TERRACYCLE NEWS

ELIMINATING THE IDEA OF WASTE®

How to Turn a Toothbrush Into Gold

TerraCycle Tom-Blog
When I first started Terracycle, I spent a lot of my time explaining what upcycling was. It was this foreign concept whose name wasn't on a lot of people's radar. Now, a handful of years later, more than 10 million people are collecting the brand specific waste that we've used to make a range of products; it has become increasingly common and may some day be as conventional as recycling. Currently, several startups are building their business around upcycled products and major corporations are including upcycling in their operations and products. Corona is even using it as both an environmental awareness bringer and marketing tool, building pop up hotels at famous beaches from the waste collected there! As upcycling grows, so do the Terracycle collection Brigades. Our newest with Colgate, giving toothbrushes and and toothpaste tubes a life beyond the waste bin, is nearly full after two months of starting. 2000 spots used to take a year or more. Whether it's because people are anxious to do something different with their waste or because the incentive of easily raising funds for your children's school or favorite organization is appealing in these cash starved times, it's clear that upcycling has arrived. We're testing out various reuses, but so far we've made toothbrush holders, shave kits and make up cases from Colgate products.