Have you heard about TerraCycle?  It's a really cool concept for those items that you throw in the trash that can't be recycled.  TerraCycle upCYCLEs it.  They turn it into eco-friendly products that are reasonably priced. The backpack featured is only $12.99.

I just came back from the Terracycle Green Up Shop and boy am I inspired.

Conveninently located next to the Port Authority on 41st Street & 8th Avenue, it is an awesome display of  eco friendly items to be used at home, in class, on the go or even the runway.

Yes darlings, there is an entire dress made from m&m candy wrappers that is fabulous, and tons of other clothing items made from bamboo and salvaged fabric.

I am super inspired to keep making my bags and branching out into other items.Maybe next year you will see “smartalecky” in the Green Up Shop!

Next time you purchase a box of Capri Sun drinks, a tube of Colgate toothpaste, a Clif bar etc.. consider hanging on to your trash and sending it to Terracycle! TerraCycle takes a wide range of different non-recyclable waste materials and then makes affordable, eco-friendly products. Terracycle is hoping to eliminate the idea of waste by finding innovative, unique uses for materials others deem garbage. With over 50 products available at major retailers like Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, OfficeMax, Petco and Whole Foods Market, TerraCycle is one of the fastest growing eco-friendly manufacturers in the world. Consider what happens when your kids finish drinking a Capri Sun…they toss the empty juice box in the trash which eventually ends up in a dumpster or landfill. Instead of adding the drink pouch to a pile of other pouches at the landfill, TerraCycle converts the used drink pouches into unique fashion bags, tote bags, pencil cases, and other items for kids and adults (check out the adorable Skittles bag below made from recycled Skittles wrappers)!

La invitación está abierta a las instituciones interesadas en preservar el medio ambiente Una de las compañías más grandes de alimentos y bebidas en el mundo se asocia con la firma de reutilización de empaques para lanzar una campaña de reciclaje apoyando a las comunidades de México

There was a time when the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan was little more than place to catch a bus. Things are changing, however, for the terminal—once listed as one of the 10 ugliest buildings in the world—and TerraCycle's new store in Blank SL8 is part of that change. In addition to a full range of TerraCycle products, the store will feature items from RESTORE Clothing, RePlayGround, and many others. One percent of all sales will be donate to Riverkeeper, the leading clean water advocate for New York. TerraCycle will also use the space to collect 30 different non-recyclable waste-streams—transforming it into the largest upcycling center in the world. Consumers who bring waste to the store will receive a discount on the products they purchase

Last week on Facebook, I entered a contest all I did was leave my blog link (as a comment) on Terracycle's Fan Page. This morning I had a message saying that I won. Yay!!  I of course don't know what the prize is until it gets here. But I wanted to share this site with yall. I stumbled across Terracycle when I was ... yes I don't remember what I was doing. They recycle all kinds of things into new things. Some of these things will be available only next month(April) in Walmart Stores. Here is some more information about it; the information is copied in part with permission. "A whole bunch of brand new TerraCycle items will be available, during April for a limited time only, at every single Walmart across the country. Starting April 5th, nearly 60 TerraCycle products will be sold right next to the original items they were made from. Cheetos kites and tote bags made from Frito-Lay wrappers will be sold with bags of Frito-Lay chips, while notebooks and purses made out of skittles and M&M wrappers will be sold right next to bags of Mars Candy. For those of you unfamiliar with the trash to treasure company, TerraCycle, here is a little background information: TerraCycle collects traditionally non-recyclable waste from people all across the country by paying a non-profit of the person collectings choice, 2 cents for each piece they collect and mail to the company, with the use of a pre-paid shipping label they can print right from the TerraCycle website (www.TerraCycle.net). A majority of TerraCycle’s active participants are schools, because the students usually bring in the items TerraCycle collects during lunch; such as juice pouches, chip bags, and cookie wrappers, plus the money can go right back to the school. TerraCycle uses the waste it receives from its Brigade members to make hundreds of products that are not only eco-friendly, but are also very affordable because its made from waste!"

Tang, la marca de bebidas en polvo de Kraft Foods México, anunció una nueva alianza con TerraCycle, que consiste en la promoción de la reutilización de sus empaques en beneficio del medio ambiente y de las comunidades más vulnerables en México.