TRENTON, N.J., May 23, 2011 – Summer is the season for outdoor parties and picnics, and it’s important to take care of the outdoors as you are enjoying it. Instead of filling up your trash can with empty food wrappers and plastic cups after guests leave, you can reuse the packaging yourself or send the waste to TerraCycle, where you can earn money for your favorite charity and keep things out of the local landfill at the same time. Terracycle, an innovative upcycling and recycling company, partners with brands such as Frito-Lay, Nabisco, Kraft Cheese, Solo and Scott to reduce the amount of wast being thrown away. Some of the wrappers can also be used for do-it-yourself projects. An easy , crafty summer project is the do-it-yourself chip bowl, which can be made from a Frito-Lay chip bag, and then used for your next party! Or, you can turn your used Solo cups into herb planters for the porch or kitchen. For those who'd prefer to send their waste back to TerraCycle, they'll earn two cents per item for a charity of their choice.

The Fourth of July is the holiday of holidays for the US-of-A (or at least should be) considering the infinitesimal impact the Declaration of Independence had on the formation of our country and venerable status in which we hold those revolutionary patriots and our Founding Fathers. But, I don’t mean to give everyone a history lesson on the birth of our country and ramble on about the philosophical, societal, and political significance of those events (although some could use a brush-up concerning the facts and events leading to the formation of our country, mostly just those self-aggrandizing and media-flunky politicians who often misquote and miscomprehend). Sorry, I watched too many news channels this past week.

Recycling is a positive action that needs to become more prevalent. However, people should not forget that it is last on the list (reduce, reuse, recycle) for a reason. Since recycling is a process that converts products made from specific materials back into their raw form to be used in the production of new goods, it is only feasible in certain cases. Unfortunately, it is often cheaper (in money and energy) to create new items from scratch. Therefore, reducing the generation of waste and reusing old merchandise for different purposes are both vital tools needed for sustainable living. Upcycling is a combination of the two. Unlike recycling, upcycling leverages the basic material of an object and its physical form. For instance, melting down a bag of chips (after eating the chips, of course) and using the plastic toward the generation of a toilet seat is a form of recycling. This sort of process usually produces downcycled material, meaning it is of lesser quality. In contrast, using the bag as a waterproof wallet (snack size) or purse (family size) would be considered upcycling. Upcycling is an essential combatant against the ever-growing amount of waste in the world, and is most effective through mass organization. Enter, TerraCycle. TerraCycle, headquartered in Trenton, N.J. but active on at least three continents, has established a collection program for traditionally non-recyclable waste that can be converted into a variety of consumer products available for internet purchase or at major retailers such as Home Depot and Whole Foods. The aim of the company is to eliminate the concept of waste by facilitating a status quo of reuse. Any school, community organization or company can sign up online, start collecting specific items (see Brigades), mail them in for free and earn cash or points. For some environmentalists, the idea of partnering with Walmart and other large retailers may be hard to swallow. When asked of any such criticisms, David Smith of Terracycle echoed the company's CEO in his response. The companies we work with are creating sustainable value in ways never before considered, creating greater brand awareness while keeping their products out of landfills. Our mission is to eliminate waste. Working with large producers is the most effective way to do this. Advertisement And their partnerships have proven to be valuable. Currently, one of TerraCycle's powerfully beneficial strategies is taking place in school cafeterias. This past year lunchtime waste was reduced at Lawrence Intermediate School (LIS) in New Jersey through the collection of Capri Sun drink pouches and Frito-Lay chip bags. The LIS recycling campaign – run by a group of sixth-graders – raised over 6000 points, $60 of which was put toward sustaining the program. The remainder was used to provide needy families with clean drinking water, food and school supplies. Similar efforts are now proudly under way in the bay area, at such locations as the Clarendon School, Cornerstone Academy and Glen Park School. These programs not only provide environmental and social benefits, but also serve to educate children on the importance of their future role as stewards of the planet. You can practice upcycling without being as resourceful as MacGyver, extremely creative, or a lover of second-hand shopping. Rather (or in addition), take advantage of the fact that you, or someone you know, has kids. Collection brigades can be facilitated by a school faculty member, classrooms, or an entire grade. Spread the word about TerraCycle's partnership with schools and get involved. Your local school can join at any time, but there are a number of summer incentives for getting started immediately.

With Fourth of July fast approaching San Franciscans are gearing up for BBQ’s, beach picnics, family, friends and festivities. Summer parties create great memories, but they can also create a lot of left over trash. While you try your best to separate, recycle and even compost, what can you do with all that difficult-to-recycle food packaging, like Frito-Lay chip bags, Kraft Singles cheese packaging, Capri Sun drink pouches, and plastic cups? This year, there is a better option for dealing with these tricky “non-recyclables.” You can send them, for free, to TerraCycle. TerraCycle is one of the fastest growing green comapanies in the world. It was founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky, then a 20-year-old Princeton freshman. He began by producing organic fertilizer, liquid worm poop, and packaging it for sale in used soda bottles. Today, TerraCycle’s expanded mission is to eliminate the idea of waste all together.

THE TERRACYCLE RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR JUICE POUCHES EARNS SCHOOL A CASH REWARD. When students at St. Charles School see a certain juice pouch, they don’t just think “juice.” They also think about reducing school trash and bringing in 2 cents per juice pouch for their school. Special education teacher and Student Council advisor Jill Flemming also sees teachable math moments. Since this past September, the school has been sending Capri Sun juice pouches to TerraCycle. This school year, St. Charles students, who ended their school year Tuesday, recycled more than 11,000 juice bags, Flemming said Wednesday morning—11,072 to be exact. The recycling idea came, she said, when students were doing an annual walk in September against diabetes. The boxes of juice bags that the Student Council dispensed during the walk said, Flemming pointed out, “Recycle with TerraCycle.”

As residents prepare for Fourth of July and other summer parties, they have a new option for their non-recyclable trash: send it for free to TerraCycle to be, indeed, recycled. TerraCycle collects difficult-to-recycle food packaging such as Frito-Lay chip bags, Kraft Singles cheese packaging, Scott paper towel and napkin wrapping, and Solo plastic cups. Anyone can send in their used products and packaging to be upcycled and recycled. For every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant’s choice.

Have you ever wondered if there was something that could be done with paper and plastic products not accepted for recycling so they wouldn't end up in the landfill? Several Orlando elementary schools and pre-schools are taking part in a national program geared toward reducing discarded trash. Food packaging such as Frito-Lay® chip bags, Kraft Singles® cheese wrappers, Solo® plastic cups, and Scott® paper towel and napkin wrappers can all be turned into useful products at TerraCycle®. TerraCycle was founded in 2001 by Princeton University freshman, Tom Szaky, who packaged organic fertilizer in used soda bottles. Today, the company reports more than 20,000,000 people have collected almost 2,000,000 units of trash to that created 260 different products and donated more than $2,500,000,000 to charity.

Have you ever wondered if there was something that could be done with paper and plastic products not accepted for recycling so they wouldn't end up in the landfill? Several Orlando elementary schools and pre-schools are taking part in a national program geared toward reducing discarded trash. Food packaging such as Frito-Lay® chip bags, Kraft Singles® cheese wrappers, Solo® plastic cups, and Scott® paper towel and napkin wrappers can all be turned into useful products at TerraCycle®. TerraCycle was founded in 2001 by Princeton University freshman, Tom Szaky, who packaged organic fertilizer in used soda bottles. Today, the company reports more than 20,000,000 people have collected almost 2,000,000 units of trash to that created 260 different products and donated more than $2,500,000,000 to charity.

The local TerraCycle Brigade collects difficult-to-recycle waste to make eco-friendly products. It’s a case of one man’s trash being another man’s treasure. TerraCycle is a global company that collects nonrecyclable and difficult-to-recycle waste and uses it to make affordable, eco-friendly products. For each piece of 'waste' sent in through collection programs called Brigades, TerraCycle pays the UPS shipping charges and awards two points, which can be redeemed for specific charity gifts on TerraCycle.net or converted to 2 cents to be donated to the charity of the collector’s choice. While most municipalities accept glass, aluminum, tin and specific kinds of plastic for recycling, TerraCycle is focused on uncommonly recycled items. The company partners with consumer packaged goods manufacturers to upcycle consumer products. With upcycling, the waste is simply cleaned and shaped, sewn, or fused into new products, such as backpacks, messenger bags, lunch boxes, school supplies, shower curtains, and kites.

Summer is the season for outdoor parties and picnics, and it’s important to take care of the outdoors as you are enjoying it. Instead of filling up your trash can with empty food wrappers and plastic cups after guests leave, you can reuse the packaging yourself or send the waste to TerraCycle, where you can earn money for your favorite charity and keep things out of the local landfill at the same time. TerraCycle, an innovative upcycling and recycling company, partners with brands such as Frito-Lay, Nabisco, Kraft Cheese, Solo, and Scott to reduce the amount of waste being thrown away. Some of the wrappers can also be used for do-it-yourself projects. An easy, crafty summer project is the do-it-yourself chip bowl, which can be made from a Frito-Lay chip bag, and then used for your next party! Or, you can turn your used Solo cups into herb planters for the porch or kitchen. For those who’d prefer to send their waste back to TerraCycle, they’ll earn two cents per item for a charity of their choice.