Tuesday, 10 March 2015, 11:14 am Press Release: TerraCycle Back to school tools for a healthy smile and healthy planet Bright Smiles Bright Futures launches school oral care recycling program with TerraCycle http://www.terracycle.co.nz/en-NZ/brigades/bsbf-schools.html In March, 2,200 primary schools in New Zealand will be invited to take part in the Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures Program (BSBF) to learn how to achieve good oral health and take steps to create a healthy planet. The unique recycling solution is a joint initiative with recycling company TerraCycle and Colgate-Palmolive. Teachers are invited to register for the Colgate Oral Care Brigade and encourage their students to recycle oral care waste and win rewards for their school. The BSBF Oral Health Education kit has been provided free to primary schools each year since 1997. Developed by teachers and oral health professionals, the curriculum features an exciting array of activities designed to encourage students to take responsibility for their oral health. Students meet the engaging Dr. Rabbit and his team of Tooth Defenders on their mission to fight the sticky villain, Placulus and save Tooth City. Along the way, they learn the importance of brushing twice a day, having a regular dental check-up and using their "tools for a bright smile". The Colgate Oral Care Brigade encourages school communities to collect and send these "tools for a bright smile" or “unrecyclable” oral care items to TerraCycle free via New Zealand Post. This includes toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers and their outer packaging which will be recycled into sustainable products. Since 1997 the BSBF program has inspired over 1 million children and their families to take care of their oral health. All schools ordering the BSBF kits will receive a "Recycle Your Tools for a Bright Smile" pack featuring a class activity to design a collection box to store used oral care items. Once registered, they will receive incentives to boost the school collection drive throughout the year and at the same time raise money for their school. For every used oral care item collected and sent to Terracyle, a donation of two cents will be made to the collector’s school. Colgate will also award $1,000 to the registered school sending the most oral care waste in total by 1 November 2015. “It is estimated that 9 million toothbrushes and 16 million toothpaste tubes are used in New Zealand each year. This is a great community effort to recycle waste that would otherwise end up in landfill,” said Anna Minns, General Manager, TerraCycle. “At TerraCycle our mission is to ‘eliminate the idea of waste’ by educating on re-use, upcycling and recycling. Our team of designers, headed by Tiffany Threadgould devise ways to give oral care waste a second life such as a toothbrush made into a pen or a play ground made of toothpaste tubes.” “It’s a big ‘win and grin’ initiative for students. The program encourages students to participate as they head back to start the school year and to continue learning and recycling throughout the year.” Visit www.terracycle.co.nz to learn more about TerraCycle Brigade programs. -ENDS- © Scoop Media

An old tooth-brush doesn't necessarily evoke a feeling of possibility, but perhaps it should. A contest held by Colgate-Palmolive — in collaboration with ShopRite and recycling company TerraCycle — showed students that old oral care products could be made into something new.

1 October – For the first time in New Zealand, oral care waste is now recyclable. TerraCycle and Colgate have partnered to create a recycling solution for the nation’s oral care waste through the Colgate Oral Care Brigade. New Zealanders can now register on the TerraCycle New Zealand website to collect used oral care items in any box, then download a free shipping label, affix it to the box and ship it via New Zealand Post to TerraCycle to be recycled into sustainable products and materials. “We are working with TerraCycle to tackle oral care waste through this innovative programme. This environmental initiative also engages local communities, schools and households around sustainability.” said John Garside, General Manager, Colgate, New Zealand. The Oral Care Brigade will allow groups and individuals to recycle any brand of used toothbrushes as well as toothpaste tubes and caps, floss containers, toothbrush and toothpaste tube outer packaging from home, schools or the workplace. Collectors can earn TerraCycle points for which they can redeem two cents per piece of waste collected to donate to their nominated school or non-profit organisation. TerraCycle General Manager, Anna Minns said this environmental initiative will divert this previously ‘un-recyclable’ waste from landfill. “Colgate has also opened the Oral Care Brigade to recycle any brand of oral care product. All schools, groups, individuals and businesses are welcome to participate in the programme. The Oral Care Brigade is the latest addition to TerraCycle New Zealand’s recycling Brigade programmes including NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® Capsules Brigade.” To date, TerraCycle has kept more than 2.6 billion pieces of waste from landfills around the world through its innovative recycling Brigade programs. To learn more about the Oral Care Brigade program visit www.terracycle.co.nz How does it work? It’s easy and free to participate in the Oral Care Brigade Interested individuals and groups can sign up for the Brigade and view further terms and conditions by visiting www.terracycle.co.nz Accepted waste includes toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, toothpaste caps, floss containers, toothbrush and toothpaste tube outer packaging materials packaging materials. Once enough waste is collected, collectors log into their account and print a free prepaid New Zealand Post shipping label to return their box or satchel at no cost. For every piece of waste collected, NZ$0.02 is donated to the collectors’ nominated school or non-profit organisation. Collectors must send in at least one kilogram of oral care waste to earn the TerraCycle points donation. TerraCycle has already kept more than two billion pieces of food and beverage packaging and other waste from going to the landfill and with its partners, dispersed more than USD$9 million to charity through its various Brigade programmes. This newest Brigade® programme joins one other Brigade currently available with NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® capsules to recycle coffee and tea capsules. About TerraCycle TerraCycle is an international recycling company that engages the community to collect ‘un-recyclable’ packaging and products, and turns them into new sustainable products. Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with over 110 of the world’s largest consumer goods brands to collect 75 different waste streams, including chip bags, pens, toothbrushes, chewing gum and even cigarette waste. TerraCycle has operations in 26 countries and has over 60 million people participating globally in our programs to collect waste.

Oral care products, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, can seem nearly impossible to recycle. After all, how would a recycler remove all of that extra toothpaste from the tube or dissasemble a toothbrush for recycling? Let’s take a closer look at this recycling mystery to get the low-down on how to keep our pearly whites healthy without contributing to landfill waste.

Can I recycle my toothbrush and toothpaste tubes?

Answer: Yes.

How oral care products are recycled

Oral care products and packaging vary greatly by material and can include different numbered plastics, along with aluminum, steel and nylon. In most cases, each of these components must be processed separately – meaning a tricky job for recyclers.

Emmorton Elementary is taking the old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" to a whole new level. Since the beginning of the 2010 school year, the school on Tollgate Road has raised $8,000 by recycling everyday trash, such as chip bags, candy wrappers and juice pouches, through national program TerraCycle. "Our kids are really excited about it," Emmorton's principal, Dr. Peter Carpenter, said. "It's an amazing program." Carpenter originally heard about TerraCycle from his cousin and became intrigued.

Great smiles are helping to bring big money to students and teachers at St. Stephen School in Warwick. The students and teachers are participating in TerraCycle's Oral Care Brigade, in which the school earns two cents for every used toothpaste tube, certain toothbrushes and product packaging it sends to TerraCycle. From there, TerraCycle creates eco-friendly products from the waste it receives.

TerraCycle has recognized Heritage K-8 Charter School in Escondido as one of the top 15 participants in one of its national recycling programs. The school is a top collector in Terracycle's Oral Care Brigade, which collects non-recyclable waste such as toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes that would otherwise go to a landfill. The items are collected and returned to TerraCycle, which makes them into affordable eco-friendly products.

GAINES TOWNSHIP — Fifth-grader Kyle Dronkers kept a straight face while talking about recycling used toothbrushes to help the planet and raise money for Dutton Christian School. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend using them,” deadpanned Kyle, 10, as he flashed a toothy grin. But the grungy brushes will become eco-friendly products after they are shipped to Terracycle, a New Jersey-based company known for tackling previously un-recycled or hard-to-recycle waste. The Dutton students were recognized as being among TerraCycle’s top toothbrush and toothpaste-tube collectors for bringing in 1,800 items for the Colgate Oral Care Brigade.