Every year millions of used flip-flops are needlessly discarded and end up in landfills. TerraCycle® is proud to partner with Old Navy® to create a second life for used flip-flops. From April 22nd to May 21st Old Navy Stores within the continental US will collect used, dirty and broken flip-flops. Each store will have a box located near the entrance where you can drop off your flip-flops. Old Navy will send these boxes back to TerraCycle once the program is finished. TerraCycle will repurpose the flip-flops into playgrounds that Old Navy will give away to a few lucky schools or community organizations that participate in TerraCycle Brigades.

Earth Day was last month, but you can still help the environment (and communities in need) by participating in the Flip-Flop Brigade—an awesome, simple program from Old Navy and Terracycle.

Colorful collection bins will be available inside Old Navy stores through May 21. The shoes then will be recycled by TerraCycle to make four new playgrounds that will be donated to communities around the country. TerraCycle is an international upcycling and recycling company.

This week we’ve teamed up with TerraCycle, the company that finds a way to upcycle waste. Not just any waste…often items that were destined for a landfill, not a recycling facility. For instance, right now you can bring in your flip-flops to Old Navy and TerraCycle will turn them into four public playgrounds around the country.

As we learn more and more about the environment and how we affect it, we must continue to look for ways to help protect our world’s future. Future generations are dependant on our ability to maintain or improve the land, water and air we inhabit. Recycling is a big part of that, and becoming more aware of different forms of recycling can be our next step. Composting has become a new trend that has helped save our fragile eco-system. Another recent trend has been TerraCycling, or upcycling. Using food wrappers and other packaging to create something new, instead of clogging up our landfills is a point of focus for TerraCycle. They also utilize plastics that aren’t easily recyclable, such as plastic, disposable cups.

Who knew you can trade in candy wrappers and juice pouches for a baby chicken for a needy family? We learned about all the products previously considered trash that is turned into modern-day treasures, such as corkboards made of wine corks and desk clocks made of circuit boards. TerraCycle^® provides free waste collection programs for hard to recycle materials. The purpose of TerraCycle^® is to eliminate the idea of waste, and find ways to keep non-recyclable materials out of the landfill by turning them into affordable, eco-friendly products. These products can be purchased on the website, with money or credits earned from trading in content. To learn more about the program visit www.terracycle.net.

With Cinco de Mayo only a few days away, what better way to celebrate this major Mexican holiday than enjoying a few delicious Mexican dishes, a Margarita and help to save the environment at the same time? TerraCycle, a company that up-cycles and recycles food wrappers and other waste into bright backpacks, plant-grow kits, even mini-speakers, has partnered with Mission Foods to collect the usually non-recyclable wrappers from tortillas, chips, and other food products and recycle them. Schools and community groups in the Shore Region can continue recycling even after Cinco de Mayo by forming a TerraCycle Brigade, which would collect packaging, send it to TerraCycle and, in turn, receive two cents per item for its charity of choice. With Mission and TerraCycle, kids and parents alike can indulge in healthy food while taking care of their environment.

Trenton-based TerraCycle is pairing with Mission Foods to collect and recycle that brand’s tortilla and chip wrappers, which are usually thought of as non-recyclable. To that end, Mission Foods has come with some great Cinco de Mayo recipes that you can make at home. Then you can send off the packaging to TerraCycle, who will use them to make some of their wonderful products. TerraCycle makes it easy. After you’ve made any (or all) of these recipes, save the Mission wrappers. Go to the TerraCycle website, (www.terracycle.net), and sign up and find the Brigade for Mission Foods Tortilla and Tostada Bags. Print out the shipping label and send off the wrappers to TerraCycle. And have a happy Cinco de Mayo!

TerreCycle and Mission Foods have partnered to make Cino de Mayo delicious and 'green.' Families can celebrate by cooking amazing food with recipes from Mission Foods that feature ingredients with packaging that can be recycled into eco-friendly products and while earning money for their favorite charity. How it works “After feasting on treats such as Mango Tango Dip and Chicken Fajitas, the packaging can be sent to TerraCycle, a company which upcycles and recycles food wrappers and other waste into bright backpacks, plant grow kits, and even mini speakers. With Mission and TerraCycle, kids and parents alike can indulge in healthy food while taking care of their environment.” Recycling can continue long after the celebrations are over. Schools and community groups can form a TerraCycle Brigade which collects packaging and sends it to TerraCycle. Each piece received will earn two cents for the groups charity of choice.

My friend sent me a tip about Old Navy accepting old flip flops, so I searched and found info from Green LA Girl. From Earth Day through May 21, Old Navy stores began accepting them in a specially marked bins inside stores. Your old flip flops will turn into material for future playgrounds thanks to a partnership between Old Navy and TerraCycle. The program is called Flip Flop Brigade, and you can learn more about it here.