The recycling company behind the initiative, TerraCycle UK, will process and sort the inhalers into material type, with the recycled components sold on for use in new products. The recovered aerosol will be sent to a specialist company who will recycle the metal components and collect any remaining liquid or propellant gas. The gas is then used as a replacement fuel in high temperature incinerators and cement kilns. No part of the aerosol container goes to landfill.

2010 was a great year, but something happened that made me angry. But backing up and having a broader look, it makes sense. It goes like this: Sunchips, after more than a year of marketing getting people ready, launches with a fully compostable bag. It fails, hugely. Because it's too noisy for some. Noisy, really? Really. At first this seemed absurd to me, but then, if I take off my "green glasses," I can see that an obnoxiously loud bag would take precedence over the fact that it can be composted. The reality is (at least currently) people are more interested in appearing green than actually engaging in green behavior, particularly that which impinges on their comfort. And truth be told, actually composting so called compostable packaging is, for the most part, quite a difficult task.

One man's garbage is another man's treasure. While the concept is as old as the hills, it's taken on a new, greener meaning this decade. And it even has a new name: upcycling. "Upcycling is finding value in the material as it exists now, retaining that value or increasing it by turning it into a new creation," explained Stacey Cusack, 26, public relations manager for a company born from the upcycle theory called Terracycle, Inc. based in Trenton, N.J. The term "upcycle" is attributed to William McDonough, one of the co-authors of the book "Cradle to Cradle," published in 2002. "Our founder, Tom Szaky considers (McDonough) his mentor," Cusack said. Szaky, according to Cusack, dropped out of Princeton University almost 10 years ago at age 19 to start what would become Terracycle, a global upcycling company that converts trash (snack bags, cookie wrappers, and drink pouches) into a variety of products, such as Frito Lay messenger bags, Skittle kites and Capri Sun totes.

  • Chip bags: These aren’t accepted in your blue bin, however you can join or start a local “brigade” of collectors for many hard-to-recycle items including chip bags, and earn cash for your school or nonprofit by signing up at www.terracycle.net If this is not an option, please place them in the trash.

Recycle trial for inhalers

ASTHMATICS in Southampton will be among the first in Europe to divert millions of inhalers from the rubbish tip. The Co-operative Pharmacy in Thornhill is one of a handful of chemists to take part in a pilot scheme encouraging people to recycle their inhalers. The six-month trial is the first of its kind in Europe and aims to reduce the number of respiratory devices that generate around 450 tonnes of waste a year in the UK. Those suffering from respiratory illnesses will be able to just drop off their devices in a specially designed recycling box at the pharmacy, which will be collected every month to ensure every element of the inhaler is recycled. The initiative was launched today by The Co-operative and GlaxoSmith Kline (GSK), which sees 35m of their inhalers end up in landfill every year. Fiona Caplan-Dean, from The Co-operative Pharmacy, said: “There are more than five million people in the UK currently receiving treatment for asthma and other respiratory illnesses who rely on the use of inhalers so the potential for recycling these products and reducing wastage is huge. “Pharmacists are ideally placed to help reduce the impact of inhalers on the environment and as an organisation committed to responsible retailing as part of our ethical strategy we are delighted to be at the forefront of this initiative, which is simple, yet effective.”

Pubblichiamo un intervista pubblicata su City a Tom Szaky, il fondatore di questa associazione che retribuisce i propri iscritti al fine di ottenere spazzatura per trasformarla in prodotti utili.

Pubblichiamo un intervista pubblicata su City a Tom Szaky, il fondatore di questa associazione che retribuisce i propri iscritti al fine di ottenere spazzatura per trasformarla in prodotti utili.

“Eliminate the idea of waste” and “Outsmart waste”. This is the tagline and mission statement of TerraCycle. Although I’m a sucker for a great tagline you don’t need one to have something awesome to offer. For proof, Trails.com provides it. This is a nature edition of Free Resource Friday and I’ll dive into each website to explain how something so simple can be so freakin’ useful.

As I was eating some peanut M&Ms (love ‘em) I looked on the back of the package and saw the message “Recycle this package” and the website. I went to it and it is SUPER AWESOME! All these things you didn’t think you could recycle, well you can!

“They panic if a milk carton lands in the garbage,” she says, noting that she watches as her kids regularly fish Capri Sun pouches, Lay’s potato chip bags and Nabisco cookie wrappers out of the trash to save and send to TerraCycle, a company that converts trash into bags, kites and other products.

• Terracycle.net: Get paid for your trash—TerraCycle pays for everything from Capri Sun drink pouches to Lay’s potato chip bags and Elmer’s Glue bottles, which it turns into other products.