In New London, St.Mary's Star of the Sea School recycles with TerraCycle in the Drink Pouch Brigade.

Cassi "Twister" Reimer's discovery of TerraCycle's "how to make a fancy bow out of food wrappers" has inspired three things, to date. A lively craft session, full of Middleswarth and Utz and Toll House cookie wrappers, documented in a previous post, was the first. Second was an appearance on Central PA Live, where the process is explained on video in under five minutes (bookmark it for the next time you want to make a fun bow!). Third, due to these prior events, we have attracted the attention of TerraCycle - who has kindly offered us a spot on their Chip Bag Brigade, which we've been pining for since joining! Thanks, TerraCycle!

It’s not often that an educator finds inspiration on the back of a juice box, but that’s what happened to Tim Sarych. Sarych is a special education management aid at the Mille Lacs Academy School. Sarych read about the TerraCycle, a recycling program for schools, on a box of Capri Sun juice. After a bit of research, Sarych registered the MLA with the TerraCycle program. “I knew this was a fundraiser that our school could benefit from,” he said. “It helps the environment, and it engages the students in a positive community activity.” Sarych started the project last winter and slowly introduced the plan to his co-workers. In the months that followed he brought the program up to full speed. Students and staff collect candy wrappers, cheese packaging, used printer cartridges, coffee bags, empty drink pouches, old cell phones, cereal bags and a long list of other would-be trash. They box the recyclables up and send them to TerraCycle and receive between 2 cents and a dollar an item. TerraCycle also pays the shipping costs. The material collected by TerraCycle is turned into garbage cans, school supplies, playground equipment, flower pots, back packs, and a wide variety of other items. Students and staff are bringing packaging from home as well as collecting them at the school. “Two cents an item doesn’t sound like a lot,” Sarych said. “But it adds up quickly.” To date the program has brought in about $200 dollars and kept 61 boxes of waste out of the local landfills. “Throwing away a candy wrapper is like throwing away money,” Sarych said. For more information go to TerraCycle.net, or call Tim Sarych at (320) 532-6848. Photos by Rob Passons.

BARRINGTON — Don’t throw away all of you your candy wrappers or Capri Suns. Terracycle them. Local elementary schools like Primrose, Hampden Meadows School, and Bristol’s Guiteras School are all a part of the Terracycle program. They are collecting CapriSun containers and candy wrappers. What are they going to do with them you may ask? Well, they are going to donate them to Terracycle (a national company that recycles things that are hard to recycle) so they can be made into new things like bags, backpacks, boxes, pencil boxes, and notebooks. They are also going to get 2 cents back for their school. So If every one in your school has one CapriSun every day for a year you will have about 1,980 dollars for your school! For more information email ejvanleer@gmail.com or go to Terracycle.net.

Try Branching out with these edgy holiday ideas RECYCLING Some holiday baubles previously were something else. Some crafty types who like repurposing excess household objects make personalized ornaments by hand-painting holiday scenes on burned-out light bulbs. Perhaps they’ll loop strips cut from old magazines into a fun, funky garland. Trash To Treasure in Fort Lauderdale, which provides reusable materials for art and education projects, is offering workshops in December on making ornaments from recycled household items, such as music CDs embellished with bits of wrapping paper and ribbon. Some repurposed items may be unrecognizable when transformed into holiday décor, such as stockings and tree skirts made from discarded Capri Sun juice pouches, available online for $7.99 and $8.99 from TerraCycle. Others proudly showcase their roots. An easy way to do the planet a favor is skip the brand new stuff and stock up on holiday supplies from thrift stores or Trash To Treasure, said Casey Eckels, founder and executive director of Trash To Treasure. Reusing existing items, she said, reduces waste as well as the adverse environmental impacts associated with production.

BENTON HARBOR - Two Twin-Cities area schools are finding a little gold in going green with help from a New Jersey-based recycling business. But perhaps more valuable are the lessons, say organizers.

Youngsters in Jayme Denis’ second-grade class at the Benton Harbor Charter School show off some of the items they are recycling for a profit. John Madill / H-P staff Students learning to keep more waste out of landfills BENTON HARBOR - Two Twin Cities-area schools are finding a little gold in going green with help from a New Jersey-based recycling business. But perhaps more valuable are the lessons, say organizers. "I think it's a worthwhile project for the students to learn that they can take care of the world they live in, and to promote a better way to treat the gifts that we have," said Principal Dave Snyder at Grace Lutheran School in Royalton Township. Grace Lutheran and Benton Harbor Charter School are working with Trenton, N.J.,-based TerraCycle, which specializes in collecting difficult-to-recycle items and keeping them out of landfills. The company contributes cash or gifts for the material school "bridgades" send in. The company pays for postage.

Perhaps you’re tweaking the holiday décor just a bit. Or you’re embarking on a broader overhaul. But the effect is going to be a new look. To kick-start the seasonal decorating derby, we’ve rounded up the buzz on what’s hot, trendy and adventurous for adding festive glitz and sparkle, indoors and out. RECYCLING Some holiday baubles previously were something else. Some crafty types who like repurposing excess household objects make personalized ornaments by hand-painting holiday scenes on burned-out light bulbs. Perhaps they’ll loop strips cut from old magazines into a fun, funky garland.

REESE - Just by eating lunch, students at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School are fundraising for their school. The students separate their Capri Sun pouches from the rest of their waste and send the popular juice containers to TerraCycle of Trenton, N.J., which in return gives the school 2 cents for every juice pouch recycled.

Mark Fritzler, 8th grade, left, and Zack Parman, 7th grade, right, count the recycled Capri Sun juice concentrate drink during her lunch hour at St. Elizabeth School in Reese. Students are encouraged to recycle their Capri Sun drink containers after use for a school recycling program. REESE — Just by eating lunch, students at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School are fundraising for their school. The students separate their Capri Sun pouches from the rest of their waste and send the popular juice boxes to TerraCycle, who in return give the school $0.02 for every juice pouch recycled. St. Elizabeth is among 40,000 organizations participating in the TerraCycle program. After two weeks of lunches, St. Elizabeth collected about 270 juice pouches, said Gabriela Marguery, school principal. They have participated in the program for eighteen months. While the $5.40 collected does not seem like much raised over two weeks, Marguery said, but the amount adds up. “With $5, there’s something we can do,” she said. “It helps pay for a field trip. The important thing for them is you’re recycling and helping the school.” The school has even incorporated recycling into their curriculum, with a “Take Care of God’s Creation” unit. Luke Holtz, son of Nicki and Todd Holtz of Reese said he brings a juice pouch nearly every day for the school’s fundraiser. “(Recycling) is fun, you can help pick up at your house,” he said. Alyssa Brow, the daughter of Todd and Cheryl Brow of Buena Vista Township said she recycles her juice pouches at school, and her food and canned goods at home “so it doesn’t make the world dirty.” The recycling program at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School doubles as a fundraiser. The students separate their Capri Sun juice pouches from the rest of their refuse and each pouch generates 2 cents for the school. The day this was filmed, the school earned $5.40 from the 270 pouches over a two-week period. Zack Parman, son of Kathy and Stan Parman of Bridgeport Township, a 7th grader at the school helps count the recycled packages every two weeks. He said he doesn’t mind helping out because fundraising ultimately helps the school, paying for field trips, balls and lighting in the gymnasium. “We partner with these companies, these brands, to provide a solution for their packaging at the end of its life,” said Lauren Taylor, director, U.S. public relations for TerraCycle. The company partners with many companies like Kraft Foods, Frito Lay, Revolution Foods, Bare Naked, Colgate, Elmers and Logitech. They recycle and “upcycle” the discarded packaging. Recycling turns the product into something new and unrecognizable from its original form, but upcycling creates something recognizable from a product’s original form, like a Capri Sun purse or pencil case, or a backpack made out of chip bags. “We have a lot of schools that participate, but anyone can get involved,” Taylor said. “Offices, community groups, anybody can get involved to make a difference.”