(side 25) I knapt halvandet år har Anny Pedersen, Billund, været med i projekt " Brug Låget", der er et samarbejde mellemTerraCycle og Arla, og som går ud på " nul spild" og bæredygtighed. Helt konkret om at indsamle plastlåg fra mælke-og yoghurt kartoner og sende dem til TerraCycle, hvor de bliver genbrugt til grønne mælkekasser.

BILLUND: I knapt halvandet år har Anny Pedersen, Billund, været med i projekt "Brug Låget", der er et samarbejde mellem TerraCycle og Arla. På landsplan er der siden 2013 indsamlet i alt 13,4 mio. mælke- og yoghurtlåg og givet 660.000 kr. til gode formål.

Going green pays off in a big way for a New Jersey school. Elementary students in Wood Ridge, New Jersey saved up enough tubes and brushes to earn themselves a brand new playground! And – get this – the playground is constructed of recycled oral care product packaging such as toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, and floss containers. Talk about going green!

Each year Colgate, ShopRite, and TerraCycle team up to host the Recycled Playground Challenge as part of the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program.   Schools recycle toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothpaste cartons, toothbrush outer packaging, and floss containers and earn points for each product submitted. The school that earns the most Playground Credits wins a new playground, and the playground is made of that recycled oral care waste. This year’s winner was Catherine Doyle Elementary School in Wood Ridge, NJ, and their new playground will be revealed this fall, according to the Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights Daily Voice. Learn more about the Recycled Playground Challenge and maybe even set up a collection bin  at your dental office or local school.

Tiffany had been planning to eventually overhaul her outdated kitchen anyway, but unexpected flooding caused by burst pipes fast-forwarded the need for renovation. She recruited actor Kat Tingum, a friend and fellow recycling aficionado, to come along on her green makeover adventure. “My job as Chief Design Junkie at TerraCycle fully supports this mentality of reuse and upcycling,” Tiffany told us. “And while my day job (and a lot of my hobbies, too) involve building furniture and accessories, neither Kat nor I had ever done anything involving plumbing, hanging cabinets, or installing large appliances. This was definitely new territory and we both learned a ton!” Tiffany says she tackled her kitchen reno with the same mindset she does for all of her projects, carefully considering how to use as many salvaged materials as possible in an attractive and appealing way. “That’s where pennies, red wagons, old wallpaper, a few buckets of cement, and bucket lids all come into play,” she said. “All of these materials became the building supplies for my new kitchen.” “I am loving my new kitchen and am proud of the fact that it was created from loads of love, sweat, and salvaged materials!” says Tiffany.

Between September 1 and 11, Minnesota residents can recycle used car seats!  56 Target stores across Minnesota are hosting a car seat collection program to help residents reduce household clutter without sending waste to landfills.  All car seats collected through this program will be recycled through TerraCycle so that each component will see a second life. Residents should bring their car seats to their local Target store and look for Target’s car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids floor pad section.  When a consumer turns in a used car seat, he or she will receive a coupon for 20% off the purchase of a new one. After the recycling program ends, TerraCycle will separate the different components of the car seats (cloth elements, plastics, metals, etc.) and process them for use in other products.

Education is at the core of environmentalism. To be able to understand sustainability, environmental issues, and the importance of circular waste solutions is to be conscious of the challenges faced on this planet, and awareness is the first and most important step in creating solutions. The discussion of implementing proactive environmental consciousness starts with our youth, who have the most influence on the trajectory of our eco-infrastructure. How do we effectively educate younger generations on the importance of environmentalism? The challenge is preparing the youth to be active participants in addressing present and future environmental issues. A way to do that is to present environmental stewardship as fun, exciting and accessible. Stimulating, entertaining activities like games, competitions, and workshops bring complex concepts like sustainability and resource conversation down to a level that kids can relate to, empowering them to take action, and inspiring them to teach others to do the same. The NCF-Envirothon, sponsored by the National Conservation Foundation, is a competition that engages students through mental stimulation and the thrill of the chase. As North America's largest high school environmental education competition, this race pits high school students against each other through a series of “field tests,” getting students to solve environmental problems across a variety of categories such as aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use. The winning teams win cash rewards, incentivizing knowledge and awareness of environmental issues and the application of tools available to solve them. Teachers and educators play equally critical roles in paving the way for future generations. One program getting youth involved at all educational levels is the GrowNYC Recycling Champions Program. In partnership with the NYC Department of Education Sustainability Initiative and the NYC Department of Sanitation, this program provides external resources like PowerPoint presentations, set-up and trouble-shooting guides, handouts and signage for use in the classroom and cafeterias to teach students, teachers, and custodians in New York City public schools K-12 about recycling and waste reduction. Blueprints for student activities and faculty development workshops engage and develop at all levels. This type of leadership coming from the public sector allows best practices to be taught to all age groups in the education system, and encourages children to use them in social settings. Even multinational companies are stepping in to invest in the next generation of environmentalists. For years, TerraCycle has partnered with PepsiCo to promote their recycling program built with kids in mind. Structured like a game, PepsiCo’s Recycle Rally engages students K-12 through recycling competitions and prizes for active participants. The program also offers resources such as art projects, educational resources and materials, and progress tracking tools, allowing educators to introduce younger minds to recycling and promote their school’s recycling achievements. With a total of $1 million in prizes awarded to thousands of schools, and 59 million beverage cans and bottles recycled to date, PepsiCo’s impact has been massive, and continues to grow. Organizations and companies putting forth the resources to educate younger generations about sustainability are investing in our future environmentalists. Building better systems and resource infrastructures requires people who understand the importance of reducing waste and being mindful of their carbon footprint, and training kids to care about these issues at a young age will provide that security. The same way that conserving resources now will benefit us in the long run, teaching the value of environmental consciousness to youth in the present will create generations of activists in the future.

East Amwell Township School of Ringoes has been named an honorable mention in the "Recycled Playground Challenge," courtesy of Colgate-Palmolive ("Colgate"), the global oral care leader; ShopRite, which has more than 250 stores in the Northeast; and recycling pioneer TerraCycle.. East Amwell Township School earned a total of 7,735 Playground Credits by recycling waste and through online voting to place in the contest. The honorable mention prize winner will receive a $150 Shoprite Gift Card, 500 Colgate kids toothbrushes, and 500 Colgate kids toothpaste tubes. The Recycled Playground Challenge launched in March 2016 among schools throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland participating in the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program a free recycling program operated by Colgate and TerraCycle. During the contest window, participating schools earned one Playground Credit for each unit of oral care waste, such as empty toothpaste tubes and floss containers, sent to TerraCycle for recycling. Schools earned additional Playground Credits by encouraging parents and teachers to vote online. "On behalf of Colgate, I am pleased to congratulate the students, parents and faculty of East Amwell Township School on being named an honorable mention in the Recycled Playground Challenge," said Juan Pablo Zamorano, President, North America, Colgate-Palmolive. "The energy and passion they put into protecting the environment has truly made a difference." The Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program is an ongoing activity, open to any individual, family, school or community group. For each piece of waste sent in using a pre-paid shipping label, participants earn money toward donations to the school or charity of their choice. To learn more about the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program program, please visit www.terracycle.com.