Crafts and Recycling: TerraCycle and a DIY craft project
capri-sun school TerraCycle Colgate Include USA
Of course, recycling and being eco-friendly extends to arts and crafts as well. A group called TerraCycle uses what might be considered trash to re-purpose into a variety of new products. On their website <http://www.terracycle.net/> they have tote bags made of Capri Sun pouches, for example, as well as a multitude of other products for home, garden, school, and gifts.
TerraCycle contracts with schools and non-profits to collect their materials. You can join a Brigade and earn money for your non-profit organization by signing up here <http://www.terracycle.net/signup> . Portland, being the green city it is, has collected nearly 70,000 pieces of otherwise-trash, and made about $1,500 for schools and other organizations in Portland through TerraCycle. To date, Menlo Park Elementary School has the top spot in number of items collected, keeping almost 6,000 pieces of trash out of Oregon landfills.
The TerraCycle folks are sharing a DIY craft idea, designed by Tiffany Threadgould, TerraCycle's Chief Designer. Here are the plans for a toothbrush caddy, or maybe you want to use yours as a pencil holder. Either way it's a cute idea for re-purposing used toothpaste tubes. The directions call for Colgate, but presumably any brand would work.