WHO knew you could make bags out of toothpaste tubes and turn toothbrushes into pens? Students at Mary Help of Christians Primary School were delighted to discover the concept of 'upcycling' when TerraCycle general manager Anna Minns visited their school recently. TerraCycle is an innovative company that tackles difficult to recycle waste streams, turning 'unrecyclable' waste into new sustainable products. Year 6 students and environment ministers Isabella Treleaven and Jake Hicks were amazed to learn you could turn waste items into nifty, new products. "It's so interesting," Jake said. "They even turn babies' nappies into new stuff." The students got to take home items like fruit punch poppers-cum-pencil cases and cleansing wipe packages-cum-bags. In the lead up to World Environment Day on June 5, TerraCycle is calling on Coffs Coast residents to recycle their used toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss containers. The primary school is participating in the nationwide program to save used oral care items from landfill, collecting these items from the community, sending them to TerraCycle to be recycled and getting two cents for every piece of waste in return. Principal Liz Watts said they are excited about starting the program and look forward to a big collection drive. Visit www.terracycle. com.au to learn more.

Used dental items are being sought by St Anne's School to be turned into new products such as bins, chairs or bottles. The Harvey primary school is urging the wider community to contribute items such old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss containers. Program co-coordinator and Year 1 teacher Amber Carruthers said the donations would be used for the Colgate-TerraCylce joint program, an addition to the school's own sustainability and recycling initiatives. Miss Carruthers said more than 30 million toothbrushes and 80 million toothpaste tubes were thrown away every year in Australia and New Zealand. "The TerraCycle program teaches children about recycling waste and also shows them how old products can be used to make new ones," she said. "Students are encouraged to bring in their used dental products, which are collected and sent away to be melted down and made into new products such as bins, chairs and bottles. Students have been very excited and each day, more products are coming in but now we are extending it to the general public to join us." Miss Carruthers said the school would receive two cents for every item - including toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, and outer packaging and floss containers. "Money received for the recycling will be used to purchase resources for the school's sustainability centre," she said. She said the students had enjoyed making their own recycle boxes for collecting products and classes were competing to collect the most products. Items can be donated at the school office on Young Street, Harvey. The program runs until November 1 and the school recycling the most also receives a bonus cash prize.

Waikanae Kindergarten kids are sorting used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes for recycling as the kindie pioneers a national programme to stop the items going to the tip. The Kapiti Coast kindie has registered as one of the first public collection points for TerraCycle and Colgate's oral care recycling programme, and is the first educational institution to become involved. Toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss containers are turned into pellets and recycled into plastic products such as park benches, watering cans and waste bins. Kindy pupil George Bidwell, 4, said he was excited to be involved after dropping off items for recycling, and being sent back a pencil and pencil case made from  them. "We are making lots of things from lots of stuff. Making space at the dump," he said. Kindergarten spokeswoman Pettina Meads said they were delighted to be one of the first communities to have a dropoff point for the used items. "Everyone goes through these items and, by bringing them to us, they will be put to good use." The kindie earns two cents for each item sent for recycling, and the money raised will be used to fund new display cabinets so children can easily access their own resources. TerraCycle general manager Anna Minns said the company was keen for schools and sports clubs to join the programme. "It is estimated that nine million toothbrushes and 16m toothpaste tubes are used in New Zealand each year. The programme is part of a big community effort to recycle waste that would otherwise end up in your landfill," she said. "The aim is for whole communities in New Zealand, like Waikanae, to collect together via a nationwide network of dropoff locations." Used items, excluding electric toothbrushes, can be dropped off at Waikanae Kindergarten between 8am and 5pm.

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

In an ideal world, it’d be easy to recycle everything we didn’t need. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple – but these 13 tips will make it a little easier to recycle more. Even if you were part of the generation of Australians who had ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ drilled into you during the last decade – recycling can be hard to do. It’s not always clear what can and can’t be recycled in your local council area. recycle bins Even if you were part of the generation of Australians who had ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ drilled into you during the last decade – recycling can be hard to do. It’s not always clear what can and can’t be recycled in your local council area For recycling plastics, we’ve put together this handy guide - but what about recycling beyond your yellow bin? Here are the best tips for recycling all that you can. SHAREONFBSHAREONTWSUBSCRIBE 1: ‘Green’ polypropylene bags, and plastic packaging that you can’t recycle at home, such as biscuit packets, bread bags, rice and pasta bags, can all be recycled in the dedicated bins at both Coles and most Woolworths supermarkets. They might even be remade into things like garden benches for schools. You can read more here. 2: Mobile phones (but not cables) can be left at Sony Centres and Leading Edge Computers. Here, mobile phones are recycled and the money raised will be used to build specialised youth cancer centres for 15 to 30 year old cancer sufferers through the charity YouCan. 3: Domestic batteries can be disposed of sustainably in bins at most ALDI stores. Learn more from our friends at Planet Ark. 4: Used stamps are accepted as donations by many organisations – for example, Guide Dogs in Tasmania. You can find a full list of organisations who collect used stamps at the Give Now website. 5: Used prescription glasses and sunglasses can be donated to OPSM or Personal Eyes, who will pass them on to someone who can’t afford glasses in a developing country. 6: Unused mini shampoos, soaps and lotions from hotels can be given to your local homeless shelter or women’s refuge. 7: Corks from wine or champagne bottles might be recyclable at a location near you. Use Planet Ark’s Recycling Near You tool to find a drop-off point. 8: Used bras and swimwear can be donated to Project Uplift, which sends them on to women for whom bras are unobtainable or unaffordable. You can find participating stores across Australia here. 9: Wire clothes hangers can be returned to dry cleaning shops. 10: Joggers that are not too worn can be given to Soles for Souls who will donate them to orphanages or use them to help fund microfinance projects in developing countries. 11: Used plastic children’s toys in good condition can be recycled with Second Chance Toys. 12: Empty toothpaste tubes, brushes, floss containers, some coffee capsules can be recycled with Terracycle. Just remember to check in and arrange it with them first. 13. Printer cartridges can be recycled at Officeworks, JB HiFi, Australia Post, Harvey Norman, Dick Smith. SHAREONFBSHAREONTWSUBSCRIBE 'Arctic 30' Take Part in a Recycling Day in St. Petersburg Being environmentally conscious on recycling day and sorting your rubbish into compost, recycling and general waste bins is fantastic – but it’s important to think about producing less rubbish to begin with. To help consume less ‘stuff’, try asking yourself these three questions when you’re buying something new: 1. What resources went into creating, producing, packaging, and delivering this product to me? 2. Will my use of this product achieve a good return on investment for those resources? 3. Is there another way? Do I already have something like this at home? Could I borrow this from someone I know? Is there a less resource-intensive alternative? Could I buy this second-hand? Could I make this out of something I already have? TIP: If you can’t recycle it, maybe you can upcycle your trash into something new. Learn more about upcycling and check out some easy DIYs here. Want to do more? Sign up to join 400,000 Greenpeace supporters and get opportunities to create change straight into your inbox!