BIC, maker of stationary utensils and shavers, has partnered with international recycling organization TerraCycle to offer consumers a free and easy way to recycle their fully used pens, mechanical pencils, markers, and other stationery products and parts of packaging nationwide. As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery product collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.   The company says they are expanding this program to the US from Europe, where it has successfully recycled 46 million items.   Through the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, consumers can now send in all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers, and paint sets to be recycled for free. The program is also collecting the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Consumers sign up on the TerraCycle program page and mail in the used items using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that is remolded to make new recycled products. The BIC Stationery Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization.   This is the latest step BIC has taken on its journey to further enhance the sustainability of its long-lasting products and to minimize its impact on the environment, one of the goals in its 2025 “Writing the Future, Together” program.   BIC and TerraCycle began partnering in 2011 to collect and recycle used stationery products in Europe. A similar program was launched in Australia and New Zealand last year.   Several companies have partnered with TerraCycle for recycling initiatives. Late last year, Gerber partnered with the recycling company to help give hard-to-recycle baby food packaging a new life.   As an added incentive, for every pound of packaging waste sent to TerraCycle through the Gerber Recycling Program, collectors can earn $1 to donate to a non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.