Secondly, swing by TerraCycle (http://www.terracycle.net/) to see if you regularly accumulate the nonrecyclable items that they will pay you to send them! Terracycle is an organization pioneered by Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer, two freshmen at Princeton University in 2001, who believe that in nature, there is no such thing as waste. Animals eat each other and become fertilizer for plants that are eaten by animals that are eaten, etc. While Szaky and Beyer don't promote cannibalism, they do promote upcycling, meaning they reuse what we might consider waste.

NEW BEDFORD – Going green pays off. Literally. That's what students and staff at the Carlos Pacheco Elementary School have discovered since they got involved in a recycle project with Capri Sun and the TerraCycle company. The Pacheco School is part of the Capri Sun Drink Pouch Brigade, a free program that pays schools and non-profits to collect non-recyclable waste that would otherwise go to a landfill.

Retro style meets upcycling with MP3 player from TerraCycle. The speaker housing is made from used wrappers discarded by their manufacturer. that would otherwise go to a landfill. Skittles, M&M’s, Capri Sun and other versions are available. The player is totally battery free and compatible with a range for MP3 players.

After a waste audit last month that helped show staff and students how many recyclables are thrown in with the regular trash, the school cafeteria is now equipped with recycling bins so the kids can separately dispose of plastic, metal, clean paper and garbage. There is also a container for empty juice pouches of Capri Sun and Honest Kids, which the school can save and trade in to TerraCycle, a manufacturer of products made from recycled materials, for 2 cents each.

Fountain City Elementary School second-grader Maia Koontz helps her mother, Nelia Koontz, sort through juice pouches and chip bags that will be sent to TerraCycle for recycling. Fountain City Elementary School is getting paid for its trash. Taking recycling beyond the blue and green bins, the school collects drink pouches and chip bags and then sends them to Terra-Cycle. The company diverts the waste from landfills by using it to create items such as tote bags and lunch boxes. TerraCycle pays schools and nonprofits for the otherwise non-recyclable waste.

Machado Elementary in Lake Elsinore is hoping to turn those staples of schoolyard lunch bags into cash through TerraCycle, a firm that transforms the discarded items into eco-friendly products such as pencil pouches, book bags and insulated coolers.

Bain Elementary School has earned $999.14 by collecting and donating 49,957 Capri Sun pouches through TerraCycle, a free nationwide program that pays schools and nonprofits to collect nonrecyclable waste that would otherwise go to a landfill. The school earns two cents for every pouch they send. TerraCycle and Capri Sun are recognizing Bain Elementary as one of the Top 100 collectors nationwide. Interested organizations can learn more at www.terracycle.net.

Norwell: Members of the Norwell Cub Scouts 66 use to see a lot of Capri Sun drink pouches get thrown away. Once they signed up to recycle them through a company called TerraCycle, the school began earning 2 cents for every one of the pouches and became part of a nationwide effort that has just reached a milestone of keeping 50 million pouches out of landfills.

In some WalMart parking lots in the state of New Jersey, you can do just that. Walmart has placed TerraCycle recycling centers in some of its parking lots, and at these centers, when you insert your trash, TerraCycle donates money to New Jersey schools.

For the Earth loving person on your gift giving list, consider a couple of gifts from Terracycle. I personally think that Terracycle is just a wonderfully brilliant company, who produces beautiful items from recycled trash. I myself own one of their tote bags and a few of their pencil cases. They are made ridiculously well and are always a conversation starter.