Newtown Elementary Students Turn Trash into Cash
TerraCycle Ziploc (S.C. Johnson) Kashi (Kellogg’s) Frito Lay Include USA
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would get excited about sorting trash. But each Friday, the third graders at Newtown Elementary School beg to do just that.
In fact, they like it so much that they forgo recess just to sift through used drink pouches, chip bags, and snack wrappers.
There is a reason for their enthusiasm. The students are recycling for TerraCycle, a Trenton-based company that accepts certain types of waste to make products like bags, picture frames, toys, trashcans, and more.
Best of all, the school gets money in return for the products they send in to recycle.
The school began its effort in October, after parent Kathy Skalish learned about the initiative. “I’m a recycling junkie,” Skalish said, adding she worked with the school’s administration to make the program happen.
So far, the school has collected more than 8,350 drink pouches, which TerraCycle uses to make tote bags and backpacks. They’ve also collected more than 4,200 snack bags and more than 450 Ziplocs, which they’ve just begun recycling. In return for their efforts, TerraCycle gives them 2 cents an item, or $260 since October.
TerraCycle bins are located throughout the hallways and in the cafeteria.