MASSENA - For the past 18 months, some elementary school students in Massena have guzzled down thousands of Capri Sun drink pouches and raised over $800 for their school in the process. Students at the Nightengale Elementary School are currently taking part in the TerraCycle and Capri Sun Drink Pouch Brigade and recently surpassed collecting 18,000 pouches. Moving past the 18,000 mark pushes the group into level two of the recycling contest. The school joined TerraCycle, a private business in Trenton, N.J., that makes consumer products from pre-consumer and post-consumer waste, in February 2013. “They are still part of the program, and they will still be collecting. They will hopefully be collecting more and will get to the next level,” public relations intern Rachel Zuckerman said. An organization must collect 10,000 drink pouches to reach the first level and 18,000 for level two. According to a TerraCycle news release, the brigade is a “free recycling program that rewards people for collecting and sending their waste to TerraCycle to be recycled or upcycled.” “The brigade has been going on since 2007,” Ms. Zuckerman said. “There are a bunch of schools across the country and you can sign up online to join the brigade.” The Milestone Program began in September 2013 when Capri Sun added prizes for collecting certain amounts. “Now, in addition to the money they earn for each piece of waste collected, participants can win prizes made from recycled drink pouches, such as park benches, recycling bins, a playground, and other fun rewards,” the release read. TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky said of the contest “(It is) meant to inspire individuals and organizations to collect more waste while receiving prizes for their achievements.” “It is rewarding to see the students and administration get so involved in making this work. It’s an incredible achievement to have kept so many pouches out of the waste system.” Ms. Zuckerman said she has been very impressed with the youngsters from Massena. “It’s definitely a significant amount, and they have done an incredible job. It speaks to their dedication and we are really excited about it,” she said.