TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

Girl Scout Troop #20074 Needs Your Trash

Our Girl Scout Troop has teamed up with the recycling program, TerraCycle, to collect certain "trash" items for recycling. We collect these everyday "trash" items and send them in for recycling, at no charge to our troop, then with every acceptable piece that TerraCycle receives from us, the troop receives 2 cents per item. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up. On top of helping our troop, you are doing your part to help our planet. We have a couple of drop off locations at this time, all are in Munford: Munford Library Munford Food Mart Munford Rec Center The following items are the ONLY items we are collecting: Capri Sun or Honest Kids fruit drink pouches (please make sure they are empty) any brand of ink jet printer cartridges any brand of makeup containers (empty only please) any brand of soap, shampoo, conditoner, lotion, etc. body and skin care product bottles or containers (empty only please) Thank you for your help!!!

One Hiker's Trash Can Yield a Treasure for All

In July 2004, while backpacking a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), I ran into a patch of really nasty weather and bivouacked a night on Lodge Lake (47.408457 N, 121.430168 W), just south of Snoqualmie Summit. I was out of gas for cooking and was soaked to the bone from a torrential downpour that had blown in from Puget Sound. Getting a fire going quickly was imperative. However, everything in the vicinity was soaked and I had virtually nothing available that would do more than pathetically produce smoke. Ultimately, I was forced to shred the footprint for my Kelty Raptor tent to get a fire going. While it was a real bummer to loose part of the tent, I was grateful for the added warmth in what turned out to be a very cold and wet night. This experience taught me to always carry the essentials for getting a fire going. This is especially important in places like the Pacific Northwest where heavy rainfall can limit fuel sources. I’ve found that dryer lint is one of the more effective items to carry. It’s light weight and burns extremely well. I’ve also just recently been introduced to Eco-Friendly Fire Starters made by a company called TerraCycle. For hikers, bikers, campers, and general outdoor enthusiasts who subscribe strictly to Leave No Trace (LNT) principles (and all of you should), this is a product and company you’ll be keenly interested in.

Recycle your Waste this Summer!

Belinda McDowell, Cincinnati Recycling Examiner July 24, 2011 This summer many Americans will have many barbecues, celebrations, and parties. So what are you doing with all the chip bags, cookie bags, juice drink containers that are generated from all these festivities this summer? Don’t throw them away! TerraCycle is here to help. TerraCycle is an organization that focuses on reducing waste by creating products with those items that are difficult to recycle or can not be recycled. The organization was founded by a Princeton University freshman in 2001 when he began producing organic fertilizer, packing liquid worm poop in used soda bottles. Waste is collected through brigades and anyone can join or create their own brigade. The waste are collected, sorted and sent to TerraCycle through the brigades. The brigades will earn 2 points or $0.02 per item collected. These points can be redeemable for planting trees, feeding the hungry, providing clean water to global communities, or cash to a non-profit of charity of choice. The types of waste streams collected include drink pouches, yogurt containers, candy wrappers, cookie packaging, MARS drinks fresh packs, chip bags, energy bar wrappers, bear naked packaging, kashi packaging, scott brand packaging and cereal bags just to name a few! For the complete list of waste streams collected go to TerraCycle.net

Sustainable Camping

I think it is safe to assume that the majority of people who engage in the camping experience do so because they have a desire to get back to basics and mix it with the magnificence of nature and the outdoors. Whether you are a well seasoned camper or just a novice, camping remains an amazing adventure with nature, sharing and exploring a world so far apart from the busy hustle of the modern life we have become accustomed to. We can all do our bit to ensure that this world remains intact for us (and many others) to enjoy again and again by doing our best to ‘leave no trace’ when we decamp. Always try to camp on established campsites or sites that have obviously been used before to minimise impact on the environment. This applies to walking tracks too – stay on the formed tracks and don’t go crashing through the bush creating your own track. The most important thing when eco-camping is waste removal. Always make sure you take every piece of waste away with you or dispose of it in a green and eco-friendly manner. This includes food scraps or any other waste material no matter how biodegradable it may seem. When you leave a campsite always walk around it to ensure you have left no trace of your camping. Dispose of all garbage, even that left by previous campers.