Kindergarten will be collecting empty Capri Sun pouches and recycling through TerraCycle.  To help, please send in empty Capri Sun pouches with straws removed.  We will collect in our rooms and in the lunchroom throughout the year.  Proceeds will benefit Beartooth Elementary School students.  Thanks for your help!

What can you do with candy wrappers, worn out flip flops, or the box from your toothpaste? You can upcycle it! TerraCycle’s goal is to eliminate the idea of waste by creating national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. Anyone can sign up for these programs and start sending them some of your waste on their list. Some of the waste that is collected includes things that a lot of use every day including: energy bar wrappers chip bag wrappers toothpaste boxes corks flip flops cleaner packaging cell phones candy wrappers drink boxes TerraCycle will then use your garbage to make a wide variety of products and materials which includes bags umbrellas, clipboards, plastic planters, and purses. The program has gotten lots of support, and over 20 million people collect waste in over 20 countries. With the programs, TerraCycle has collected billions of units of useful trash and used it to create over 1,500 different products which are available at major retailers ranging from Walmart to Whole Foods.

Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school. Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant. Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice.

After a sensational summer, heading back to school may seem like a drag to some kids. Or perhaps your little one is excited to experience the monumental milestone of her first day of school this fall! You can help your children get revved up to hear the inaugural school bell ring by taking them shopping for fun, eco-friendly school supplies. By ‘going green,’ your kids will learn the vital lesson to preserve our planet for future generations of pupils. Additionally, opting for PVC free supplies will keep them safe from harmful toxins. Crack open your recycled paper notebook and jot down these great green must-haves for the school year! 9. Terra Cycle Recycled Waste Products What: Recycled materials made into pencil cases, backpacks, binders, folders, art supplies. Why: Using previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste, Terra Cycle transforms this waste into a variety of school products. Individuals can send in their waste free of charge and Terra Cycle recycles it into useful and eco-friendly products.

Back to school, means back to packing a lunch for lots of families around the Tennessee Valley. It also means lots of Capri Sun, granola bar, and chip bag wrappers that can't be recycled. Oops, uh, check that last statement. " Nexus Energy Center, we participate in a program through a company called Teracycle, based in New Jersey. What they do is take all sorts of random items that are typically un-recyclable, we're talking about granola bar wrappers, chip bags, pens, yogurt containers, things that we can't put in our blue recycle bins at home," said Daniel Tait, of the Nexus Energy Center in Huntsville. The items are shipped off to Teracycle and turned in to all kinds of cool things like backpacks, purses, toys and lawn furniture just to name a few.

It’s time for back-to-school shopping, and you may find yourself feeling frustrated by the lack of green choices offered at your local big box stores. Fret not, oh eco-conscious ones–school supplies for kids don’t have to be harmful to the environment. Our back to school supply list includes resources for eco-pencils, recycled paper products, PVC-free binders and more! Even the most discriminating environmentally friendly children will be pleased. TerraCycle’s upcycled school supplies make our eco-friendly back-to-school supply list. Image: TerraCycle. There are a wide variety of eco backpacks available, including those made from recycled PET, cotton or hemp. You can also get pencil cases, backpacks, lunch boxes, folders and more that are made from upcycled packaging by TerraCycle; they upcycle traditionally non-recyclable packaging like drink pouches and chip bags and turn them into unique school supplies. You can also get involved with TerraCycle’s program by collecting waste in your home, school and community. To get started, visit TerraCycle.com and create an account. Once you have filled a box with relevant waste, you download a pre-paid shipping label and send your box to them so they can turn your waste into cool products. “Since 2007, TerraCycle has kept 2.4 billion pieces of waste from ending up in landfills and paid almost $4.5 million dollars to schools and charities.”

Have you heard of TerraCycle before? They upcycle and products that you wouldn’t normally think about recycling. Bags of chips, juice boxes, candy, etc. It’s up to YOU to help them out! Sign up to help collect or drop off your stash at locations nearby. Many times you’ll earn $.02 per item! Everything gets turned into FuN new products!   My boys were sent some Back to School supplies and they couldn’t stop saying ‘Awesome!’ as they opened up the box! Capri Sun Drink Pouch Backpack – did you know billions of juice pouches are thrown away annually? Capri Sun Lunch Box – the inside is cool – the design and the temperature! Kool Aid Pencil Pouch – each drink is individually stitched together on each product. Malt O Meal Notebook – cereal bags produce 75% less packaging to dispose than traditional cereal boxes. See we’re ALL learning with TerraCycle!

Have you seen TerraCycle products? I had heard about the company and had even sent drink pouches in for recycling through a co-op we were in a few years ago, but I hadn't seen the products. I was excited to be able to check them out for this review.

Clayton Snyder, who graduated in June from Lock Haven University, participated in a study abroad program, spending February to June in South Korea.   Snyder, a senior recreation management major with a concentration in environmental/international studies, had received a $4,000 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in South Korea. The son of Bob and Kim Snyder of Lebanon, Snyder is a 2008 graduate of Cedar Crest High School.   In South Korea, he attended Chungnam National University in Daejon, where he studied the Korean language and culture.   The Gilman International Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process.

With a business plan that began by selling an organic fertilizer made from worm poop, or vermicompost, in empty carbonated soft drink bottles, Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle Inc. is a green company that has been linked to the beverage industry since its impetus in 2003. Albe Zakes, global vice president of media relations, explains that the company’s fertilizer was one of the first non-uniform packaged products sold at nationwide chains such as The Home Depot, Walmart and Target. In 2007, TerraCycle shifted its main business model to its Brigade model, which offers free sign-up and shipping for individuals, families or organizations that collect a variety of approved used goods and return them to TerraCycle to be upcycled, or repurposed, into new things, Zakes says. In return for the collection, TerraCycle donates around $0.02 for each unit of waste, such as a drink pouch, potato chip bag or highlighter, to a school, nonprofit organization or charity. The Brigade program began with a partnership with Bethesda, Md.-based Honest Tea to collect the flexible pouches used for its Honest Kids line of beverages. The program grew from 100 schools in the first 48 hours to 500 schools in its first four months, Zakes says. The following year, Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods Inc. brand Capri Sun joined as a co-sponsor of the drink pouch program, which was integral to the re-use of the brand’s pouches and the expansion of the program, Zakes says.