Angela See remembers looking at the back of a Capri-Sun drink box when something caught her attention. It was a logo promoting TerraCycle, a recycling company, which collects food packaging for recycling. TerraCycle's program, known at Brigade, enlists the community's help in collecting items that typically couldn't be recycled so it can be repurposed into other products.

Friday was the 2nd day of school with my latest crop of 3rd graders....and the first Friday, which means it is our weekly "Capri Sun Collect and Count" day in my classroom. For the last 3 years, one of our 3rd grade duties is to go around to all the classes to gather up the bins of juice pouches, chip bags, ziplock bags, and glue sticks that we upcycle to TerraCycle. Given my new batch of worker bees, I wanted to share with them the TerraCycle back-story so that they had more insight as to why it is that we do what we do at our Maryland Green School.

Here at TerraCycle, when we say we collect non-recyclable items then recycle them, the first question is usually “how?” While we love joking that we use magic, the process is a bit more complicated. School groups, individuals and community organizations collect items such as juice pouches and chip bags to send to us. When this trash arrives, there are two different paths it can follow: upcycling or recycling.

This year, bringing green into the fall and winter is easy. While packing lunches for kids as they head back to school, options for staying eco-friendly and keeping lunch tasty are at your fingertips. TerraCycle, a pioneering recycling and upcycling company, offers eco-friendly, upcycled and recycled lunchboxes as well as a way to earn money by collecting non-recyclable food packaging such as cookies, chips, and juice pouches.

At first, it sounds like another startup fairytale. A 19-year-old Princeton freshman starts a company with the hopes of making a tangible difference in the world, and it grows into a global, multi-million dollar venture. But stories like TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky's are never as they seem. It takes more than just a genius idea to succeed. Businesses that are looking to make a transformational global impact require hard work, incredible business savvy and the courage to press on when everyone calls you crazy.

The 3rd-place prize package from Terracycle includes: Billboard Backpack by Yakpak Capri Sun Lunchbox Ozark Trail 24-Can Cooler TerraCycle Portable Skittles Speakers Honest Kids Messenger Bag Rold Gold 3-Ring Binder Pencil Case Frito Lay Chip Bag Binder Doritos Nacho Cheese Spiral Notebook

Westwood has certainly shown its fair share of effort in educating residents on how to be environmentally friendly by engaging in recycling best practices. But the truth of the matter is, not everything can be recycled. That, however, doesn't mean the only other destination for such items is a landfill. Now, thanks to a company known as TerraCycle, these items can be "upcycled".

I was given the opportunity to work with Megan from TerraCycle and do a product review. I first stumbled across TerraCycle when searching ways to recycle and was drawn in. TerraCycle’s purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste. TerraCycle has created national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. They have many different Brigades that anyone can join. When you join TerraCycle pick the Brigades that fits your family the most. There are plenty brigades to choose from candy wrapper to digital camera to wine corks. My family is doing the drink pouch brigade. Since my 4 year drink them all day. Whatever one you choose to sign up for all you do is just start collecting the product.

Our Girl Scout Troop has teamed up with the recycling program, TerraCycle, to collect certain "trash" items for recycling. We collect these everyday "trash" items and send them in for recycling, at no charge to our troop, then with every acceptable piece that TerraCycle receives from us, the troop receives 2 cents per item. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up. On top of helping our troop, you are doing your part to help our planet. We have a couple of drop off locations at this time, all are in Munford: Munford Library Munford Food Mart Munford Rec Center The following items are the ONLY items we are collecting: Capri Sun or Honest Kids fruit drink pouches (please make sure they are empty) any brand of ink jet printer cartridges any brand of makeup containers (empty only please) any brand of soap, shampoo, conditoner, lotion, etc. body and skin care product bottles or containers (empty only please) Thank you for your help!!!

I recently read an article that claimed our steps to going green, as a country and as a world, have not been as scalable as we imagine. A consumer can’t see the carbon footprint they leave, and this makes it challenging for them to realize how much of a difference they are actually making in cutting back and cleaning our atmosphere. Since the affects of a consumer’s efforts are essentially invisible, it is a challenge to both engage consumers and keep them in engaged in the green movement to be more. People are less likely to be adamant for a cause, or willing to make as big a sacrifice for that they can’t see, touch, and feel the effects of directly. Tangibility makes a difference. It follows logically that to engage consumers, the green movement needs make both the threats and rewards more tangible. Many companies, including TerraCycle partners Capri Sun, Bear Naked, and Clif Bar, rely on consumers to make environmentally friendly choices after they use a product. Instead of simply encouraging consumers to recycle – throw the packaging in a bin and then forget about it forever – they’ve started encouraging upcycling, with which consumers can see their reuse and recycling efforts firsthand.