TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

Taking Care of Business

TerraCycle Include USA Shrink Wrap Recycling Program
This nonprofit is working to make sure shrink-wrap gets recycled and reused after boats are launched
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What happens to all that plastic shrink-wrap after your boatyard crew pulls it off and launches your boat in the spring? That’s the question the Rhode Island-based nonprofit Clean Ocean Access wants boaters all across the United States to ask as part of its Shrink Wrap Recycling and Life Cycle Analysis program. The program started in April 2019 and just got a boost by way of a partnership with TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects waste and then partners with corporations or municipalities to turn the waste into raw materials and make new things. “When we looked at it in 2019 in the United States, about 3 million metric tons of low-density polyethylene was made. That’s things like your bread bag, plastic bags—plastic you can stretch with your hands, more like garbage bags than bottles,” says Max Kraimer, project coordinator for Clean Ocean Access. About 4,000 of those 3 million metric tons is shrink-wrap used in the marine industry, he adds—a small percentage, but a tangible one.
“We think that by targeting the culture, we can better relay the information about the recycling industry and the issues of plastic pollution,” he says. Clean Ocean Access is now deploying about $87,000 from an 11th Hour Racing grant to subsidize and incentivize the creation of a circular economy for shrink-wrap—meaning that used shrink-wrap gets recycled and turned into new shrink-wrap. The idea is to work not only with services that collect the used shrink-wrap, but also to work with waste haulers who pick up the discarded shrink-wrap, squish it into blocks that weigh about 1,800 pounds apiece, and then look to resell the raw material. The cash injection is needed for this type of circular economy, Kraimer says, because right now, it’s a lot cheaper for companies making plastic products to use virgin materials instead of recycled ones. The program targeting shrink-wrap is intended to level out that economic imbalance as an example of how it might be done on a wider scale. “If enough boat owners demand recycling and enough marinas want it, then some waste hauler will want to offer that service, and we can infuse it into our project.”  —Max Kraimer, Clean Ocean Access “About 10 years ago, one of those 1,800-pound blocks, they could sell it for about 15 cents per pound,” Kraimer says. “In 2017 and even today, you can sell it internationally for about 5 cents per pound. If you wanted to sell that in our country, you’re lucky to get 1 cent per pound. So we’re infusing grant money to these waste haulers, as an incentive. We’re helping to provide places where people can drop it off. And, we’re providing the incentive to the waste hauler to actually recycle it here domestically.” Dave McLaughlin, the executive director of Clean Ocean Access, says that if the nonprofit can succeed where shrink-wrap is concerned, then the marine industry program could become a building block for bigger programs that involve other items made from low-density polyethylene. “I think the best-case scenario is that we’ll have a prototype that demonstrates a circular economy for this kind of material,” McLaughlin says. “For that to go to scale for all of the material being used, we’re stitching different partners together.” Kraimer says that nationwide, maybe 10 percent of low-density polyethylene products are being collected for recycling and reuse. A lot of what does get collected becomes composite wood materials that can be used to build things such as park benches, home decks and playgrounds. The difference between the amount of material being recycled from a single plastic bag and a the shrink-wrap for a single boat is around 30 pounds, Kraimer says. And compared with collection sites at supermarkets for recycling plastic bags, there aren’t nearly as many recycling bins for shrink-wrap. Some states, including Rhode Island, have had collection programs for more than a decade, he says. But while the collected material might have ended up changed a few years ago, that was not always the case when China stopped accepting plastic waste. Prior to that, China had handled nearly half of the world’s recyclable waste. “The move was an effort to halt a deluge of contaminated materials overwhelming Chinese processing facilities and leaving the country with yet another environmental problem,” according to Yale School of the Environment. The change in China meant that even U.S. locations with good recycling programs needed a way to actually recycle or reuse the collected materials.
The difference between the amount of material recycled from a single plastic bag and the shrink-wrap for a boat is 30 pounds, but there aren’t many recycling bins for shrink-wrap.The difference between the amount of material recycled from a single plastic bag and the shrink-wrap for a boat is 30 pounds, but there aren’t many recycling bins for shrink-wrap. Adobe Stock
“What we’re doing is kind of closing the loop, making sure the material that’s being collected is actually being domestically recycled, and then we’re taking it a step further to see how we can turn that recycled material back into shrink-wrap,” McLaughlin says. “In today’s day and age, a lot of what recycling means is ‘I’m not throwing it out.’ We’re trying to change that paradigm to one of responsibility. If you’re paying for it and you think it’s being recycled, it should turn back into the material that it started as.” To help expand the program, Clean Ocean Access is asking boaters to let the organization know what happens to the shrink-wrap that comes off their boats this spring. Boaters can click on the “get involved” tab under “take action” on the group’s website. “We want to collect as much information as possible about how these things are happening. Or, if you find out you don’t know—if you’re just paying somebody to take it off your boat, and you have no idea where it goes—we want to know that too,” Kraimer says. “If enough boat owners demand recycling and enough marinas want it, then some waste hauler will want to offer that service, and we can infuse it into our project.” This article was originally published in the January 2021 issue.
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The Clean Beauty And Wellness Gift Guide

TerraCycle Include USA Saie
For beauty and wellness gifts that transport you from a lockdown shower to a spa or a meadow of flowers, here are a few options that come close—at least for a few fleeting moments. In addition, many of these brands are cutting down on plastic waste, giving back to communities in need, and redefining what beauty really is all about—all good things to pass on as a gift. California beauty company All Good came out with a zero-plastic beauty kit that has all the essentials. In addition, they debuted this fall, a new line up lip and cheek tints in recyclable glass pots. The botanically derived ingredients are combined with clean mineral pigments and SPF 15 non-nano zinc–that is reef friendly–for a perfect blend of beauty and sustainability. A 100% plant-based formula and in recyclable cartons, these shampoo bars actually work. If you’ve tried washing your hair with a bar of soap, it can lead to mixed results. But a new lineup of companies such as Each & Every are producing a modern era of shampoo bars that are effective and eco-friendly. Made with no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, synthetic dyes or synthetic fragrance, each bar is sizable and will last longer than the average shampoo bottle (which is primarily water). Too many options overwhelm you at the drugstore? Are other brands too pricey? This new skincare company wants to marry vegan, clean beauty with affordability. All products are priced under $30. Founder Matthias Hug put them to the test, seeing how this simplified beauty regime would deal with adult acne. It worked — just as well as pricier options on the market. Made with vegan botanicals and free of potentially irritating ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and artificial fragrances, Fluer & Bee products are manufactured in a lab that runs on 100% wind energy and the company aims to be carbon neutral by 2021. In addition, they donate 1% of all sales to Days for Girls, a nonprofit women's empowerment organization that distributes menstrual hygiene products to girls in need who would otherwise miss school. A clean beauty brand for the makeup and skincare lover. The Sunset Kit has some of the Ilia’s best offerings in a curated selection — and ready for travel (in a post COVID world). Set includes two full-sized clean favorites and two minis; an idea way to dip into the world of clean beauty. Ilia already uses recycled aluminum, glass, and responsibly-sourced paper, and is pushing for better packaging materials for the beauty industry. As one of the early adopters of clean beauty, founder Sasha Plavsic has been on a decade-long journey, passionate about fusing skincare with modern-day cosmetics in an eco-friendly manner. For dry cold windy days, shea butter is a thick, emollient cream with an endless list of uses and cherished in West Africa where it stems from. This one, by Ten Thousand Villages, celebrates the shea butter’s native roots in Ghana where its hand-harvested from shea trees and thoughtfully packaged in a ceramic container, decorated with recycled glass beads made by local artisans. Tea tree and lemon-scented, this versatile cream can be applied to dry, flaky problems or rubbed into your legs and arms after a shower for smooth limbs all winter long. Kylie Antolini, proprietor and founder of Wildwood Candle Co., is an avid trail runner, Portland resident, and candle-obsessed connoisseur. She brings all three together with Wildwood Candle Co., named after the trails in Forest Park, a municipal park with over 70 miles of single track trails to explore, in Portland, Oregon. It is her goal to be able to give back by donating at least 5% of profits to the Forest Park Conservancy. The Forest Park Conservancy plays the most important role in maintaining the ecological health and soft surface trails of the park. Each scent represents the names of trails that connect to Wildwood, or are an attraction within the Forest Park acreage. If you cannot get outside this holiday season, you can at least take in the scents of the Pacific Northwest with its crisp winter air, and the smell of freshly fallen fir needles. If you have a friend that is a scent-lover and fragrance nut, send her this sampler kit by Zents featuring their entire range (and maybe a gift card so she can get a full-size bottle of her favorite?). Inspired by the his travels to India after a car accident that left him in pain and injured, Cord Coen learned ancient healing practices, which included the power of fragrance. Given Coen’s experience in India, Zents mixes beauty with service and is committed to paying it forward. The company curates seva (selfless service in Hindi) to support a host of organizations: to increase access to healthcare through Project C.U.R.E; to teach mindfulness through the David Lynch Foundation; to care for the environment through IDE; to support the arts through Playing for Change; to protect the animals through Animal Welfare Institute; and lastly, to integrate eastern healing techniques with western medicine, The Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT) Program by Urban Zen Foundation Instagram favorite brand Saie (pronounced as “say”) has brought together beauty industry executives to create a clean beauty brand that’s affordable. If you’re looking for stocking stuffers, their moisturizing balm is a favorite, leaving you with a universal pink tint that can polish off any natural look. Their packaging is made with recycled plastic, and is recyclable — yes, we know the challenges with recycling. So Saie has partnered with TerraCycle to get back empty tubes at their end of life: when you’re finished with the product, send them an email. They’ll mail you a shipping label to recycle the materials properly. And the company is working on improving this process further. Created by co-founder and CEO of Bluemercury Marla Beck, who looks after the growing network of Bluemercury stores around the country, which specialize in clean beauty and wellness, Lune+Aster is their in-house brand. With vitamin-infused, paraben-free formulas, the brand describes its collection as “minimal effort, maximum impact makeup.” The Golden Hour palette brings everyday nudes, pinks, and peachy tones together for a versatile set that will suit a variety of skin colors. Classic, long-lasting, and an elegant palette that any lady would love to add to her collection. It’s almost been a decade since founders Alexander Kummerow and Julia Wills started concocting natural skincare solutions in their Seattle kitchen and posting them on Etsy as a small business. As the years have progressed, their formulations have improved resulting in a crowd-favorite, the Pink Cloud Cleanser, which removes makeup, cleanses the skin, but is also low-foaming, non-stripping, and has a heavenly scent. It’s 30 seconds of luxury to start or end your day. Packed in a glass bottle, it’s a beautiful addition to your bathroom countertop as well. If you’re looking to clean up your nail care routine, Cote nail polishes are made without the five major nail polish toxins. They come in nuanced shades of nudes, pinks, corals, and reds. Until manicures at the local salon become a regular treat, these little nail polishes will keep you feeling feminine and refined. Pair with base and top coat to give them longer staying power. Cote also recycles all its used polish bottles, and 0ffers customers 10 percent off your next Cote polish purchase by bringing any used bottle of polish into the shop. Working in conjunction with an environmental services company that provides recycling management services specific to nail polish, Cote repurposes the polishes used in their retail locations. Thought a bit more on the pricey side, Organic Pharmacy is one of the UK’s most well-known clean beauty brands, started 18 years ago. This Hero Skin Care kit brings together all their best-selling products into a luxurious gift. This holiday season they’re also partnering with the Prince’s Trust, which has an initiative titled Women Supporting Women, in an effort to create a stronger community and better resources for vulnerable women in the UK. In 2020 and 2021, 10% of profits will go to this initiative. These artfully-designed clay stones will make you feel like you’re at a spa. Made to help with exfoliation and circulate blood flow, they’re a meditative way to spend a few extra minutes in the shower each week. If COVID has left you missing the occasional indulgence of a spa, these beautiful creations will transport you and leave you feeling smooth and refreshed. The skin-smoothing stones are artisan-made in the South of France and come in two sizes for face and body.
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ONE by ONE with Bausch + Lomb

TerraCycle Include USA B+L
Bausch + Lomb’s exclusive ONE by ONE Recycling program has recycled nearly 27 million used contact lenses, top foils and blister packs since launching in November 2016. The program, made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, has diverted more than 162,000 pounds of contact lens waste from oceans, lakes, streams and landfills.   “As a leader in the eye health industry and the originator of the first soft contact lens, we are proud to provide the ONE by ONE Recycling program to contact lens wearers to help prevent these used materials from ending up in our environment,” says John Ferris, general manager, U.S. Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb. “In addition, as part of our overall approach to sustainability, we continually evaluate the full life cycle of our lenses. In fact, many of our contact lenses, including Biotrue ONEday daily disposables, are manufactured in facilities that have adopted zero-waste-to-landfill initiatives and have achieved diversion rates of 94 to 99 percent during the past few years, further supporting our longstanding commitment to doing all we can to lessen our company’s overall environmental footprint.”   Today, more than 5,500 optometry practices are registered with the ONE by ONE Recycling program. To participate, contact lens wearers can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to one of these offices, which collects the used lens materials in a custom recycling bin provided by Bausch + Lomb. Once the bin is filled, the optometry practice will ship the materials to TerraCycle for proper recycling using a prepaid shipping label.   For every 10 pounds of material received from the ONE by ONE Recycling Program, TerraCycle donates $10 to Optometry Giving Sight, an organization that funds programs that provide eye examinations and low-cost eyeglasses to people in need, including tens of millions of children with uncorrected myopia.   In 2019, Bausch + Lomb took the program one step further by repurposing the recycled waste and combining it with other recycled material to create custom training modules that were donated to the Guide Dog Foundation, a national not-for-profit that trains guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. The modules, which included benches, tables, waste stations and an agility ramp, are used to train the dogs and to further enhance the organization’s Smithtown, N.Y., campus for those who visit.   To register and learn more about the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program, visit www.bauschrecycles.com or speak to a Bausch + Lomb sales representative.

–Andrew Karp

 
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TerraCycle Completes $25 Million Funding

TerraCycle Nestle Include USA Procter & Gamble Suez Aptar Ocean Sky Ventures ImpactAssets Quadia
Procter & Gamble is among investors in round to fund Loop.
TerraCycle Completes $25 Million Funding
TerraCycle, manager of Loop Global Holdings LLC, has completed a Series A “Founding Investors” capital raise of $25 million for Loop, its global reuse platform. The capital is expected to fund operations to profitability, according to Trenton, NJ-based TerraCycle. Investors include Procter & Gamble as well as Nestlé, SUEZ, Aptar, Sky Ocean Ventures, ImpactAssets and Quadia. "Given Loop's global momentum and the limited amount of capital being raised, it was important for us to pick partners who firmly believe in Loop's mission to establish modern-day reuse systems," said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. "With this community of partners, Loop is the beginning of the end of disposability, making reuse a viable and accessible option for CPGs, retailers and consumers." Loop was founded and is managed by TerraCycle, which operates specialty recycling services in 20 countries, working with leading consumer product companies, retailers, cities and facilities to recycle products and packages that would otherwise be incinerated, including contact lenses, beauty care, coffee capsules, oral care, cigarette butts and PPE. "P&G has successfully partnered with TerraCycle for over a decade. This led to P&G becoming the first investor and the first consumer packaged goods company to participate in Loop, with several of our leading global brands, including Pantene. Today's announcement is an important milestone in our mission to enable responsible consumption at scale," said Robert van Pappelendam, senior vice president, global hair care, Procter & Gamble. "We believe the time is now to create disruptive actions that drive the mindset shift required for truly responsible consumption. Creating products that work well is not enough: they must also respect the environment and improve our quality of life." Launched in May 2019, Loop enables consumers to shop for products in durable packaging that is used, cleaned, refilled and used again, and then fully recyclable after 20 to 100 uses. It enables brands to develop more valuable and distinctive products and packaging and provides consumers with more beautiful, functional and "milk-man model" deposit/return packaging. To date, Loop has enlisted more than 100 brands globally and offers over approximately 400 products.  It is available in the continental United States, the UK and France. By the end of 2021 Loop will also be operating in Canada, Japan and Australia and be available in approximately 1,000 retail stores in five countries.    
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Trashless Pet Store recycles dog food bags into materials with delivery service

TerraCycle Include USA ZWB
Michelle Smith was a customer of Trashless, an online grocery store that delivers fresh, local food in reusable containers such as mason jars. Each time you order, you put out the containers from the previous order. Those containers are picked up, cleaned and reused.   Smith says it struck her that she was doing everything she could to not create waste, but each month she would have big, empty dog food bags left over. She tried her hand at using online ordering for pet food and treats, but those companies always delivered food in huge boxes with a lot of packing materials.   Smith created Trashless Pet Store, an online pet food delivery service that now Trashless Pet Store now operates under the umbrella of Trashless, with the same delivery drivers. It has 10 different pet food brands that are animal welfare certified.     Trashless Pet Store doesn't use boxes when it delivers pet food, and it will pick up the used food bags to be recycled by TerraCycle. The bags then become materials used in plastic chairs, watering cans and leashes, among other things.   You can order samples of food to have your pet try before buying a big bag. Those samples come in mason jars.   It's also partnered with Austin Pets Alive to pick up their bags to have them recycled. Since August, it's picked up 600 bags that would have gone into the trash.   "It's practically a no-brainer," says Stephanie Bilbro, director of lifesaving operations at Austin Pets Alive. Instead of putting the bags in the trash, the staff just puts them in a tub for Trashless Pet Store to collect a couple of times a week. "It's silly not to do it, knowing that they are able to upcycle this stuff that would end up in our dumpster."   The Austin Pets Alive partnership was designed as a test project.   "Hopefully, it would be a great model for other shelters," Smith says. "It can make a huge impact."  
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Tupperware Is Having a Great Year, and It’s Not Just Because of the Pandemic

TerraCycle Include USA Tupperware
At the outset of 2020, things weren’t going well for Tupperware Brands Corporation. Sales were down. The company’s share price continued to slide. “People just don’t have connection with the brand anymore,” Patricia Stitzel, Tupperware’s former CEO, told analysts during an earnings call in October 2019. But then the pandemic came, forcing people around the globe to work, play, study and, most importantly, eat at home. In March, U.S. household spend on groceries spiked 36%, according to CPG measurement insights firm NCSolutions. Rates have remained elevated ever since, with another bump in October as Covid-19 cases began to rise again.
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WALKERS USES POTATO PEELINGS TO CUT ITS CARBON EMISSIONS BY 70 PER CENT

TerraCycle TC Include UK Walkers
Following calls to reduce the amount of plastic packaging it produces, Walkers introduced a recycling scheme in 2018 that recycles plastic to manufacture other plastic items.
Consumers can deposit used crisp packets at collection points around the UK which are then returned to TerraCycle for recycling.
Walkers also aims to make all its packaging 100 per cent recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025.
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BAUSCH + LOMB REPORTS NEARLY 27 MILLION UNITS OF CONTACT LENS MATERIALS RECYCLED THROUGH ONE BY ONE RECYCLING PROGRAM

TerraCycle Include USA B+L
LAVAL, QC, Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) ("Bausch Health"), today announced that its exclusive ONE by ONE Recycling program has recycled nearly 27 million used contact lenses, top foils and blister packs since launching in November 2016. The program, made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle®, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, has diverted more than 162,000 pounds of contact lens waste from oceans, lakes, streams and landfills. "At Bausch Health, we continuously evaluate all aspects of our company to identify ways that we can achieve a more sustainable and regenerative state, while reducing our overall environmental footprint," said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety + Sustainability, Bausch Health. "We are proud to offer the ONE by ONE Recycling program to customers and contact lens wearers to help ensure these used materials do not end up in our environment." Today, more than 5,500 optometry practices are registered with the ONE by ONE Recycling program. To participate, contact lens wearers can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to one of these offices, which collects the used lens materials in a custom recycling bin provided by Bausch + Lomb. Once the bin is filled, the optometry practice will ship the materials to TerraCycle for proper recycling using a pre-paid shipping label. "Millions of people wear contact lenses every day to help them see, but many do not realize the significant impact that these materials can have on the environment," said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, TerraCycle. "In just four years, we have recycled hundreds of thousands of these used materials, removing them from our environment, and instead using them to give back to the community. It is a program we're proud to be part of and one we look forward to building upon in collaboration with Bausch + Lomb for years to come." Additionally, for every 10 pounds of material received from the ONE by ONE Recycling Program, TerraCycle donates $10 to Optometry Giving Sight, an organization that funds programs that provide eye examinations and low-cost eyeglasses to people in need, including tens of millions of children with uncorrected myopia. In 2019, Bausch + Lomb took the program one step further by repurposing the recycled waste and combining it with other recycled material to create custom training modules that were donated to the Guide Dog Foundation, a national not-for-profit that trains guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. The modules, which included benches, tables, waste stations and an agility ramp, are used to train the dogs and to further enhance the organization's Smithtown, New York campus for those who visit. For more information on the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling Program, visit www.bauschrecycles.com. About TerraCycle TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 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 leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago 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. About the ONE by ONE Recycling Program Contact lens waste, including used lenses, foils and blister packs, is collected at eye care practices through special recycling bins provided by Bausch + Lomb and sent, postage-paid, to TerraCycle, where it is processed into raw material for the manufacture of new recycled products. About Bausch + Lomb Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies Inc., is solely focused on helping people see better to live better. Its core businesses include over-the-counter products, dietary supplements, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Bausch + Lomb develops, manufactures and markets one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry, which is available in approximately 100 countries. For more information, visit www.bausch.com. About Bausch Health Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) is a global company whose mission is to improve people's lives with our health care products. We develop, manufacture and market a range of pharmaceutical, medical device and over-the-counter products, primarily in the therapeutic areas of eye health, gastroenterology and dermatology. We are delivering on our commitments as we build an innovative company dedicated to advancing global health. More information can be found at www.bauschhealth.com.
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