TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

RECICLAGEM

TerraCycle Include Brazil blog Esponjas
Em São Paulo, uma entidade chamada TerraCycle criou um programa de reciclagem que conseguiu motivar 500.000 usuárias de esponjas de uso doméstico para participar do que denominou Programa Nacional de Reciclagem de Esponjas.
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This Drugstore Brand Has A Better Idea For What To Do With Your Empties

TerraCycle Garnier Include USA
Once you’ve worn your lipstick down to a sorry nub, cut the bottom off your liquid foundation to get to the leftovers that are stuck to the sides, used a Q-tip to dig out the very last drop of your fancy night cream, artfully arranged them in proper flat lay form, photographed them, adjusted the brightness and contrast, posted it to Instagram, and hashtagged “#empties,” all you’re left with is plastic. And plastic, regardless of what it once was in a past life, needs to be recycled. Unfortunately, nearly half of Americans do not recycle their beauty and personal care products, according to a national survey. That means that a significant amount of landfill is made up of empty tubs of La Mer bottles, Diptyque candle jars, and Naked palettes that’ve been used down to the pan. That sucks — but it doesn’t have to stay that way. In an effort to change this statistic and make a positive impact on the world at large, Garnier is teaming up with DoSomething.org, America’s largest organization for young people and social change, to launch Rinse, Recycle, Repeat, a national campaign and college campus competition with a goal of educating the nation’s youth about the importance of recycling those empties. But don’t worry: You have full license to wait until after you’ve ‘grammed them. Nobody is trying to take that away from you — in fact, social participation is requested. That’s exactly why YouTuber Remi Cruz will serve as the face of the campaign, starring in a public service announcement about recycling her own beauty products. “Rinse, Recycle, Repeat combines my three favorite things: beauty products, creativity, and most importantly, doing my part to help the environment,” Cruz said. If you, too, enjoy those things, it’s easy to get involved. You can sign up online by clicking here and enter to win a $5,000 scholarship — if you’re in college, that is — or get a free shipping label to send your own empties off to TerraCycle for responsible recycling. The goal is to divert a total of 10 million beauty products from landfills by the end of 2017. Save your empties, save the world.
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5 “Lightweighted” Items that Make a Heavy Environmental Impact

TerraCycle Include USA
When it comes to living sustainably, less is more. Setting out to buy less, consume less and waste less often translates into a reduced carbon footprint, offsetting demand for the goods and services that put strain on the earth’s finite resources. However, a smaller package doesn’t always equal a smaller environmental impact, as demonstrated by the trend of “lightweighting” in consumer product packaging.   In a nutshell, “lightweighting” is the practice of cutting down the amount of packaging material used to make it, or replacing it with a lighter weight alternative entirely (i.e. glass vs plastic); the average consumer will see this most often in the food and beverage market, which increasingly innovates to satisfy needs of convenience, function and novelty in today’s fast-paced culture.   But the trade-off of a smaller, lighter package is often one that is neither reusable nor recyclable, destined for landfill or incineration and the inevitable pollution of our natural ecosystems.   Here are 5 examples of common “lightweighted” food and beverage packaging items that are making a heavy environmental impact:   1. Plastic bottles   Once upon a time, beverages were delivered and bottled in durable, reusable, highly recyclable (albeit, heavy) glass. When high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was introduced in the early 1960s, the use of plastic to bottle beverages went from being an expensive technology into an affordable, economically viable practice. Plastic’s lightweight nature, relatively low production and transportation costs and resistance to breakage made them popular with manufacturers and customers.   Today, the food and beverage industry has almost completely replaced glass bottles with plastic bottles. While many plastic bottles are readily recyclable in most municipalities, they belong on this list because so little of this material is captured for recycling, and so many plastic bottles are, believe it or not, viewed as being disposable and tossed in the trash.   2. Modern cartons   We’ve come a long way from the patent of the “paper bottle,” the first milk carton featuring a folding paper box for holding milk. Nowadays, cartons are available in two categories – refrigerated (gable-top) and shelf-stable (or aseptic). The first type is comprised mostly of paper and can be processed by some municipal recycling facilities.   The second, not so much.Multi-compositional packaging (like almond milk boxes) tends to get difficult-to-recycle, and carton technologies have evolved to feature various combinations of plastic, metal and paper, moisture barriers; a typical shelf-stable carton averages 74 percent paper, 22 percent plastic and 4 percent aluminum. Though the Carton Council recognized this problem and set out to increase access to carton recycling across the U.S., many consumers do not think cartons are recyclable.   3. Disposable add-ons   Speaking of cartons, the ones with the old-fashioned “gable top” are often given a modern upgrade with pour spouts and screw-top caps. Drink pouches (#4, coming up) will come with little straws, as will little juice boxes (a mini carton, really).   Though they are often comprised of a rigid, single-compositional plastic material, the various closures and fitments that give “lightweighted” items high functionality (i.e. straws, caps, spoons, etc.) are not recyclable through curbside collections due to their small size. These loose add-ons fall through the screeners at municipal recycling facilities and are missed for recovery.   4. Pouches   A flexible plastic juice pouch is multi-compositional in nature and not recyclable in the current waste management infrastructure. The multi-layer films from which most pouches are comprised are often made up of several different plastics, which are difficult to recycle because these components require separating. Same goes for baby food pouches, performance nutrition packaging pouches and snack bags.   5. Sachet   Today, one of the most extreme examples of “lightweighted” packaging is a small, thin, flexible plastic pouch-like item called a sachet. Think single-serving configurations of hot chocolate, coffee, juice packets and instant soup. Other consumables like laundry detergent and dish soap are also sold in sachets.   These single-use sachets are very inexpensive to make, which brings down cost for consumers, making them quite popular in many areas. However, these items also fall outside the scope of recyclability due to their small size, and are prone to end up in oceans and waterways.  
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TerraCycle to give away recycled playground to school that collects most dental waste

TerraCycle Include USA Colgate ShopRite Playground
Schools will have a chance to win a recycled playground (like the one pictured here) by sending TerraCycle their dental waste, such as toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers and toothbrushes.COURTESY OF TERRACYCLE TRENTON >> TerraCycle, the city’s recycle-everything company, is challenging schools to send them their dental waste for a chance to win a playground.  Of course — in true TerraCycle fashion — the playground will also be made from recycled oral waste products.  For the 2017 Recycled Playground Challenge, TerraCycle is teaming up once again with Colgate and ShopRite for the fourth consecutive year. The recycling battle starts this Sunday, March 12 and ends June 30, 2017. Participating schools will receive one (1) “Playground Credit” for each unit, defined as 0.02 pounds, of discarded toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers and toothbrushes sent to TerraCycle. Credits can also be earned by community members voting for schools online at terracycle.com/colgateshopriteplayground2017.
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The Incredible Shrinking Beverage Package

TerraCycle Include USA
Goods and services evolve to meet the needs of the modern consumer, but one thing that we always need (being 65% liquids, and all) are beverages to stay hydrated. Packaging technologies have long made big business out of bottling liquids for a thirsty populace. Today, the beverage industry is long expanded beyond the simple bottled milk, soda and wine of yore to bring to market electrolyte water, craft beer, cartoned coconut waters and instant vitamin lemonade…the list goes on.   Our thirst for new and exciting things in the consumer beverage industry has stoked the innovation of both the products themselves, and their packaging. It seems that the more we innovate, the less packaging material there is, the result of a product packaging trend called “lightweighting.”   A (Quick) History of Beverage Packaging   Before the ubiquity of home refrigerators, milk (and other items like eggs, butter and cream) would spoil if not refreshed in small amounts and with frequency. Long replenished by delivery service people in the jugs or other durable, reusable containers provided by customers, these products would eventually be delivered in reusable glass bottles provided by milk distributors that customers would then wash and leave out on their doorstep once empty.   Lighter and more portable than a thick, glass bottle, commercial metal cans used to store and preserve food began production early as the 1800s, but introduction of the beer can in 1935 got the ball rolling in terms of a viable way to mass package and distribute beverages. Initially either “cone topped” or featuring flat ends that required a "church key" to open (many of today’s cans are still opened this way), the invention of the pull-tab in 1959 revolutionized the metal can as a light, convenient vessel for beverages with high function and recyclability.   The use of plastic to bottle beverages went from being an expensive technology into an affordable, economically viable practice when high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was introduced in the early 1960s. Compared to glass bottles, plastic’s lightweight nature, relatively low production and transportation costs and resistance to breakage made them popular with manufacturers and customers.  Today, the food and beverage industry has almost completely replaced glass bottles with plastic bottles.   While all of this was happening, the concept of carton-based packaging offered a lighter, paper-centric alternative to glass, metal and plastic packaging that continues to develop today. Around the turn of the century, the patent of the first “paper bottle” called the "Pure-Pak" featured a folding paper box for holding milk that could be glued and sealed at a dairy farm for distribution. Since, carton technologies have evolved to feature various combinations of plastic, metal and paper, moisture barriers, and/or rigid plastic closures and fitments for function and convenience. Today, one of the most extreme examples of “lightweighted” packaging is a small, thin, flexible plastic pouch-like item called a sachet. Single-use sachets are very inexpensive to make, which brings down cost for consumers. These items also fall outside the scope of recyclability due to their small size, and are prone to end up in oceans and waterways. The Problem with “Lightweighting” Many of today’s beverage packaging innovations are considered more convenient and more affordable for the consumer, due to their using less natural resources to produce. They are also often marketed as making less of an environmental impact, because they take up less volume. However, simply put, today’s most recognizable “innovations” in beverage products (i.e. juice pouches, aseptic juice and water cartons, instant drink power sachets) are difficult to recycle and considered “disposable,” tracked for landfill and the inevitable pollution of our natural ecosystems. This is because they are: 1) multi-compositional - made from a combination of different types of plastic, paper, and/or metal 2) too small to be captured by municipal recycling facilities.  The “cool,” innovative fitments that give your “lightweighted” items high functionality (i.e. straws, caps, spoons, etc.) are also not recyclable through curbside collections due to their small size. Message in a Bottle: Where do we go? It seems that we have come a long way from getting our milk delivered to our doorstep in glass bottles. The fact is, we can do well to look to the past to create more sustainable systems of consumption. Try to steer clear of plastic bottles; although plastic is readily recyclable in many municipalities, there is declining market for it on the backend. Opting for a reusable water or beverage bottle will help you cut down on some of your plastic consumption, as well as keep you hydrated all day. Bigger isn’t always better, but when it comes to product packaging, namely in the beverage industry, looking to the history of what has long worked to sustain consumers (like you!) in the past can help us tap into what it is we really want out of our products.
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The Incredible Shrinking Beverage Package

Uncategorized TerraCycle
Goods and services evolve to meet the needs of the modern consumer, but one thing that we always need (being 65% liquids, and all) are beverages to stay hydrated. Packaging technologies have long made big business out of bottling liquids for a thirsty populace. Today, the beverage industry is long expanded beyond the simple bottled milk, soda and wine of yore to bring to market electrolyte water, craft beer, cartoned coconut waters and instant vitamin lemonade…the list goes on.    Our thirst for new and exciting things in the consumer beverage industry has stoked the innovation of both the products themselves, and their packaging. It seems that the more we innovate, the less packaging material there is, the result of a product packaging trend called “lightweighting.”   A (Quick) History of Beverage Packaging Before the ubiquity of home refrigerators, milk (and other items like eggs, butter and cream) would spoil if not refreshed in small amounts and with frequency. Long replenished by delivery service people in the jugs or other durable, reusable containers provided by customers, these products would eventually be delivered in reusable glass bottles provided by milk distributors that customers would then wash and leave out on their doorstep once empty.    Lighter and more portable than a thick, glass bottle, commercial metal cans used to store and preserve food began production early as the 1800s, but introduction of the beer can in 1935 got the ball rolling in terms of a viable way to mass package and distribute beverages. Initially either “cone topped” or featuring flat ends that required a "church key" to open (many of today’s cans are still opened this way), the invention of the pull-tab in 1959 revolutionized the metal can as a light, convenient vessel for beverages with high function and recyclability.    The use of plastic to bottle beverages went from being an expensive technology into an affordable, economically viable practice when high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was introduced in the early 1960s. Compared to glass bottles, plastic’s lightweight nature, relatively low production and transportation costs and resistance to breakage made them popular with manufacturers and customers.  Today, the food and beverage industry has almost completely replaced glass bottles with plastic bottles.   While all of this was happening, the concept of carton-based packaging offered a lighter, paper-centric alternative to glass, metal and plastic packaging that continues to develop today. Around the turn of the century, the patent of the first “paper bottle” called the "Pure-Pak" featured a folding paper box for holding milk that could be glued and sealed at a dairy farm for distribution. Since, carton technologies have evolved to feature various combinations of plastic, metal and paper, moisture barriers, and/or rigid plastic closures and fitments for function and convenience. Today, one of the most extreme examples of “lightweighted” packaging is a small, thin, flexible plastic pouch-like item called a sachet. Single-use sachets are very inexpensive to make, which brings down cost for consumers. These items also fall outside the scope of recyclability due to their small size, and are prone to end up in oceans and waterways. The Problem with “Lightweighting” Many of today’s beverage packaging innovations are considered more convenient and more affordable for the consumer, due to their using less natural resources to produce. They are also often marketed as making less of an environmental impact, because they take up less volume. However, simply put, today’s most recognizable “innovations” in beverage products (i.e. juice pouches, aseptic juice and water cartons, instant drink power sachets) are difficult to recycle and considered “disposable,” tracked for landfill and the inevitable pollution of our natural ecosystems. This is because they are: 1) multi-compositional - made from a combination of different types of plastic, paper, and/or metal 2) too small to be captured by municipal recycling facilities.  The “cool,” innovative fitments that give your “lightweighted” items high functionality (i.e. straws, caps, spoons, etc.) are also not recyclable through curbside collections due to their small size. Message in a Bottle: Where do we go? It seems that we have come a long way from getting our milk delivered to our doorstep in glass bottles. The fact is, we can do well to look to the past to create more sustainable systems of consumption. Try to steer clear of plastic bottles; although plastic is readily recyclable in many municipalities, there is declining market for it on the backend. Opting for a reusable water or beverage bottle will help you cut down on some of your plastic consumption, as well as keep you hydrated all day. Bigger isn’t always better, but when it comes to product packaging, namely in the beverage industry, looking to the history of what has long worked to sustain consumers (like you!) in the past can help us tap into what it is we really want out of our products.
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500 Millones de envases de champú serán elaborados con plásticos reciclados de posconsumo.

TerraCycle Tom Szaki Include Mexico P&G Suez Head & Shoulders

P&G ha anunciado que para finales de 2018 más de 500 millones de envases en Europa incluirán hasta un 25% de plástico reciclado posconsumo. Esto representa el 90% de todas las botellas de productos para el cuidado del cabello que la compañía vende cada año en Europa, de marcas insignia como Pantene y Head & Shoulders (H&S).

La compañía multinacional Procter & Gamble ha anunciado que su marca de champú Head & Shoulders (H&S) producirá la primera botella de champú del mundo fabricada con plástico reciclado recogido en las playas. Concretamente, estos nuevos envases incluirán un 25% de material reciclado.

En colaboración con las empresas TerraCycle y SUEZ, esta innovación llegará a Francia este verano como una botella de edición limitada a disposición de los consumidores de la cadena minorista Carrefour.

Esta será la producción más grande del mundo de botellas reciclables hechas con plástico posconsumo reciclado (PCR) de playa y un primer paso importante en el establecimiento de una cadena de suministro única que implica el apoyo de miles de voluntarios y cientos de ONG en las playas.

“Fuimos conscientes de que la principal marca de champú en ventas tenía que liderar la innovación en sostenibilidad y animar así a toda la industria a hacer lo mismo”, dijo Lisa Jennings, vicepresidenta de Head & Shoulders.

Además, P&G ha anunciado que para finales de 2018 más de 500 millones de envases en Europa incluirán hasta un 25% de plástico reciclado posconsumo. El proyecto requerirá un suministro de 2.600 toneladas anuales de plástico reciclado. P&G ha utilizado el plástico reciclado en envases desde hace más de 25 años, y el anuncio es un paso importante de la compañía para cumplir su objetivo para 2020 de duplicar el tonelaje de plástico posconsumo reciclado utilizado en los envases.

Según la Fundación Ellen MacArthur, el 95% del valor del material de envases plásticos, que oscila entre 80.000 y 120.000 millones de dólares anuales, se pierde como residuo, y al ritmo actual, en 2050 podría haber más plástico que peces en el océano.

“La botella de champú reciclable Head & Shoulders fabricada con plástico de playa es la primera del mundo en la categoría de cuidado del cabello. Aumentar el uso de plástico reciclado en los envases de nuestras marcas insignia, como Pantene y Head & Shoulders, facilita a los consumidores poder elegir productos más sostenibles, sin concesiones”, dijo Virginie Helias, vicepresidenta de Sostenibilidad Global de P&G

“Estamos orgullosos de trabajar con una de las marcas más grandes del mundo para crear un producto innovador”, dijo Tom Szaky, CEO de TerraCycle. “Con la economía circular ganando más atracción, esperamos que otras marcas globales trabajen con proveedores verdes y usen su influencia para impulsar el cambio en beneficio del medio ambiente”, concluyó.

Por su parte, Jean-Marc Boursier, vicepresidente ejecutivo senior de SUEZ, recordó que “con nueve instalaciones dedicadas de plástico en toda Europa, Suez ya produce 170.000 toneladas de polímeros reciclados de alta calidad”.

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