS

This coming Halloween may be unlike past years due to COVID-19, but there are still plenty of ways to have a safe, spooky, and Earth-friendly holiday. Iowa City's recycling coordinator Jane Wilch has a Jack-o'-lantern filled with fun ideas on how to have a green Halloween this year.

Durable, reusable, recyclable Halloween decorations

Choose decorations that you can use year after year. For recyclable decorations, look for plastics that are #1-5 or #7, as #6 and unlabeled plastics are not recyclable. Avoid metallic or glitter-coated decorations, as these cannot be recycled. Questions? Check out icgov.org/recycle.

Eco-friendly costumes

Although we are recommending that trick-or-treaters avoid door-to-door contact this year, there are plenty of ways to get creative with and be sustainable with costumes. Use what you already have around the house to create a costume, or shop for a costume secondhand! Use these ideas to participate in a socially-distanced Halloween parade! Check out our great selection of local secondhand and consignment stores for costumes. Make sure that in addition to a Halloween mask, a face covering over your nose and mouth will help keep you safe from COVID.

Give sustainable treats

Consider candy options with less packaging, or have organic or Fairtrade status. Alternatively, you can offer a treat other than candy! Provide treats from a safe distance, from your driveway, or in your yard. Light the path to your treats and direct traffic away from your door. Wear a face mask over your nose and mouth, and remember, Halloween masks do not protect against COVID.

Sometimes, individually-wrapped candy is the easiest and safest option. In this case, you can still make a difference by recycling the candy wrappers through Terracycle. Connect with your neighbors to fill up a box to send to Terracycle.

Collect your candy and treats in a reusable or durable option

Use a reusable cloth bag, pillow case, or wicker basket (among many other options) to carry your candy around while trick-or-treating. Always wear your face coverings, and don’t forget the hand sanitizer!

Compost your pumpkins and gourds

To compost at the curb, remove any candles or lights from inside your pumpkin and place it in your organics container (City cart, or personal 20-35 gallon upright container), or in a paper yard waste bag, and then set it at the curb for collection on your normal service day. Residents can also take pumpkins to the Iowa City Landfill’s compost facility to be composted at no charge.

A PDF version of this guide is also available online. Questions? Call our Recycling Coordinator Jane Wilch at 319-887-6110.

A safe Halloween during COVID-19 pandemic

With input from the Johnson County Public Health Department, the City has issued safety recommendations for a safe and fun Halloween. Read how you can stay safe at our website.

Hasbro Children's Hospital Completes New Healing Garden and Playground

TerraCycle Colgate Include USA CVS

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Oct. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hasbro Children's Hospital announced the completion of the Balise Healing Garden and reimagined playground. The space was made possible by donor support and generous gifts to the Every Child, Every Day campaign, and partners Starlight Children's Foundation, CVS Pharmacy, Colgate-Palmolive Company, and TerraCycle. "We know there's a correlation between spending time outside and the healing journey for children – that a place for respite brings normalcy to a child's hospital stay," said Timothy J. Babineau, MD, President and CEO of Lifespan. "We are thankful to all of our incredible supporters whose generous philanthropy made this transformation a reality. Hasbro Children's has truly been built by our community, for our community." Located outside the hospital's lower level, the Balise Healing Garden and conjoined playground are 29,000 sq. ft. and feature a raised bed teaching garden and re-worked Healing Arts Theatre with stadium-style benches and chimes and drums for patients to express themselves. The playground, including swings and a climb-on structure with a wheelchair accessible slide, is located nearby. Built on a cushioned base, the equipment is constructed from recycled materials, including oral care products collected through a nationwide recycling initiative. For 3-months, consumers were asked to recycle their oral care products through CVS Pharmacy and TerraCycle to help their state win a playground for a Starlight partner pediatric facility. Rhode Island recycled more waste than any other state, and Hasbro Children's received the grand prize. "We were able to help build this wonderful playground for families at Hasbro Children's while incentivizing recycling among our CVS Pharmacy customers," said Eileen Howard Boone, SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy and Chief Sustainability Officer at CVS Health. "It's a win-win for everyone, most importantly the countless children who will enjoy the playground for years to come." The Balise Healing Garden and the playground were completed late September and follows current COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. Media Contact: Cristine Lovato, (626) 824-0325, cristine.lovato@starlight.org About Hasbro Children's Hospital Hasbro Children's Hospital, part of the Lifespan health care system, is the premier pediatric facility for clinical care, research and education for Rhode Island and southeastern New England. A private, not-for-profit institution, it is the pediatric division of Rhode Island Hospital, a teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Hasbro Children's Hospital is designated as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons. SOURCE Starlight Children's Foundation

Here's What You Should Do with Old Pots and Pans That Are Showing Their Age

TerraCycle Include USA

From rusting to warping, age-related factors can impact how well your cookware will perform.

After years of braising meats and vegetables or cooking pasta and rice, pots and pans can start to show their age. While browning or rusting on a once-shiny, stainless-steel pan can be removed with a bit of elbow grease—and a lot of help from a cleaning product like Bar Keeper's Friend ($4.95, williamssonoma.com)—other issues like warping or scratched coating on a nonstick pan can be a sign that the performance of your pan is no longer top notch. "The lifetime of a pan will vary depending on the material and/or coating, how often you use it, and how you care for it," says Wendy Dyer, international product director for All-Clad. When taken care of properly, good-quality cookware should last a lifetime. Here are the signs that your cookware may be degrading. Plus, we explain how to safely and sustainably dispose of old pots and pans when that time comes.

Nordstrom Launches BeautyCycle Nationwide

TerraCycle Include USA Nordstrom BEAUTYCYCLE

Each year, more than 120 billion units of plastic packaging are used by the beauty industry to protect its products, but a minority of that packaging gets recycled. Nordstrom aims to change that with the nationwide launch of BeautyCycle in October 2020. Customers can now bring in their empty beauty product packaging to be recycled at any of Nordstrom's full-line stores or Nordstrom Local service hubs in the continental United States. Through this program, Nordstrom aims to take back 100 tons of beauty packaging by 2025 to ensure it's recycled.

BeautyCycle Helps Empty Product Packaging Get Properly Recycled

TerraCycle Include USA Nordstrom BEAUTYCYCLE

Nordstrom and TerraCycle partnered to create BeautyCycle, an in-store depository that makes it easier for empty beauty product packaging to be properly recycled. With many parts and pieces, beauty packaging is often incredibly difficult to collect, separate and recycle—if it even makes it to the proper facilities or a third-party solution like TerraCycle. With BeautyCycle, Nordstrom customers can now bring their empties to a store and drop them off in one of the designated bins, so that the packaging can be forwarded to TerraCycle, which weighs and sorts the material so that it can be turned into a useable raw material. At these in-store stations, customers can turn in everything from shampoo and conditioner bottles to lip balm and gloss tubes, eyeliner pencils, lotion bottles, hairspray bottles and much more.

Nordstrom and TerraCycle Announce Recycling Collection Program For Cosmetic Packaging

TerraCycle Include USA Nordstrom BEAUTYCYCLE

The cosmetics industry has a single-use plastics problem. Not only does the beauty and personal care industry produce around 120 billion units of packaging annually, but the packaging, though often made of recyclable materials, can feature individual components that are too small to get processed by curbside collectors. Even worse, it might come comprised of mixed materials, like a mirrored compact, and god luck trying to recycle that. To reduce the impact of plastic packaging from the cosmetics industry, New Jersey-based recycling specialist TerraCycle and retailer Nordstrom have announced a partnership that will make 94 of the department store chain’s outlets BeautyCycle drop-off locations. Now, the merchant will accept the beauty and personal care items from any brand, no matter where the customer purchased it.