Cada año se generan 5,000 millones de toneladas de desechos en el mundo, de los cuales sólo el 20% es reciclable. El 80% restante termina en tiraderos como sucede la mayoría de las veces en México o son quemados y usados como combustibles en el caso de algunos países europeos. Dos dificultades mayores tiene el reciclaje tal y como está concebido ahora: se genera excesiva basura y la que se crea está compuesta por materiales demasiado complejos. Algunos envoltorios de alimentos contienen hasta 20 tipos de plástico diferentes. Así que por muy buena voluntad que tengamos los ciudadanos, la mayoría de lo que se tira no puede utilizarse de nuevo, a pesar de que creamos lo contrario. La iniciativa de un joven canadiense ha dado un giro a esta dinámica en los últimos años. Tom Szaky, alumno en la Universidad de Princeton, TerraCycle, Inc. empezó produciendo fertilizantes orgánicos mediante el embotellado de “excrementos licuados de lombrices” en botellas de refrescos usadas. Desde este comienzo poco prometedor, TerraCycle ha llegado a ser una de las empresas verdes de mayor crecimiento en el mundo. Hoy, TerraCycle es una reconocida compañía internacional de supra reciclaje y reciclaje que recolecta envolturas y productos difíciles de reciclar y los transforma en productos innovadores y económicos. TerraCycle está ampliamente reconocida como líder mundial en la recolección y reutilización de residuos post-consumidor no reciclable. En el mes de Septiembre TerraCycle México está cumpliendo su 7° aniversario recolectando y reciclando basura alrededor de la república mexicana; dicho lo anterior dejamos un recordatorio de cómo podemos volvernos recolectores dentro del país y no solo contribuir a la mejor de nuestro ambiente también retribuir a otras asociaciones sin fines de lucro. ¿Cómo funciona? La operación está organizada en programas, cada una de las cuales se centra en un producto en particular difícil de reciclar como envolturas de jabón, bolsas de pan, empaques de galletas, bolsas de botana, productos de cuidado bucal y envolturas de pan dulce. Estos desechos pueden recolectarse en cajas de cualquier tamaño para su recolección.

Materials Recycling Waste

Suez is partnering with TerraCycle and acquiring 30 percent of its activities in Europe to develop collection and recycling programs in Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Sweden. The partnership brings together TerraCycle’s collection programs and SUEZ’s expertise in waste recycling and recovery. It will offer individuals, businesses and municipalities new solutions for recycling waste that was previously not recyclable in order to transform it into new secondary resources. TerraCycle is a company that develops selective collection systems for the recycling of more than 100 specific hard-to-recycle waste streams currently not handled by traditional recycling channels.

http://www.edie.net/news/5/We-can-t-recycle-our-way-out-of-the-waste-crisis--says-TerraCycle-founder/

Ugh. I hate clutter. It actually hurts my brain. However, even if I were Mari Kondo fancy, and could afford to throw away everything in my house that I don't love, my inner-tree-hugger would feel guilty about putting perfectly usable items into the landfill. So, what's an environmentally responsible person to do with their clutter?   7. Recycle I know many people who live in homes that resemble recycling centers because they care about the environment. While it is a good thing to keep resources like glass and paper out of the landfill, you are not actually doing the world any good by turning your house into a mini dump. Companies as diverse as Terracycle and Madewell have recycling programs for hard to recycle items like denim, instrument strings, and Solo Cups.

One of the largest waste management companies in North America is disinvesting in recycling. Waste Management CEO David Steiner recently went on to discuss the company’s current business spend, which went from 12 percent five years ago down to 8 percent now. Citing low oil prices as the culprit behind the driving down of prices for fiber and plastics on back-end channels, Steiner argues that in order for recycling to be profitable again, "you either need to draw down the processing cost or you need to drive up the price on the back-end," a position he held early last year. If the value of an item cannot be sold for more than the cost of collection, logistics and processing, there is no economic incentive to recycle it because there is no potential for profit. To begin with, most of the product and packaging waste created today is considered unrecyclable by this economic limitation. That items that have so long been top of mind as profitable commodities (plastic, paper and certain metals, for example) are diminishing in market value is reason for waste management companies and municipal recycling facilities to disinvest in recycling and view landfilling and incineration as cost-effective alternatives to more regenerative solutions. But where major U.S. waste management companies are pulling resources from recycling processes at a time when Americans still only recycle about 34 percent of their trash, European waste management companies such as SUEZ are putting them forward. SUEZ, a French waste management company, recently partnered with my company, TerraCycle, to bring our consumer-facing program structures to its customers in France, the UK, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden. Globally, TerraCycle currently recycles more than 100 specific “unrecyclable” waste streams (disposable items, flexible packaging, office supplies, beauty products, oral care, used coffee capsules and cigarette butts, to name a few) through free recycling programs and custom recycling solutions. SUEZ purchased a 30 percent stake in TerraCycle’s activities in Europe, enabling SUEZ to expand its services and add value for its customers using our platforms. In this collaboration, TerraCycle gains access to perhaps the world’s largest sales force dedicated to the circular economy, and SUEZ sets an example for global environmental stewardship while keeping its eye on the prize: long-term relevance and profitability. For the European waste management company, diversifying offerings from waste recovery to the recycling business has been a priority in recent years, as evidenced by its published reports highlighting Europe’s recycling challenges, contracts for the development of waste and recycling facilities, and project-based recycling efforts for difficult-to-recycle waste. By investing in recycling, SUEZ scales for efficiency and growth by showing leadership in materials recovery and resource management, conducting its business around building a stable, circular infrastructure, rather than allowing its actions to be dictated by the current price of oil. From a business angle, there is critical need for more circular systems of manufacturing and consumption as sheer market demand and resource scarcity put a strain on virgin materials, which are resigned to single-use lives and are volatile in price. We are expected to integrate an additional three billion middle-class consumers into the global market by 2030, and commodity prices rose more than 150 percent between 2002 and 2010. TerraCycle has yet to partake in a stake partnership with a U.S. waste management company of any size. In Europe, SUEZ accommodates an increasing demand for recycling options by offering to expand its services, creating value for consumers and easing costs for suppliers. Some of the biggest consumer product companies in the world are also now investing in recycling, securing supply chains and generating jobs. Future efforts to strengthen our recycling infrastructure and to sustainably develop for future generations are inevitable, and organizations who invest today only stand to make a return.

„Die Natur kennt keinen Abfall, denn Abfall ist ein menschliches Konzept“, erläutert Philip Thinius. TerraCycle fokussiert sich auf Abfall, der bisher aus ökonomischen Gründen nicht recycelt, sondern verbrannt wird.

Ahora que ésta por llegar el Día de Muertos quiero compartirte una manera diferente de hacer papel picado y al mismo tiempo darle otro uso a las envolturas de papitas, galletas y botanas. Cada año se genera, 5,000 millones de toneladas de desecho en el mundo, de los cuales sólo el 20% es reciclabe. El 80% restante termina en tiraderos como sucede la mayoría de veces en México o son quemados y usados como combustibles en el caso de algunos países europeos.

The state of Yucatan needs to promote a growing movement towards environmental responsibility. There’s plenty of facts out there on why recycling is important. The world population is growing, not shrinking, and currently each human being adds significant waste to the planet over his or her lifetime. The most frustrating thing is that in our beautiful state of Yucatan, neither society nor government seems to be concerned about the importance of recycling. It is vital that we create awareness among the local population, and let everybody know that the natural resources on our planet earth are limited and we must make the most to conserve, recycle and reuse whenever possible. It’s not all too difficult to make a difference. 1) Yucatan is not among the top recycling states in Mexico 2) TerraCycle subscriptions number has grown over 200% 3) 47% of the Recycling leading personalities are Millenials 4) Women are more concerned about Recycling than men (Image: TerraCycle) Michael Waas is TerraCycle’s Global Vice President, in charge of Business Development and Client Services, he is responsible for managing and expanding TerraCycle’s 100+ national recycling programs. The programs recycle traditionally non-recyclable waste streams and are run in conjunction with major brands partners (including L’Oreal, Bimbo, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, Mondelez, P&G, and many more). TerraCycle operates in 20 countries and has pioneered solutions for recycling some of the most challenging waste streams in the world, including chip bags, water filters, cigarette butts, cosmetic packaging and more. TerraCycle’s award-winning programs engage tens of millions of consumers and have diverted billions of pieces of waste; since 2007 the company has paid more than $10 million to schools and non profits in return for waste collected through the programs. Michael joined TerraCycle in 2008 after a chance meeting with founder Tom Szaky through the StartingBloc fellowship. He holds a bachelors in Music and Political Science and an M.A. in Political Science from Central Michigan University. Michael Waas (Photo: TerraCycle) Here is the full interview: Hi Michael, thank you so much for agreeing to have this interview, it is a pleasure to have you here in Mexico and we hope you have a great stay!

• TerraCycle is known all over the world. Nevertheless, there are some people in Mexico who still don’t know about it. What is Terracycle?

What is its purpose and how does The company work? TerraCycle is a global company known for recycling typically non-recyclable materials. Its purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste, meaning we don’t want there to be the concept of waste but rather to have people think about things being repurposed, reused or recycled. The company has several ways it gets the materials we recycle. In Mexico, we have free collection programs that are sponsored by companies that want to take responsibility for their products or packaging. Anyone can sign up for these on our website.

• What kind of waste is the most interesting to collect for Terracycle and why?

We think every kind of waste is interesting to collect, but we really like to collect the most difficult to recycle items that take up a lot of space in landfills.

• What products can be created with the recycled waste?

We recycle the materials into a plastic that can be used in any product that manufacturers want to use recycled plastic. That means the plastic can be used for park benches, garbage bins, bike racks, picnic tables, and much, much more.

• TerraCycle currently runs over 100 waste collection programs. What is it like having to work with these programs together with the different cultures and traditions around the world?

 It can be challenging, but it’s great. We make sure we have a good understanding of the cultures and traditions before we launch in a country. Our employees are often native to that country so that also helps.   Michael Waas and members of the TerraCycle Team in CDMX (Photo: TerraCycle)

• To date, what recycling program has been the most challenging to create and why?

Each of the packaging or products have their own challenges, but those made of multiple materials or layers have the potential to be more difficult and costly because ideally, you want to separate  the materials and recycle them individually.

• Each recycling program is possible thanks to the partners that work alongside TerraCycle. What is the main ingredient when looking for partnerships with different brands?

We love working with companies who recognize the importance of taking responsibility for their packaging and who want to make an impact environmentally. We also look for companies that want to embrace their partnership with us.

• We are well aware of the success of the programs involving cosmetic packaging and cigarette butts. What other programs would you like to develop in the future?

Everything! We want to tackle waste that takes up space in landfills, but shouldn’t have to if there was a way to recycle it.

• What opportunities do you see in Mexico that you haven’t seen anywhere else?

In Mexico, we see a growing movement toward environmental responsibility and an increasing number of companies and individuals who want to take action to reduce landfill waste. Not that we don’t see that elsewhere, but it’s exciting to see it happening in Mexico. 

• Can you tell us anything about the future programs in Mexico?

We have a lot of exciting things in the works for Mexico and when we are able to launch them, they will be the first of their kind in the world.  Michael Waas (Photo: TerraCycle) Thank you so much for your time, Michael, We hope you have a great time in Mexico City.

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About TerraCycle Mexico: In the month of September TerraCycle Mexico celebrated its 7th anniversary by collecting and recycling waste around the Mexican Republic; said this left a reminder of how we can become collectors within the country and not only contribute to the best of our environment also remunerate other non-profit associations. The most recent number that has been donatied is $ 409,936.74 pesos. Some of the associations that have benefited are:

1. APANICAL (Association of Parents of Children with Cancer and Leukemia) – Located in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, has received $ 135.360 pesos.
2. High School 20 Juan F. Escamilla -received $ 22.999 pesos, this school is located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
3. Francisco I. Madero School In Mezquitic, Jalisco received $ 20.029 pesos.
4. Operation Smile-In Zapopan, Jalisco received $ 16.185 pesos.