Para enfrentar a crescente problemática de despejo de resíduos plásticos nos cursos d’água ao redor do mundo, em 2018 nasceu a TerraCycle Global Foundation , uma organização sem fins lucrativos que conta com o apoio da PepsiCo Foundation para executar os projetos de despoluição de rios na Ásia.

Pensando em reduzir o impacto do meio ambiente causado pela nova necessidade do ser humano, a empresa francesa TerraCycle criou 10 pontos de coleta em parceria com a rede de supermercados Carrefour, na França.

It’s worth discovering your nearest TerraCycle recycling points, too. TerraCycle works with brands to offer drop-off locations for hard-to-recycle waste streams, including contact lenses, toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, and these are often near to local authority bins.

This is one of the cigarette butt recycling units along the Pico Promenade, before it was vandalized. Cigarette butts are the most common toxic waste found in cleanups and as anyone who has participated in one of Fallbrook Beautification Alliance community clean ups knows, they are also the most familiar and yet sometimes the most difficult item to pick up. Every year billions of cigarette butts end up in dumpsters and landfills, or just as often tossed as litter on shorelines, parks and Fallbrook streets. That 1" filter wrapped in paper looks innocent enough, but is made of a synthetic fiber called cellulose acetate, a non-flammable thermoplastic polymer and, according to the World Health Organization, it contains "over 7000 toxic chemicals, including known human carcinogens, which leach into and accumulate in the environment." Volunteers with FBA's Keeping Fallbrook Litter Free program, such as board member David Lynch, continue to clean streets and parks throughout Fallbrook. The diligent use FBA-provided pickers to pluck the filters from gutters and sidewalks, putting them aside to recycle with the help of FBA's partner TerraCycle. Lynch, who works to clean litter throughout historic downtown Fallbrook, has collected 15,850 cigarette butts since the start of 2021, focusing his efforts along Main Avenue and adjoining streets. (Data by Terracycle) Terracycle has found ways to recycle not only the cigarette filter, but other cigarette waste as well. Extinguished cigarettes, cigarette filters, loose tobacco pouches, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper and ash, all can be recycled or composted. In 2017, FBA purchased the first of three cigarette recycling disposal units, and installed them along the Pico Promenade walking path, an area traditionally found to be littered with cigarette waste. The conveniently placed units, with assistance from FBA Board Member Jean Dooley, enabled 46,678 cigarette butts to be recycled, (Terracycle) although plenty more were dropped along the path or carelessly discarded in plants or near benches. Last month, one of the cigarette disposal units was vandalized, and removed from the promenade, leaving FBA with the task of seeking funds to replace the $100 unit. Keeping Fallbrook Litter Free volunteers who clean litter along neighborhood streets, report that the majority of cigarette butts appear to be discarded by drivers at stop signs or driveway entrances, revealing that drivers intentionally toss the chemically infused filter, risking that their careless action may cause a fire or impact freshwater microorganisms and marine life when the substances are leached out, traveling through gutters and storm drains to the ocean. These are all the cigarette butts collected by David Lynch in August 2021

Taco Bell’s disposable, bite-sized hot sauce packages represent one of the fast-food chain’s most iconic symbols. While recognizable, these packets also amount to loads of waste every day, some of it ending up in our oceans. So Taco Bell is striving for a more sustainable solution. The company just announced plans to curb its hot sauce waste problem, which amounts to an estimated 8.2 billion single-use packets ending up in landfills per year. Recently, the vegan-friendly fast-food chain announced that it would be partnering with recycling leader TerraCycle to prevent this excessive waste and ensure that the signature packets get recycled. “As simple as it sounds, it’s important to remember to first reduce our consumption habits, then reuse products wherever possible, and then recycle,” Taco Bell’s Director of Global Nutrition & Sustainability Missy Schaaphok said. “We’re excited that TerraCycle has provided a way for us to extend the life cycle of our iconic sauce packets as we reevaluate the rest of our packaging suite.” The Mexican-inspired chain uses flexible firm materials to create the iconic hot sauce packages, allowing the packets to be easily reused and reformed into something else. TerraCycle will work with Taco bell to recycle the hot sauce packets nationwide, hoping to set a precedent for the entire fast-food industry. The move will mark one of the first times a major fast-food corporation has teamed up with a recycling campaign. Customer involvement will be critical for the recycling campaign so Taco Bell is increasing its advertising to promote this sustainable initiative. The company is currently setting up advertisements at its in-store cashiers and drive-thrus to encourage its patrons to recycle the sauce packets when finished with their Taco Bell meals. The customers will need to collect the finished packets, set up an account with TerraCycle, and then ship them to the company where the used packets will be melted into plastic for recycled material-based products. “Since our founding, TerraCycle has made it our mission to ‘Eliminate the Idea of Waste’ and provide solutions for items that are not traditionally recyclable curbside,” TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky said. “This first-of-its-kind recycling program not only highlights the forward-thinking nature of Taco Bell but also marks a huge step forward for the quick service industry on its journey towards more sustainable business practices.” Taco Bell launched a sustainability initiative that promised the company would replace all of its consumer-facing packagings with completely reusable, recyclable, or compostable alternatives by 2025. The fast-food chain is recently taking leaps in sustainability measures, leading the industry toward more environmentally-conscious practices. Beyond the recent recycling campaign, Taco Bell has led the fast-food industry in plant-based options for decades. The company’s menu is notably vegan and vegetarian-friendly, allowing customers to substitute animal products out of most of the menu. Now, Taco Bell is enhancing its plant-based menu to bring consumers more options that extend beyond the iconic customizable menu. Earlier this year, the company’s parent company, Yum! Brands, announced a partnership with Beyond Meat. The partnership is expected to introduce plant-based protein to locations nationwide. In April, Taco officially began testing Beyond Meat at select locations in Southern California. The inaugural plant-based protein gave consumers the option to not just opt for beans, but to eat familiar favorites with a fully plant-based protein alternative. The company rolled out a limited edition Cravetarian Taco complete with only plant-based ingredients. The plant-based innovation continued when the company debuted its first vegan Chalupa shell. In June, Taco Bell released the Naked Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based Shell at one location in Irvine, California. The company’s test kitchen spent months developing a plant-based chicken that would bring its customers the classic chalupa menu staple without any of the animal products typically involved. “At Taco Bell, we’re pushing the limits of what people have known vegetarian and vegan items to look like within the quick-service restaurant industry,” Missy Schaaphok told VegNews this summer. “No matter one’s lifestyle, everyone should have access to delicious and crabapple food, whether that’s in the shape of our iconic Chalupa shell or in a way that we have yet to introduce.” For now, check out what is vegan at Taco Bell locations nationwide, including what is not on the menu, with The Beet’s guide to eating plant-based at the fast-food chain.

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Shopping for beauty products in a sustainable way isn’t an easy task. But planet-conscious consumption needn’t be this headache-inducing. Sarah Jossel is here with her best eco-beauty picks.

Whether you go to Taco Bell for the tacos, burritos, or Crunchwrap Supreme, you're likely getting a few hot sauce packets with your order. The fast-food chain's spicy condiments—which range in heat levels from mild to diablo—are a signature part of the brand, but they're also a major source of single-use plastic. Each year, more than 8 billion discarded Taco Bell sauce packets end up in landfills. To tackle this problem, the company is launching a program to recycle the tiny packages at the bottom of your bag. NPR reports that the new sustainability initiative is a collaboration between Taco Bell and the recycling firm TerraCycle. Once customers have squeezed their preferred sauce over their food, they're encouraged to save the used packets in a cardboard box instead of tossing them in the trash. As the container starts filling up, they can create an account with TerraCycle and print a free shipping label to stick to the box. The customer then ships the package via UPS, and TerraCycle handles converting the plastic into raw materials for reuse. The project is Taco Bell's attempt to make its packaging practices a little gentler on the environment. Originally, the company wanted to set up packet collection boxes in stores, but with the majority of its meals now being ordered for takeout or delivery, giving customers the option to mail their recyclables makes more sense. The program may not be worth it for the occasional Taco Bell patron, but it could be appealing to anyone with a drawer full of fire hot sauce packets at home. You can learn more about the initiative and sign up to take part here. Hopefully this effort is more successful than these discontinued menu items from Taco Bell's history.