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ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

Canada bans some single-use plastics; are takeout containers enough?

Include Canada (English) Loop TerraCycle Hit

Some corporations pilot refillable packaging as the world struggles with a plastic hangover from the COVID-19 pandemic

JUNE 24, 2022JUNE 28, 2022
Canada bans single-use plastics
Two and a half years of pandemic living has left the planet with a major plastic hangover. Much of the eight million tonnes of COVID-related trash churned out globally in the first two years of the pandemic was medical waste, but in the sweatpants-clad blur of back-to-back lockdowns, there was also a sharp rise in the single-use plastics involved in getting burrito bowls, groceries and all-things-Amazon delivered to our front doors. Even before the pandemic, 805 million takeout containers were dished out in Canada in 2019, as were 5.8 billion straws and 15.5 billion plastic grocery bags. Now Canada’s federal government is giving businesses until the end of 2023 to stop selling six hard-to-recycle single-use plastic items, including polystyrene and black plastic takeout containers, cutlery, grocery bags and straws. It’s an important first step that should eliminate more than 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste, but environmental advocates point out a troubling fact: the ban is aimed at just roughly 5% of Canada’s swelling plastic stream. What about the rest of it? As the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted in its latest global plastic report, released in June, “Plastic waste is projected to almost triple by 2060, with half of all plastic waste still being landfilled and less than a fifth recycled.” “Less than a fifth” may be a generous estimate. In late April, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a first-of-its-kind investigation into the recycling claims made by Big Oil. “For more than half a century,” Bonta said in a statement, “the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis.” The reality, he added, is that the vast majority of plastic cannot be recycled. The bombshell investigation was announced on the heels of a damning report released by the U.S. Department of Energy a few days earlier, which concluded that only 5% of plastic has actually been getting a second life through recycling. That’s particularly bad news considering the United States generates more plastic waste than any other country. But the whole world is having a tough time figuring out what to do with its plastic.
For more than half a century, the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis.
–California Attorney General Rob Bonta
Fortunately, there’s also been a surge in grassroots reuse-and-refill businesses around the globe. While the refillable mugs and reusable bags of the zero-waste movement were vilified in the early days of the pandemic, they’re back on the upswing. Independent start-ups like Suppli in Toronto and DeliverZero in New York have been tackling the takeout waste crisis by offering reusable container services to local restaurants. Now some major fast-food chains are promising to get in on the action. In a partnership with TerraCycle’s circular packaging service, Loop, refillable takeout containers may be coming to a Burger King near you. At least if you live in the United Kingdom or New Jersey, where BK outlets will be trialling deposit return systems for refillable burger “clamshell” packaging, soda cups and more. In Canada, BK’s parent company, Restaurant Brands International (RBI), partnered with Loop and Tupperware Brands to pilot reusable food packaging containers for the Tim Hortons chain late last year. RBI isn’t the only corporation scrambling to meet public commitments to shift to fully recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025. Similar pledges have been made by more than 1,000 organizations. In May, Body Shop announced that it’s reviving plans to roll out refill stations across the U.S., and Dove is now offering deodorant in slick refillable containers. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola promised to make a quarter of its beverage containers “refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles” by 2030. Whether corporate efforts to introduce refillable containers go beyond novelty or pilot projects remains to be seen. On World Refill Day, June 16, more than 400 organizations released an open letter to the CEOs of five of the biggest consumer goods companies (Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever and Procter and Gamble), urging them to support “transparent, ambitious and accountable reuse and refill systems.” In Canada, dozens of environmental groups and zero-waste businesses are calling for increased government support for reuse-and-refill initiatives. Sarah King, Greenpeace Canada’s head of oceans and plastics campaign, says that the federal government has been “stalling on fully embracing refill and reuse funding.” King says, “Canada will only meet its zero plastic waste by 2030 goal if it acts now to cut production of all non-essential plastics and creates a strategy to scale reuse and refill infrastructure nation-wide to accelerate a transition to truly zero waste, low carbon systems.” The OECD agrees that bans on a “tiny share” of plastic waste will get us only so far. Its earlier February report on plastic concluded that “bans and taxes on single-use plastics exist in more than 120 countries but are not doing enough to reduce overall pollution.” The OECD is calling for “greater use of instruments such as Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for packaging and durables, landfill taxes, deposit-refund and Pay-as-You-Throw systems.”
Bans and taxes on single-use plastics exist in more than 120 countries but are not doing enough to reduce overall pollution.
–OECD
While announcing Canada’s new plastic ban June 20, Environment and Climate Change Canada didn’t mention any of the above, but the ministry did note that “moving toward a more circular economy for plastics could reduce carbon emissions by 1.8 megatonnes annually, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create approximately 42,000 jobs by 2030.” In a sea of despair over rising plastic pollution, some hopeful signs are floating to the top. As of July 1, India is banning a long list of single-use plastics, including plastic wrap, cutlery and plastic sticks. Austria is mandating that 25% of beverage bottles be refillable by 2025, while Chile is mandating a 30% quota. Back in California, ExxonMobil put out a statement denying the attorney general’s charges that it’s been misleading the public on the recyclability of plastics: “We are focused on solutions and meritless allegations like these distract from the important collaborative work that is underway to enhance waste management and improve circularity.” Of course, Exxon has also denied that it’s known about climate change for 40 years while spending millions on funding climate-change-denying think tanks. Judith Enck, president of the environmental group Beyond Plastics and a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, told Inside Climate News that California’s investigation is “very significant.” “[It has] the potential to finally hold plastic producers accountable for the immense environmental damage caused by plastics.” A version of this article appears in the summer issue of Corporate Knights magazine.
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Rethinking Recycling Efforts

TerraCycle Include USA Loop
Improved strategies to reuse and recover glass and aluminum can help retailers achieve sustainability goals
Marian Zboraj
Digital Editor
Marian Zboraj profile picture
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Rethinking Recycling Efforts
Tomra’s reverse vending solutions for collecting, reusing and recycling aluminum and glass now have the option to issue refunds with a digital voucher.
While numerous initiatives exist to reduce the amount of plastic consumption in retail, there are still plenty of other packaging materials that can have a negative impact on the environment if not responsibly conserved. Two of the most recyclable and reusable — and often overlooked — materials are glass and aluminum.

Greener Goals

In 2018, 39.6% of beer and soft-drink bottles were recovered for recycling, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with 39.8% of wine and liquor bottles and 15.0% of food and other glass jars recycled. In total, 33.1% of all glass food and beverage containers were recycled. Meanwhile, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Can Manufacturers Institute, the aluminum beverage can recycling rate was 45% in 2020.
Bumping up these percentages can vastly improve retailers’ sustainability goals. In fact, glass is infinitely recyclable — unlike some plastics — without experiencing any loss in purity or quality. The Arlington, Va.-based Glass Packaging Institute points out that more than a ton of natural resources is saved for every ton of glass recycled. One ton of carbon dioxide is reduced for every 6 tons of recycled container glass used in the manufacturing process.
The Can Manufacturers Institute also estimates that increasing the recycled content of the average can reduces its carbon footprint, since making an aluminum beverage can from recycled material results in more than 90% fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than making the container from primary material.

Consumer Collection

Seven in 10 supermarket shoppers are trying to reduce their impact on the environment, as indicated by a recent Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council North America report. Additionally, not all communities have recycling collections come to their homes. As a result, incorporating a recycling collection site at the retail level can have a direct impact on shopper loyalty. A convenient and easy option for grocery stores to help shoppers recycle aluminum and glass is via reverse vending machines, which collect empty and used bottles and cans in return for money or other forms of incentivization to the recycler.
One example of reverse vending solutions for collecting, reusing and recycling aluminum and glass is Norway-based Tomra. With 82,000-plus installations across more than 60 markets, Tomra’s reverse vending machines capture 40 billion used beverage containers every year, reducing reliance on raw materials and ensuring that fewer containers end up in landfills, oceans and streets, while bringing real benefits to stores and their communities.
Tomra’s various systems are geared toward grocery retailers of any size, with indoor and outdoor installations available. Units now have the option to issue recycling refunds not only with a traditional paper voucher, but also with a digital voucher — sent directly to the end user’s mobile phone, or via instant and secure electronic transfer to their account. Both digital payouts are enabled through the myTOMRA app. Campbell, Calif.-based Olyns also provides reverse vending solutions. In November 2021, the company raised a $1 million seed round led by Vanedge Capital. Olyns’ eye-catching bottle collection machine is designed for high-traffic indoor locations, and its gamified mobile app provides bottle refunds and rewards. Each Olyns machine reportedly collects about 1.5 metric tons of recycled material per year. Don’t forget partnering with CPG packaging companies like Westminster, Colo.-based Ball Corp., which supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products. Driving category growth, the company’s Ball Aluminum Cup can be easily recycled like its aluminum can counterparts. In fact, according to Ball Corp., aluminum cans, cups and bottles can be recycled and back on a store shelf within 60 days. Meanwhile, big-name retailers like Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart are touting their own recycling efforts. The food retailer joined forces with soft-drink giant PepsiCo Beverages North America in late August 2021 on a pilot program to boost recycling awareness and participation in Tulsa, Okla. Shoppers were invited to bring their beverage containers to be properly recycled from Thursdays to Sundays, with encouragement to participate via the chance to earn rewards and prizes.
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Rethinking Recycling Efforts
After Fred Meyer customers consume products that are part of Loop’s program, they drop off the packaging at designated in-store drop-off units to be picked up, cleaned, refilled and repurchased by a new shopper.

Get in the Loop

In addition to recycling efforts, retailers are accelerating initiatives in the reuse movement. TerraCycle’s Loop, the global reuse platform that was initially launched via e-commerce, is now moving in-store with food retailers. Loop is enabled by a multi-stakeholder coalition of manufacturers, retailers and consumers that aims to “Eliminate the Idea of Waste.” Loop’s movement to an in-store retail model began in Paris with Carrefour in December 2020. In  2021, Loop launched in-store at Aeon in Japan and at Tesco in the United Kingdom. The platform recently expanded to the United States with rollouts in such retailers as The Kroger Co. in October 2021. Loop’s business model consists of participating brands offering products in refillable, reusable glass or metal containers that are merchandised in dedicated Loop-specific displays. After customers consume the products, they drop off the empty packaging at designated drop-off units. Loop then picks up the empty containers from the store to be cleaned, refilled and made available for purchase by a new shopper.
“Loop’s goal has always been to grow, scale and be accessible to consumers around the world,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle and Loop. “With the world’s largest retailers bringing Loop to physical brick-and-mortar locations, we are giving consumers what they’ve been asking for since Loop was introduced in 2019 — the ability to purchase the products they use every day in durable, reusable containers, with the convenience of shopping at their local market.”
Cincinnati-based Kroger recently strengthened its partnership with Loop in February. Through a first-of-its-kind partnership in the United States, customers can now walk into one of 25 Kroger-owned Fred Meyer stores in the Portland, Ore., area and purchase more than 20 products from leading consumer brands packaged in reusable containers. The new Loop assortment includes well-known food and household products from a range of brands, including Arbor Teas, Cascade, Clorox, Gerber, Nature’s Heart, Nature’s Path, Pantene, Seventh Generation and Stubb’s, as well as Kroger’s own Simple Truth brand. More brands are expected to be added to the Loop product portfolio in the coming months.
“Our focus on innovative solutions as we continue on our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste journey aligns with Loop’s mission to create a convenient circular packaging platform,” notes Lisa Zwack, Kroger’s head of sustainability. “Customers are increasingly seeking out sustainable products and services that fit their lifestyle, and this collection makes it convenient. As the first grocer in America to offer these products, Kroger is pleased to take another meaningful step toward a world with zero waste.”
Be on the lookout for other reuse pioneers. For example, Algramo has developed a reuse system powered by vending machines that dispense household products into smart reusable packaging. The Chile-based company recently expanded into North America, and is now piloting is reuse systems in New York City, having previously piloted the system in its home country with retailers such as Walmart. Zero-waste grocers are also on the rise. With claims of being the first zero-waste grocery store, Nude Foods Market, in Boulder, Colo., has everything a traditional grocery store has — produce, prepared meals, snacks, bulk items, cleaning products, beauty products, and more — just without all of the plastic packaging. Instead, everything comes in reusable, returnable glass jars and is local, organic or rescued. Customers pay a small deposit per jar and then receive that deposit back, minus a small cleaning and sanitizing fee, to spend in the store when they return the jar. Promoting a circular economy, the jars are reused thousands of times.
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Verano eco: cinco trucos sencillos para minimizar el impacto ambiental de tus rutinas de belleza

TerraCycle Include Spain
Los españoles utilizamos a diario entre siete y nueve productos de cosmética e higiene personal, y el 52% del consumo general se basa en este tipo de productos, según la Asociación Nacional de Perfumería y Cosmética (Stanpa). En verano, además, solemos incrementar el consumo de estos productos, ya que utilizamos más cremas solares, aceites para hidratar el pelo, jabones, champús, cremas hidratantes con más frecuencia… Y por lo tanto el impacto sobre el entorno es aun mayor. TerraCycle, una compañía especializada en el tratamiento de residuos difíciles de reciclar, nos propone 5 trucos muy sencillos para hacer las rutinas de belleza más ecofriendly.
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2022 Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle Set to be 100% Carbon Neutral; Giant Food and GreenPrint Team to Make Popular Festival Greener

TerraCycle Include USA Loop Giant
Event to Spotlight Local Grocer's Commitment to Sustainability with Category Leaders including Divert, Loop and Volta LANDOVER, Md. , June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, announces that the 30th annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle will be 100% carbon neutral through a collaboration with GreenPrint, a global environmental technology leader of certified offset projects to reduce the harmful effects of carbon through reforestation, alternative energy and methane reduction. Giant's sustainability partners Divert, Loop and Volta will also be on-site at the event which takes place June 25-26, in person for the first time since 2019, and features live music, family entertainment and delicious BBQ.
Giant BBQ Battle Logo (PRNewsfoto/Giant Food)
This extends Giant's work with GreenPrint, a PDI Company. Earlier this year, Giant and GreenPrint announced a collaboration to offset up to 30% of consumers' vehicle emissions generated from gas sold at Giant Food gas pumps. Giant and GreenPrint are eager to team up to make the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle 100% carbon neutral for the first time through investments in certified carbon reduction projects. The certified offset projects are furthering environmental innovation to reduce the harmful effects of carbon and include reforestation, alternative energy and methane reduction. "We aim to be a leader in the sustainable grocery space and look forward to furthering our commitments to making a positive environmental impact by offering these programs to the communities Giant serves," said Steven Jennings, Brand Lead for Health and Sustainability at Ahold Delhaize USA, parent company of Giant Food. "With more than 125,000 visitors to our Giant National Capital Barbeque Battle, this is an ideal forum to share resources and sustainable examples with our guests, introducing them to the exciting work we are undertaking with these partners, GreenPrint, Divert, Loop and Volta." "GreenPrint is proud to be a part of this event and offset the carbon footprint. Giant Food is clearly demonstrating that they share environmental goals with their customers," said Pete Davis, co-founder and CEO of GreenPrint. "Defending and preserving our planet is not only the right thing to do, it's good business. Companies that are able to navigate the business of sustainability will be best positioned for future success." Reducing Food Waste Divert, a company leading the decarbonization of food waste in the retail industry by donating, repurposing and processing unsold food, will soon launch in all Giant stores. At this year's Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, Divert will install 20 bins throughout the festival to collect food waste and turn it into clean energy. The company will also be offering interactive and educational resources as well as sustainability focused giveaways. "At Divert, making the world more sustainable by reducing food waste is core to what we do, and we're honored to be a part of the 30th annual Barbecue Battle," said Ryan Begin, CEO at Divert. "We've been fighting the food waste battle for over 15 years and are excited to partner with Giant Food to help them meet progressive sustainability goals and have a positive impact on our communities and planet." Eliminating Single-Use Plastic Loop, the circular reuse platform designed to give consumers a new way to shop by offering a selection of products in reusable packaging rather than in single-use versions will debut its upcoming in-store purchase and return experience at Giant stores during the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle. Loop's platform will be available in 10 Giant stores this fall with leading consumer food and household product brands to choose from, with the intention to grow the item offerings and expand to more stores in 2023. The collaboration allows consumers to shop the Loop-ready products available in refillable, reusable containers within the dedicated Loop section at Giant, choose the items they wish to purchase and checkout as they would with any other product. After consumers use the products, they can return the empty containers to the Loop Return Point at Giant. From there, the containers are sent to Loop to be sanitized, then returned to the CPG suppliers to be refilled and returned to the store for future purchase. "I can't think of a better way to introduce Loop to Giant consumers than this milestone year marking three decades of the annual Barbecue Battle," said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop. "We are excited to bring Loop to Giant Food this fall, and the Barbecue Battle will be a great opportunity to show consumers how convenient reusable packaging can be." A Greener Footprint on the Road Volta, an industry leading electric vehicle charging network, has worked with Giant since 2020 to offer electric vehicle charging stations conveniently located near the front doors of the stores. Since the rollout, over one million electric miles have been delivered to customers. "We're thrilled to drive forward in partnership with Giant Food to further our goal of weaving EV charging seamlessly into people's everyday lives and offering customers the convenience of shopping while charging. While reducing emissions for the community, we're proud to acknowledge Giant's, 'A Million Miles Charged' at this year's Barbecue Battle," said Sharon Baker, Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at Volta. For more information about Giant's sustainability efforts, visit https://giantfood.com/pages/sustainability. About Giant Food Since opening its first location over 85 years ago in Washington, D.C. in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research and Social Equality. Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md. and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 152 full-service pharmacies, 92 full-service PNC Banks and 26 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the ways today's busy customers want to shop - whether in store or online. With 159 Giant Pickup locations and Giant Delivers available in all of its markets, customers have even more convenient options right at their fingertips to get the best products and prices, whenever and however they choose. For more information on Giant, visit: www.giantfood.com.
 

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Contact lens recycling program hits big milestone

TerraCycle Include Canada (English) CA Bausch + Lomb
For two years, eye doctors across Canada have been helping divert disposable contact lenses and wrapping from landfills through a special recycling program. Those who include that kind of waste in their household recycling might be surprised to know that it usually gets filtered out of the recycling stream and ends up at the dump or in waterways as microplastic. "Contact lenses are one of the forgotten waste streams that are often overlooked due to their size and how commonplace they are in today’s society," said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, in a news release. "(It) is very exciting because we recently hit a one million contact lenses and blister packs recycled milestone." It is estimated that 290 million contact lenses end up in Canadian landfills and waterways every year, Sudbury optician Beth Pentney told CTV News in an interview. "The blister packs, it’s made of foil and plastic so people know that that’s a recyclable product. They may toss it into their blue box, but because it’s so small, it will get filtered out of municipal recycling programs and end up in our landfills," Pentney said. "What I think is maybe even worse is that a 2018 study in the US suggested that about 20 per cent of people flush their contact lenses down the toilet or down the drain… and in the U.S., that’s equivalent to like three billion lenses per year." Her store, Walden Optical -- in the Greater Sudbury community of Lively, Ont. -- got involved as a drop-off point for contact lens recycling in 2020. "It’s important to me as a recent graduate, a new optician, that I’m a part of the solution in our industry. I wanted to make sure that the products that I was selling would be disposed of effectively," she said. "I think people are more and more concerned about their individual impact on the environment and contact lenses are an important part of peoples' daily lives. Particularly through the pandemic when everyone’s glasses have been fogging up. Contact lenses are a really vital part of peoples' lives, so having a way to recycle them and know that they’re going to get turned into something else and not just in our landfills is really important to people." Every Contact Counts is a partnership between contact lens manufacturer Bausch + Lomb and national recycling company TerraCycle, but all brands are accepted. There are drop-off locations across Canada, with 250 in Ontario alone. Find one near you here.
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Nécessaire Partners With TerraCycle to Launch US National Recycling Program

TerraCycle Include USA Necessaire
Nécessaire customers can recycle the empty products that are not readily recyclable via curb-side options.
Nécessaire, the creator of personal care products, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle to launch a US national recycling program for Nécessaire’s product packaging.
By participating, Nécessaire customers can recycle the empty products that are not readily recyclable via curb-side options.
“We are pleased to expand our recycling efforts via a partnership with TerraCycle,” said Nécessaire CEO / Co-Founder Randi Christiansen. “Today, we take a three-part approach to recycling – first, we continue to source materials we believe to have a better carbon footprint; second, we verify our recycling claims via How2Recycle; and third, we are excited to partner with TerraCycle to ensure that the packaging that cannot be readily recycled via US curb-side solutions now has a home. The fact is that we have a footprint at Nécessaire –  we take more than we give – and today, we recognize we can be responsible luxury at best. Joining forces with TerraCycle is part of our broader commitment to responsible luxury. A commitment towards which we still have far to go.”
Through the Nécessaire Recycling Program, consumers can send in the Nécessaire packaging that is not readily recyclable via curb-side programs, to be recycled for free, including but not limited to empty tubes, plastic closures, complex closures and pumps. Participation in the program is easy: sign up here and mail in eligible Nécessaire packaging using the provided prepaid UPS shipping label. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.
While the Nécessaire Recycling Program is an integral part of the brand’s strategy to mitigate its environmental footprint, it is certainly not the first impact initiative introduced by Nécessaire. Since 2019, its first year in business, Nécessaire was an inaugural member of Climate Neutral. Nécessaire has measured, offset and reduced its carbon outputs annually. Nécessaire is also a member of 1% For the Planet, allocating a 1% earth tax to environmental nonprofits defending its air, land, water and wildlife worldwide.
“More and more consumers are focusing not only on the wellness of the skin, but also on the wellness of the planet,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky. “By participating in the Nécessaire 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 hair care routines.”
The Nécessaire Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization.
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World Wisdom: TerraCycle Zero Waste Box

TerraCycle Include USA zero waste box
As another school year comes to an end, the time has come for teachers and parents everywhere to clean out their backpacks and classrooms and dispose of their well-loved school supplies. This year, instead of relegating all the spent writing instruments, used stationery, old toys, piles of empty cleaning products, and the numerous other items that have accumulated over the year to already overcrowded landfills - recycle them through TerraCycle.   International recycling leader TerraCycle is on a mission to help consumers recycle more and make the most out of their trash with a convenient recycling solution designed to solve virtually anything standard curbside recycling programs cannot accept – The Zero Waste Box (ZWB).   According to the EPA, Americans throw away over 1.6 million disposable pens a year. This is only a small fraction of all of the school supply waste that is landfilled annually. TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box solution provides a turn-key recycling option for all types of classroom waste, which are not typically recyclable through conventional recycling facilities. Available for both school-wide and individual use, the Zero Waste Box solution empowers students, teachers, and parents to responsibly dispose of their used school supplies while making an investment in preserving the environment for future generations.   “Don’t let the name Zero Waste Box fool you, these are far more than your standard cardboard box,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “Zero Waste Boxes allow consumers to recycle traditionally hard-to-recycle items with the assurance that these materials will not be landfilled. This school year TerraCycle is encouraging students, teachers, and parents to clean up their backpacks, classrooms, and the planet with the help of a Zero Waste Box.”   To recycle school supply waste, TerraCycle offers the following Zero Waste Boxes:   For large-scale recycling solutions, TerraCycle offers the following Zero Waste Pallets:   When full, the boxes are returned to TerraCycle for processing, and the collected items will be cleaned, processed into raw materials, and then remolded to make new products. Pricing is based on the amount of waste separation involved in the recycling process and the current shipping and recycling costs for each material type.   TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, created the Zero Waste Box program to provide solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste that cannot be recycled through TerraCycle’s brand-sponsored, national recycling programs or via standard municipal recycling. To learn more about TerraCycle and its innovative recycling solutions, visit www.terracycle.com.   About TerraCycle TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating in 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with its partners to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its reuse platform Loop gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and was named #10 in Fortune magazine's list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.com.
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