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Gear up for Earth Day festivities in Union Square

Over 70 organizations will participate in this year's Earth Day event in Union Square.
EARTH DAY INITIATIVE
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Thousands are expected at this year's annual Earth Day Initiative festival in Union Square on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.
EARTH DAY INITIATIVE

New Yorkers who are contemplating ways to help make a difference on Earth Day can head to Union Square on Tuesday for free family-friendly events.

Earth Day Initiative’s annual event kicks off at noon in Union Square, and runs until 6:30 p.m. The festival will feature dozens of exhibits by environmental non-profits and green businesses as well as kids' activities, and live performances.

The annual gathering is considered the most high-traffic Earth Day event in the nation. This year, organizers are launching a one-year countdown to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which began in 1970.

“That was a time when people really raised their voices and said, ‘We need to do something about these environmental issues.’ A lot of the safeguards we have in place today, we take for granted,” said John Oppermann, executive director of Earth Day Initiative.

“The EPA didn’t exist then. A lot of the legislation that we take for granted, like protections for water and clean air, came on the heels of that first Earth Day. That is something we should keep in mind because when we see attacks on environmental protections we have now.”

Part of the countdown is a plan to channel the demand for simple yet impactful actions into real-world results. They’re calling it the Do Just 1 Thing campaign, and the goal is to get people across the country to switch to clean energy in whatever ways they can. To help them do that, Earth Day Initiative is providing people with “just one thing that will make a huge difference.”

“We hear from so many people who are overwhelmed by environmental challenges and the options that are out there to green their lifestyles,” Oppermann told Metro. “We wanted to simplify things and say 'here’s one thing you can do right now.' We want to take away that hurdle of not knowing where to start. If you add up all of these small things over the course of a year, they’ll add up to a big impact.”

Oppermann offered the example of switching to renewable energy by joining a community solar program or installing solar panels on roof of a home.

There is one new addition to this year’s festival that is generating a lot of buzz — an action center and art installation, where artists will create live works of art inspired by the conversation around the Green New Deal.

Philadelphia-based illustrator Molly Egan is one of the artists expected to participate in the installation.

“I try to make decisions to positively impact the environment wherever possible,” Egan told Metro. “I'm always thrilled when, as an illustrator, I can connect something I'm passionate about in my daily life to an image I can create.”

The artists participating will be working on large 5'x6' canvases and focusing on a different theme. Egan’s piece will explore the idea of green living.

"To show how living a more sustainable lifestyle can be accessible to all of us, I plan to show people doing a variety of environmentally friendly activities," Egan said. "For city dwellers, a great start is to bike, walk, or use public transportation - rather than relying on your own vehicle or ride shares. I'll also be depicting people making more sustainable choices like recycling, composting, replacing plastic water bottles with reusable ones, and eating more environmentally friendly foods. I'm excited to use bright colors, pattern, and stylized people as a way to explore an important concept."

Visitors can also check out a zero-waste weaving installation where they can repurpose used clothes and textiles into a piece of art by weaving it themselves on a loom made out of clothing racks.

This year, organizers will honor science educator Bill Nye, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle for their work raising awareness about environmental issues.

“We wanted to honor people who stimulate the conversation about taking action,” said Oppermann. “They have done a phenomenal amount in terms of stimulating that conversation. We see so many people who are now more aware of the urgency of taking action around climate change and the idea of a Green New Deal than before because they have such loud pulpits to speak from and were able to amplify the conversation.”

Tuesday’s event is free and open to the public and will be haeld rain or shine.

Metro is proud to be Earth Day Initiative's exclusive newspaper partner. Visit dojust1thing.org to learn how you can help build a more sustainable future.

Everything You Need to Know About Our New Recycling Program

TerraCycle Include Canada (English) ZWB

At Province Apothecary, we are committed to providing organic and ethically sourced products, and continually finding ways to reduce our environmental footprint. For the last few years, we have offered a recycling incentive program to local customers: if you bring in 5 used PA bottles, you receive a free lip balm. We recycle all returned product bottles with the City of Toronto. In an effort to further reduce the environmental impact of cosmetic waste, we have partnered with a program called Terracycle for repurposing + recycling packaging that isn't currently accepted in the municipal program and might otherwise end up in landfills or waterways. What is Terracycle and what do they do? TerraCycle is a highly-awarded and globally recognized recycling company that develops zero waste solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste streams. The waste is collected through their Zero Waste System and is then sorted and repurposed into affordable, innovative products instead of being sent to a landfill. How is this different than our last recycling program? We have always recycled our bottles with the City of Toronto but until this point, we have not been able to recycle droppers, sprayers, or pumps. With Terracycle, we are able to continue to recycle glass and plastic packaging as well as materials like our pumps and droppers, mist sprayers, tins, lip balm tubes, and other hard-to-recycle packaging. What are some ways that Terracycle diverts waste from landfills? METALS | Metals are separated by specific type and smelted into ingots for re-use. PLASTICS | Plastics are separated by number and melted down. From there, most plastics are turned into small pellets that can be molded and extruded into unique shapes and products. GLASS | Glass is cleaned and sorted by color for processing. It is then crushed and melted to be used in new glass products or other applications. What will you accept in your new recycling program? We will continue to honour our “bring back 5 empty Province Apothecary containers to receive 1 free lip balm.” We will accept + recycle packaging from our entire product line, including:

Wellness + Perfume Roll-on vials
Lip balm containers
Sample containers and vials

Please ensure minimal residual product on your returns. Please note that sample packaging will not count towards receiving a free lip balm. We're so excited to be broadening our in-store recycling program and we hope you'll continue to bring us your empty PA containers!

Shampoo Bottles That Save Beaches

TerraCycle Garnier Include USA Herbal Essences

Tidying up the earth’s coasts can be a dirty job: Environmental-advocacy nonprofit Ocean Conservancy claims it has collected more than 250 million pounds of beach pollution in the past 33 years. Now Herbal Essences is assisting with the task and putting the conservationists’ earth-conscious efforts to good use. In collaboration with TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling hard-to-repurpose materials, the brand has created new bottles—for its White Grapefruit & Mosa Mint, Argan Oil, and Coconut Milk collections—made with 25 percent plastic that has been collected from the coastlines in Canada, Panama, and other polluted spots around the world.

Recycled Bottles That Build Gardens

You can’t guarantee the plastics you put in your recycling bin actually get recycled. (Some bottles, for example, are rejected by community processing plants if the labels aren’t easily removed.) But Garnier has a solution: Four years ago, it launched a program encouraging consumers to send their bathroom empties to TerraCycle to be cleaned, shredded, and ground into pellets that are turned into building materials. Now Garnier is using the 11 million bottles collected thus far to build garden beds, benches, signs, and trash bins for community gardens. The first green oasis opened in Miami this year, with more coming soon.

5 Easy Ways to Go Zero Waste in Your Life and Business

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB

4. Recycle

Every city has different recycling policies, and many cities have stopped recycling, so your best bet is to start by refusing, reducing, and reusing, but you can also make a point to buy products in packaging that can be more easily recycled. For example, we switched to dish detergent and laundry pods in cardboard, and we try to seek out plastic-free packaging as much as possible. If you produce products, consider switching your packaging to something that’s easier to recycle. If your business does a lot of shipping, consider swapping plastic shipping containers for paper, and even plastic tape for paper tape. If your business has a storefront, you might also consider setting up TerraCycle bins to help your community recycle otherwise difficult to recycle items. This is a great way to bring more locals into your store while doing something good for your community. As a photographer, I purchased a TerraCycle zero waste bin to recycle any materials associated with my photo products that would otherwise go in the trash.

Solving The Cigarette Butt Problem: A Community Effort

TerraCycle Include USA Cigarette Recycling Program

Part two of a continuing series

Sixty-five percent of all cigarette butts are littered and 38 percent of all roadway litter is made up of tobacco products, according to Keep America Beautiful. After Residents Forward collected 1,521 cigarette butts within six blocks surrounding Main Street one Sunday morning last year, the environmental nonprofit knew it needed to look for a solution. So, Residents Forward joined with TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, to collect and recycle cigarette butts throughout Main Street. The cigarette recycling pilot is the newest initiative of the “Give a Litter Bit” campaign, and engages both the Town of North Hempstead and the Greater Port Washington Business Improvement District (BID). Residents Forward funded the purchase of six cigarette butt receptacles that were placed near the LIRR, Town of North Hempstead officials have agreed to hang them throughout Port and the BID will work with Spectrum Designs to empty the receptacles. The collected cigarette butts will then be shipped to TerraCycle for recycling. “We hope the Litter Bit cigarette recycling pilot spreads awareness that cigarette butts are litter too,” said Betsy Liegey, executive vice president of Residents Forward. “By working together, we can make it easier to keep our downtown clean and protect our bay.” “Cigarette butts strewn on our sidewalks detract from the inviting shopping and strolling experience our local businesses count on,” said Mariann Dalimonte, executive director of the BID. “We are proud to sponsor the emptying of these receptacles along with other programs to keep our streets clean, including our Keep Port Clean team that operates April through October.”

But how are these cigarettes recycled? Once the cigarette butts are collected and shipped to TerraCycle, the butts are aggregated and stored in a local warehouse where they are prepared for processing. The residual tobacco and paper are separated out and composted while the filter, which is made of a white synthetic fiber called cellulose acetate, is thoroughly cleaned, melted and pelletized using a method called extrusion. The pellets are then combined with other plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene and used for new plastic products such as ashtrays, shipping pallets or plastic lumber. Once the receptacles are in place, TerraCycle Strategic Partnership Manager Brian Hanck explained that studies have shown an almost immediate 9 percent drop in the general vicinity and, over time, about a 50 percent reduction in cigarette butt litter. However, he explained, these numbers are tied to how many people are smoking in the area and the volume at which they smoke. “Most of the time, smokers don’t have a location to put their cigarette butts in,” said Hanck. “And smokers are mindful of where they put them. They don’t want it to catch fire in the garbage. It’s best to educate smokers on proper disposal rather than litter.” Hanck said the best way to ensure the greatest reduction is when receptacles are placed at almost every transition point, which are points in which the smoker may pause, which include outside of restaurants or bars, at street corners, bus stops and parking garages. While the pilot program will last a year, Executive Director of Residents Forward Mindy Germain said, “Our goal is to expand. We use data from our clean ups to identify problem areas. As we expand, we will continue to place receptacles in these problem areas.” Hanck explained it’s important for areas like Port Washington to implement the cigarette butt receptacles because the hamlet sits on the water. “The town is always looking for new initiatives to protect our bay and safeguard our drinking water,” said Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “With the help of our volunteers, TerraCycle’s cigarette recycling program can help keep our streets clean while preserving the habitats of local wildlife.” For more information about TerraCycle, visit www.terracycle.com.

Gear up for Earth Day festivities in Union Square

TerraCycle Include USA

New Yorkers who are contemplating ways to help make a difference on Earth Day can head to Union Square on Tuesday for free family-friendly events. Earth Day Initiative's annual event kicks off at noon in Union Square, and runs until 6:30 p.m. The festival will feature dozens of exhibits by environmental non-profits and green businesses as well as kids' activities, and live performances. The annual gathering is considered the most high-traffic Earth Day event in the nation. This year, organizers are launching a one-year countdown to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which began in 1970. "That was a time when people really raised their voices and said, 'We need to do something about these environmental issues.' A lot of the safeguards we have in place today, we take for granted," said John Oppermann, executive director of Earth Day Initiative. "The EPA didn't exist then. A lot of the legislation that we take for granted, like protections for water and clean air, came on the heels of that first Earth Day. That is something we should keep in mind because when we see attacks on environmental protections we have now." Part of the countdown is a plan to channel the demand for simple yet impactful actions into real-world results. They're calling it the Do Just 1 Thing campaign, and the goal is to get people across the country to switch to clean energy in whatever ways they can. To help them do that, Earth Day Initiative is providing people with "just one thing that will make a huge difference." "We hear from so many people who are overwhelmed by environmental challenges and the options that are out there to green their lifestyles," Oppermann told Metro. "We wanted to simplify things and say 'here's one thing you can do right now.' We want to take away that hurdle of not knowing where to start. If you add up all of these small things over the course of a year, they'll add up to a big impact." Oppermann offered the example of switching to renewable energy by joining a community solar program or installing solar panels on roof of a home. There is one new addition to this year's festival that is generating a lot of buzz — an action center and art installation, where artists will create live works of art inspired by the conversation around the Green New Deal. Philadelphia-based illustrator Molly Egan is one of the artists expected to participate in the installation. "I try to make decisions to positively impact the environment wherever possible," Egan told Metro. "I'm always thrilled when, as an illustrator, I can connect something I'm passionate about in my daily life to an image I can create." The artists participating will be working on large 5'x6' canvases and focusing on a different theme. Egan's piece will explore the idea of green living. "To show how living a more sustainable lifestyle can be accessible to all of us, I plan to show people doing a variety of environmentally friendly activities," Egan said. "For city dwellers, a great start is to bike, walk, or use public transportation - rather than relying on your own vehicle or ride shares. I'll also be depicting people making more sustainable choices like recycling, composting, replacing plastic water bottles with reusable ones, and eating more environmentally friendly foods. I'm excited to use bright colors, pattern, and stylized people as a way to explore an important concept." Visitors can also check out a zero-waste weaving installation where they can repurpose used clothes and textiles into a piece of art by weaving it themselves on a loom made out of clothing racks. This year, organizers will honor science educator Bill Nye, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle for their work raising awareness about environmental issues. "We wanted to honor people who stimulate the conversation about taking action," said Oppermann. "They have done a phenomenal amount in terms of stimulating that conversation. We see so many people who are now more aware of the urgency of taking action around climate change and the idea of a Green New Deal than before because they have such loud pulpits to speak from and were able to amplify the conversation." Tuesday's event is free and open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Metro is proud to be Earth Day Initiative's exclusive newspaper partner. Visit dojust1thing.org to learn how you can help build a more sustainable future.

25 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle

TerraCycle Include USA

19. WINE CORKS

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According to the EPA, Americans generate approximately 262 million tons of waste each year—and that amount keeps growing. In honor of Earth Day, which we'll celebrate on April 22, here are a few things you may have been throwing out that, with a little effort, you can actually recycle.

1. DENTURES

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Grandpa's choppers may hold $25 worth of recyclable metals, including gold, silver, and palladium. The Japan Denture Recycling Association is known to collect false teeth, remove and recycle the metals, and discard the rest of the denture (which is illegal to reuse). The program has donated all of its earnings to UNICEF.

2. HOLIDAY LIGHTS

Got burnt out holiday lights? The folks at HolidayLEDs.com will gladly take your old lights, shred them, and sort the remaining PVC, glass, and copper. Those raw materials are taken to another recycling center to be resurrected.

3. SEX TOYS

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The first step in recycling your toy is to send it to a specialty processing plant, where it's sterilized and sorted. There, all "mechanical devices" are salvaged, refurbished, and resold. Silicone and rubber toys, on the other hand, are "ground up, mixed with a binding agent, and remolded into new toys," according to the aptly titled website, Sex Toy Recycling. Metals, plastics, and other leftovers retire from the pleasure industry and are recycled into conventional products.

4. HOTEL SOAP

Hotel bathroom counter with cups, shampoo, and soap

Not all hotels throw out that half-used soap you left in the shower: Some send it to Clean the World. There, soap is soaked in a sanitizing solution, treated to a steam bath, and then tested for infections. Once deemed safe, the soap is distributed to less fortunate people across the globe. So stop stealing soap from hotels—you may be stealing from charity.

5. MATTRESSES

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You don't need to dump your old box spring at the landfill. Because they're equipped with special saws, mattress recycling factories can separate the wood, metal, foam, and cloth. The metal springs are magnetically removed, the wood is chipped, and the cloth and foam are shredded and baled. In its future life, your saggy mattress could become a cute sundress or even wallpaper.

6. COOKING OIL

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When you’re finished making French fries at home, it can be tempting to toss the spent frying oil down the drain. But you shouldn’t—nearly half of all sewer overflows are caused by fat and oil. There are a few curbside programs in the United States that accept used cooking oil, which may send the oil to a biodiesel plant that will transform it into fuel. To see if there’s a collection point near you, use this online tool.

7. DIRTY DIAPERS

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The average baby soils 6000 diapers before being potty trained—that's one ton of diapers rotting in a landfill per child. But not all poo-packages have to suffer this fate. The company Knowastecollects and recycles dirty diapers at hospitals, nursing facilities, and public restrooms. After sanitizing the diaper with a solution, they mechanically separate the "organic matter" from the diaper's plastic, which is compressed into pellets and recycled into roof shingles. Meanwhile, paper pulp in diapers grows up to become wallpaper and shoe soles.

8. CDS

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CDs are made of polycarbonate and won't decompose at a landfill. But if you send your discs to The CD Recycling Center, they'll shred them into a fine powder that will be later melted down into a plastic perfect for automotive and building materials—even pavement!

9. SHOES

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Send your beat-up sneaks to Nike Grind and you'll help build a running track. Nike's recycling facility rips apart worn shoes, separating the rubber, foam, and fabric. The rubber is melted down for running track surfaces, the foam is converted into tennis court cushioning, and the fabric is used to pad basketball court floorboards.

10. ANIMAL POOP

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Why turn animal poop into fertilizer, manure, or trash when you can make it into a greeting card? Or a bouquet of arficial flowers? The folks at Poopoo Paper do that, plus more—they can transform the poop of a wide variety of animals (cows, horses, elephants, and more) into cards, bookmarks, keychains, magnets, jewelry and more!

11. TROPHIES

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Is your room full of plastic bowling trophies from fifth grade? If the thrill of victory fades, you can recycle your old trophies at recycling centers like Lamb Awards. They'll break down your retired awards, melting them down or reusing them for new trophies.

12. HUMAN FAT (WARNING; ILLEGAL)

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If it weren't for legal complications, America's obsession with cosmetic surgery could solve its energy problem. In 2008, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon lost his job when police caught him fueling his car with a biofuel created from his patients' liposuctioned fat. (Convicting him wasn't hard, since he advertised the substance online as "lipodiesel.") That's not the first time fat has powered transportation: In 2007, conservationist Peter Bethune used 2.5 gallons of human fat to fuel his eco-boat, Earthrace.

13. ALUMINUM FOIL

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Foil is probably one of the most thrown away recyclable materials out there. (Americans throw away about 1.5 million tons of aluminum products every year, according to the EPA.) But foil is 100 percent aluminum, and as long as you thoroughly clean it of any food waste, you technically should be able to recycle it with your aluminum cans (but first check with your local recycling plant to ensure they’re equipped to process it; some aren’t).

14. CRAYONS

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Don't toss those stubby Crayolas! Instead, mail them to the National Crayon Recycle Program, which takes unloved, broken crayons to a better place: They're melted in a vat of wax, remade, and resold. So far, the program has saved more than 120,000 pounds of crayons.

15. DEAD PETS

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When Fluffy bites the dust in Germany, you can memorialize your beloved pet by recycling her. In Germany, it's illegal to bury pets in public places. This leaves some pet owners in a bind when their furry friends die. A rendering plant near the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße accepts deceased pets; animal fat is recycled into glycerin, which is used in cosmetics such as lip balm.

16. SHINGLES

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The EPA estimates that 11 million tons of shingles are disposed each year [PDF]. Most of them are made out of asphalt, which is why more than two dozen states pulverize the old shingles and recycle them into pavement. For every ton of shingles recycled, we save one barrel of oil.

17. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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You can—and should—properly dispose of expired prescription drugs. But what about unneeded pills that are still good? Some states let you donate unused drugs back to pharmacies. Some charities also accept leftover HIV medicine from Americans who have switched prescriptions, stopped medicating, or passed away. These drugs are shipped overseas and distributed to HIV victims around the world.

18. FISHING LINE

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Fishing line is made from monofilament, a non-biodegradable plastic that you can't put in your everyday recycling bin. At Berkley Fishing, old fishing line is mixed with other recyclables (like milk cartons and plastic bottles) and transformed into fish-friendly habitats. So far, Berkley has saved and recycled more than 9 million miles of fishing line.

19. WINE CORKS

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Your recycling center probably doesn't accept wine corks, but companies like Terracycle and Yemm & Hart will. They turn cork into flat sheets of tile, which you can use for flooring, walls, and veneer. Another company, ReCORK, has extended the life of over 4 million unloved corks by giving them to SOLE, a Canadian sandal maker.

Weleda Initiates New Recycling Program With TerraCycle

TerraCycle Include USA Weleda

European personal-care and beauty brand Weleda recently partnered with TerraCycle, a waste management company, to bring customers a simple way to recycle their packaging. The partnership coincides with Weleda’s recent release of its entire Skin Food line, which includes the Skin Food Light Nourishing Cream, Skin Food Body Butter, and Skin Food Lip Butter.

The Weleda Recycling Program will allow customers to send in their empty packaging from the entire Skin Food line to be recycled at no cost. To participate, customers need to sign up on the TerraCycle program page, then mail in the packaging waste using the prepaid shipping label that is given. Packaging sent in is cleaned and melted into a hard plastic that has the ability to be remolded into new, recycled products. Collectors have the ability to earn $1 per pound of waste sent to TerraCycle to donate to a non-profit, school, or charitable organization of their choice. “We are pleased to be working with Weleda to offer consumers a free recycling program to complement their new Skin Food line of products,” says Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle . “By participating in the Weleda Recycling Program, consumers have a unique opportunity to demonstrate their respect for the environment by diverting their packaging waste from landfills, as well as through the products that they choose to include in their beauty regimen.” Out of all of its sustainability efforts Weleda has placed an emphasis on packaging improvements, which continues to be a focus for the company. In 2017, the company was able to save four tons of material through optimizing the weight of the screw caps used on Weleda’s aluminum tubes. The company hopes to continue increasing the amount of recycled materials used in packaging, which is already being seen through some of its recent launches which use up to 70 percent recycled plastic. “Preserving the balance between what we take from nature with what we give back is our core value,” says Rob Keen, CEO of Weleda North America. “This respect for nature is in our DNA and it guides everything we do—from our innovative, biodynamic farming practices that actually pull carbon out of the atmosphere to our manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, and Switzerland that use energy from 100 percent renewable sources. We also employ thoughtful ingredient sourcing and ethical partnerships that protect the life energy and potency of our products. Now we are teaming up with TerraCycle to ensure that our recently launched Skin Food packaging has every opportunity to be recycled.” For more information on the Weleda Recycling Program, visit their site here.

15 Things You Probably Don't Recycle, But Should

TerraCycle Include USA Bausch + Lomb Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program E-Waste Recycling Program Tide Fabric Care Recycling Program

You're probably missing out on ways to help the earth.

African American mother and daughter filling recycling bin

It's tough to always know what things to recycle and what items to toss into the trash. But according to Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist for the Natural Resources Defense Council, you'd be surprised to learn that a lot of items that end up in a landfill are actually made of recyclable materials. "People are always interested in knowing how to recycle at home. First step: Look in your own community and see if there are local schools, hospitals, or shelters that will take your old stuff. For example, a pet shelter could make use of your beat-up towels," Hoover says. But when it comes to recyclable products that you can't easily donate, check out our round-up of innovative recycling programs as well as online directories that help you find drop-off locations. Going green has never been this easy.

Leading razor brand sharpens its focus on product and packaging recyclability

TerraCycle Include Canada (English) Gillette

Collectors will earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice.

When it comes to shaving, the Gillette brand razors and accessories have long set the standard for product and packaging excellence, but not so much when it came to sustainability and waste diversion. However, that shortcoming appears to be finally addressed in a big way by its progressive brand-owner Procter & Gamble Inc., which is hooking up with leading product upcycling services provider TerraCycle, Inc. to collect and recycle all of its disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units, and razor plastic packaging right across the U.S. Under the recently-launched Gillette Razor Recycling Program, individual participants and organizations can sign up on the program page (www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette) to download pre-paid TerraCycle tracking labels for shipping their used razors and packaging directly to the recycler—ultimately to be made into broad range of useful new products like park benches, bike racks, petfood bowls, recycling bins, etc. Under the program, businesses, gyms, colleges, cities and community organizations will be actively encouraged to become designated drop-off points for the returned waste, whereby they will by supplied with special razor recycling bins that they can simply seal and return via UPS to TerraCycle, which will promptly send a new bin back to them. For every shipment weighing at least 15 pounds, collectors will earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice. “Through this innovative, first-of-its kind program, disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and their associated packaging are now nationally recyclable through the Gillette Recycling Program,” says TerraCycle founder and chief executive officer Tom Szaky. “We are proud to partner with this forward-thinking company to offer consumers a way to divert razor waste from landfills,” Szaky states. “We are very excited about our partnership with TerraCycle to offer recycling for Gillette, Venus or any razor brand across the U.S,” adds Gillette’s chief executive officer Gary Coombe. “This is an important first step towards sustainable solutions for shaving products and the start of an exciting journey with Gillette and TerraCycle,” Coombe states. “We are thrilled to bring this option to our consumers in the U.S.,” Coombe proclaims, “and we are already working on plans to roll out this important initiative to more countries very soon.”