MADISON – As the community strives to “go green,” one question is: How can residents recycle “non-recyclables?”

The Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee, which works with the Madison Environmental Commission and other committees in the borough to encourage environmentally sustainable practices, has one answer.

“As we strive to make the town and the world a more environmentally-friendly place, we are confronted with certain challenges,” Amy Terracciano of Sustainable Madison said, “one of them being how to recycle unusual items such as juice pouches, granola bags, and cosmetic packaging. We use these items on a daily basis and due to the complexity in recycling them, they often end up in the landfill.”

In order to help eliminate such waste and encourage people to recycle the “non-recyclables,” Terracciano said, TerraCycle was formed “in order to prevent these items from being improperly disposed.”

TerraCycle is an international “up-cycling” and recycling company that collects difficult-to-recycle packaging and products, and re-purposes the materials into affordable, innovative products.

TerraCycle started in 2001 and for the past 16 years the company has spread to 23 countries, involving more than 60 million people in recycling common household items.