New Jersey-based TerraCycle collects waste packaging from over 60,000 schools and community groups nationwide and “upcycles” them into new, useful products. Known for their “Brigades,” which has students and groups collecting everything from single use drink pouches to empty yogurt containers, Terracycle pays for shipping, prints the shipping labels the Brigades use, keeps track of how many items each Brigade has collected and even provides the shipping boxes. To make the Brigade program successful, TerraCycle has partnered with a number of well-known manufacturers like Kraft, PepsiCo and PaperMate to help turn the nonrecyclable into recyclable. Earlier in the year, TerraCycle partnered with Walmart to showcase and sell a wide variety of the repurposed products they’d created including tote bags made from Frito-Lay wrappers and purses and shoulder bags made from candy wrappers like M&M’s and Skittles. Terracycle has expanded its recycling program into eleven countries and, since its 2001 founding, has diverted billions of pieces of waste that were either upcycled or recycled into over 1,500 different products. They partnered with Toys R Us and Macy’s in New Jersey to collect in-store materials like used sneakers, shoes, used diaper packaging and used and broken toys. They’re discussing a possible regional program roll-out in the northeast. TerraCycle has also opened several retail stores featuring their innovative “new” products. They’ve also developed the TerraCycle Classroom Curriculum to teach students about the problems of and solutions to waste. TerraCycle is a company with both a vision and the ability to give trash a new, useful second life. You can find out more about them at www.Terracycle.net <http://www.Terracycle.net> .

Playing into the established "reuse is better than recycle" eco-sensibility, TerraCycle takes trash and transforms it into useful eco-products. TerraCycle runs a series of free national brigades, inviting people to send their garbage in exchange for cash to be donated to schools and nonprofits. From a kite made out of Skittles wrappers to an upcycled bike chain picture frame to fire logs made out of recycled cardboard and wax, TerraCycle's 1,500 products range from the quirky to the utilitarian and are available in a wide range of major U.S. retailers, from Whole Foods to Wal-Mart. Founded by a Princeton freshman in 2001, TerraCycle has collected nearly 2 billion waste units to date and raised more than $1.5 million for charity.

I asked her,"Are those Capri Sun pouches? Did you make that?" She started laughing and telling me how she found this company called TerraCycle that takes recycling to a whole new level. They do what they "upcycle" things like Capri Sun pouches, Frito-Lay potato chip bags, M&M wrappers, and a ton of other things you and I throw out every day and turns them into things like the bag A'Driane has. I was sold, especially after I saw their website. They sell everything you can think of, but what I really think is cool is that not only do they have stuff you can give your kids to use like pencil cases, kites, colored pencils, etc, but their products aren't expensive at all. They even have what they call "Brigades"-which are basically recycling programs that pay you to send them your trash. Capri Sun pouches, yogurt lids, toothbrushes, candy wrappers, you name it, you, your buisness, or kid's school can collect these items and get paid for collecting it while helping reduce waste-pretty incredible.

Marketers switching from traditional to compostable packaging because others have been successful with it = good peer pressure. What’s my point? My free samples of Boulder Canyon chips arrived today. Across the top in a two-inch banner read, “Compostable Packaging!” Seriously, it’s probably the first thing you see. Nor can you miss it on the SunChips bag, where it takes up the top quarter of the package. Even my Keebler chocolate chip cookies container asks consumers to “Turn this wrapper into a good cause,” an invitation to get involved in upcycling (keeping cookie wrappers and other packaging out of landfills by turning them into new products) wrapped in a 2 1/2″ x 4″ green leaf that fairly leaps out of the brown and caramel package. Also, Keebler, if you’re listening, “details on back” (inviting consumers to turn the package over for details on the Terracycle program) works in the store, but not after consumers have opened the crackle-y, flappy cookine container at home. If you’re going to invite people to turn over the package, you need to make it resealable. I’ll leave the unfortunate results to your imagination. Let’s just say the dog had a great night.

The project partners the school with a company called TerraCycle, which pays the school 2 cents for commonly-disposed wrappers for candy bars, potato chips and other items. TerraCycle then turns the garbage into accessories such as backpacks and purse, according to fifth grade teacher Diane Roethler. “These aren’t things that can go in curbside recycling,” Roethler said. “This company has found a specific use for these items and a specific product that they can make from it.” Roethler hopes to use the money earned through the TerraCycle program to raise extra money for the school to purchase supplies. During the three weeks she collected material during the last school year, Roethler collected 2,200 items for more than $44. She expects to earn even more this year now that the parents and students are more familiar with the program.

Tom Szaky, a 28-year-old wunderkind from Canada, wants you to send him your garbage, and he’ll pay the shipping. Oh, and he also wants to make a lot of money and save the world by taking unrecyclable waste like chip bags and juice pouches and turning them into new products like backpacks, kites, coolers and clocks. Now he and his company, TerraCycle, take tons of hard-to-recycle plastics and other waste collected from collection “brigades” formed in schools, churches businesses and service organizations and turns them into products sold at Walmart and Target. They pay the shipping for articles like shopping bags, used pens, whatever, and pay 2 cents per unit to a charity on behalf of the collecting organization. All of it is organized through the company Web site, terracycle.net. The feel-good business model has worked with giant companies like Kraft Foods, Frito-Lay and Kimberly-Clark, who pitch the program on their packaging. Walmart and Target also have joined up, setting up collection points and selling products.

You all have heard of Terracycle, haven't you? If you haven't, listen up! Terracycle a super cool company that makes super cool stuff out of trash, like juice pouches, potato chip bags and candy bar wrappers, and make them into very cute, useable stuff, like tote bags, pencil pouches, lunch boxes, clipboards, fences, toys... The list goes on and on and on! Check out their site to see what all they recycle. You can actually start a brigade to collect trash and they will pay your organization! Check out the brigade program here.

Students at Bentley School are trying to do their part to help the environment. The school has different recycling containers throughout the building for plastic and paper recycling. In the lunchroom students are encouraged to recycle their foil juice drink containers, granola bar wrappers, candy wrappers, cookie wrappers, chip bags, as well as milk containers, pop cans, and water bottles. Students are encouraged to recycle at home and bring these items back school. The foil juice drink containers, granola bar wrappers, candy wrapper, cookie wrappers, and chip bags are then boxed up and sent to TerraCycle. This company then turns the “trash” into backpacks, lunch bags, folders and more! Last year Bentley students recycled 1,684 Capri Suns, 1,145 Granola/Energy Bar Wrappers, and 396 Chip Bags. We are very proud of our students for all that they are doing to make the world a better place!