Companies often focus on touting product innovation, but what about package innovation? It’s a big deal when Coca-Cola announces its new plant bottle, when Sun Chips announces the first totally compostable snack bag, when TerraCycle collects packaging waste to repackage its own earth-friendly products.

It makes cents to recycle--two cents per waste product, to be exact. That's how much some central Arkansas schools are making each time they turn in a piece of trash to a company called TerraCycle. TerraCycle takes products that previously could not be recycled, like Capri Sun packages and many food wrappers, and "upcycles" them. This means that minimal energy is used and the products don't completely change form, creating things like Starburst insulated lunchboxes and Capri Sun backpacks. Tamonica Jenkins, second grade teacher at Huda Academy, decided to get involved with TerraCycle when she noticed the large number of Capri Suns her students were drinking. She researched the company online and realized it was the perfect way to make use of her students' trash and to raise money at the same time.

While some entrepreneurs discover their business plans unintentionally contain excrement, Tom Szaky's was designed around the material. Worm dung, in fact. Inspired by the success his friends had using red wiggler worms to process compost, Szaky felt there could be a business in commercially producing and distributing a product he would call ‘Worm Poop'. Emboldened by taking fifth place in the Princeton Business Plan Contest, he quit Princeton after two years to form TerraCycle and devote himself to delivering Worm Poop to households everywhere. THE SMELL OF SUCCESS With $20,000 — the proceeds of Szaky's bank accounts and credit cards — he purchased a worm gin and began shovelling Princeton University's food waste into it to feed an ever-growing colony of worms. A worm can consume twice its body weight each day, so Szaky was soon up to his knees in product. Committed to a fully sustainable offering, he packaged his prized Worm Poop in paper bags and took it to gardening stores inviting them to stock it. The response was that the product looked good, but the aroma was not consumer compatible.

If you're like most parents, right now is a bittersweet time. Sure, the kids are back in class, but with it comes a barrage of fundraisers. Just about every school - public or private - needs more money. And I'm not against it by any means. However, when the boxes of chocolate bars or the order forms for gift wrap arrive in the book bags, it's difficult to suppress a groan. On more than one occasion, I've told my husband I wish they'd just send us a bill for our portion and cut out the middle man. My girlish figure really doesn't need any candy, and I have enough wrapping paper to take care of Santa's Village. But we do it for our children. This year I'm chairing the fundraising committee for my younger son's school. My goal is to incorporate projects that teach as well as bring in money. I mentioned one a few weeks ago, Box Tops for Education, that's run by General Mills. But in my quest, I've found another I must share. The company is called TerraCycle, and its aim is to make eco-friendly, affordable consumer products from waste.

I stumbled onto a company that turns the stuff people throw away every day into items that people also use every day. For example, do you eat Clif or Odwalla Bars while on a ride and then throw away the wrappers? Well, TerraCycle takes your discarded wrappers and turns them into messenger bags. Or how about coffee – this one’s not so obvious: coffee beans grow on trees with leaves and TerraCycle turns those leaves into high-quality copier paper, saving a little bit of tree in the process. Some other neat products that TerraCycle makes from your garbage: – plant pots made from computers and fax machines – clip boards made from circuit boards and juice boxes – stereo speakers from Starburst and M&M wrappers And see more on DwellSmart. Let’s face it, there’s lots to throw away, every day and everyone who eats or lives on the planet. That’s a lot of garbage! But TerraCycle is more than just reusing these pieces of trash to make useful, reusable items. For every piece of garbage that you send them, they will make a small donation ($.02) to the charity of your choice.

TST!  I'm so excited to be leading this new project with the Tisch Sustainability Team <http://tischsustainabilityteam.wordpress.com/>  (at work); starting Tuesday, September 7th we will be collecting chip bags and energy bar wrappers to send to TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  for up-cycling!  You faithful readers out there know how cool TerraCycle is, remember they sent me that awesome swag bag <http://www.girlygreengirl.com/2010/05/im-winner.html>  AND a hip drink pouch bag for my very first giveaway <http://www.girlygreengirl.com/2010/07/giveaway.html> ?!  Well you should see the up-cycled chip bag we're raffling off here at work, it's so yummy... I mean cool looking.  For each entry into either the wrapper or chip bag brigade, co-workers will be entered into a raffle for various eco-prizes, the grand prize being the up-cycled chip bag (sorry, Tisch workers only - for now - but if you happen to work on campus and want to participate feel free to inter-office mail me your wrappers and bags!!)

When I broke into a bag of peanut MnMs this morning, I noticed a familiar logo on the back of the package, Terracycle, and was reminded that I have not been sending much material their way lately nor have I plugged them enough on the blog. So... In case you haven't heard of them, Terracycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  is a fantastic, award-winning small business which specializes in "up-cycling," that is, making consumer products from post-consumer materials. Founded by a few guys from Princeton and headquartered in New Jersey, the company that used to produce natural plant products (worm waste products) has diversified to collecting millions of waste units to be transformed into useful products - all while collecting a ton of money for charity. You've probably seen their logo on various back-to-school items on sale at major retailers like Target and Walmart or possibly recognize the name from the Terra-Team's reality show "Garbage Moguls" that premiered Earth Day of 2009 on National Geographic. All this even after the company founder, Tom Szaky, turned down a million dollar prize from the Carrot Capital Business Plan contest because he didn't like the direction Carrot Capital wanted to take the company. Love it. Donate, shop, and learn all about Terracycle here <http://www.terracycle.net/> .

Admit it. You’ve done it before running. While cycling. After getting out of the pool. Thrown out an energy bar wrapper, that is. What else could you do? You probably stowed it away in your pocket, which is better than tossing it wherever you were. Unfortunately, not everybody is like you, and that leads to trails, tracks and streets littered with the up until recently non-recyclable packaging. Is there any other option? Yes. TerraCycle, one of the earliest innovators in upcycling (taking something and making a higher level use for it, if possible using it in its original form) come up with an alternative. First with Clif Bar, then with Kashi, Bear Naked, and Odwalla: Collect the used packaging and other hard to recycle materials and turn it into new products ranging from shower curtains to backpacks.

Programs that encourage environmentally benign buying pay off for both consumers and businesses. Manufacturers and retailers are participating in green rewards programs that give shoppers the chance to earn points toward purchases of other products by living sustainably. Consumers get some welcome greenbacks for making environmentally friendly choices. Meanwhile, companies get to burnish their environmental reputations, attracting more consumers who already make a point of buying green products from good environmental stewards. At the same time, the distribution of associated coupons and rewards raises foot traffic and brand awareness. Advocates of eco-conscious living hope the programs will spread environmental awareness to more-mainstream consumers, who may be deterred by higher prices for organic food or the extra time it might take to separate out their recyclables. The economic downturn is “a great time to introduce an incentive” for sustainable living, says Tiger Beaudoin, the founder and vice president of marketing for EcoBonus, a green rewards program that will launch on Earth Day 2011. “People have good intentions, but price is an important purchase driver.”