Almost fairytale-like, Noble Elementary School this year converted trash into treasure. But it took a lot more than a fervent wish and a wave of a wand for the Berryessa school to win a $50,000 play structure for the school's empty playground. In a mega-recycling campaign, for one year students and parents saved, sorted and shipped what normally ends up in the trash: empty Doritos bags, Lunchables trays, Elmer's glue bottles, Colgate toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes. And there was more: Neosporin tubes, tortilla bags and all types of pens and markers. In all, parents collected and sorted into 37 bins items from both home and school, and sent them to Terracycle, a not-for-profit New Jersey company dedicated to recycling the previously unrecyclable.

Almost fairytale-like, Noble Elementary School this year converted trash into treasure. But it took a lot more than a fervent wish and a wave of a wand for the Berryessa school to win a $50,000 play structure for the school's empty playground. In a mega-recycling campaign, for one year students and parents saved, sorted and shipped what normally ends up in the trash: empty Doritos bags, Lunchables trays, Elmer's glue bottles, Colgate toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes. And there was more: Neosporin tubes, tortilla bags and all types of pens and markers. In all, parents collected and sorted into 37 bins items from both home and school, and sent them to Terracycle, a not-for-profit New Jersey company dedicated to recycling the previously unrecyclable.

Dinosaurs Rex and Rita get their fill of recycled bags at Madison Avenue Elementary. Now they're looking for their fill of votes to win a recycling contest. The school's bins used to accept chip and drink pouches during lunch period are among the 10 finalists in TerraCycle's The Box that Rocks Contest. The winner gets 100,000 points - which translates into $1,000 - from the the New Jersey business that "upcycles" or turns typically non-recyclable materials into new products.

In order to teach students a fun way to protect the Earth and earn money for their school, Oakwood Elementary is participating in a national recycling program. TerraCycle Inc. has partnered with brands including Kraft, Nabisco and Frito-Lay to recycle and “upcycle” packaging including Capri Sun juice pouches, Lunchables containers, chip bags, and more. The items can be used to make products including notebook covers, backpacks and pencil cases. Through TerraCycle, Inc., the school is able to collect food packaging which is difficult to recycle, ship the items at no cost to various warehouses across the country, and receive points. The points can be used toward buying a charity gift or be converted to money for a charity or the school itself.

We are thrilled to partner with TerraCycle to give away six exclusive, upcycled school supply items. Up for grabs is a large tote bag made from a large potato chip bag, spiral notebook created from smaller chip bags, pencil case and homework folder made from drink pouches, circuit board clipboard, and a package of eco-friendly printer paper. Total value? $50! Read below to see all the ways you can enter to win. One winner will be selected at random. Entries will be received through 11:59 PST on October 27, 2011. Good luck!

I posted in my first blog about some of the cool jobs and internships I have been fortunate to have. I wanted to take the time and talk about my most previous internship in the business development department at TerraCycle this past summer. I moved out to Trenton, New Jersey to work for a company that is simply eliminating the idea of waste. CEO Tom Szaky, from his book Revolution in a Bottle, says it best that “in looking at waste as an entirely modern, man-made idea, I stopped viewing garbage as garbage and instead slowly started to see it as a commodity.” The private company’s goal is to engage consumers and communities in the collection of non-recyclable waste, things that you ordinarily cannot throw away into a recycling bin. Through a collection process, or Brigade™, consumers can send in their used products to TerraCycle where they will transform the waste into eco-products. They also incentivize the collections by rewarding consumers with $0.02 per item to a charity or school of their choice. This is able to close an environmental loop for brand’s consumers, and help them realize that there is an end of life decision for all the products they are using. From corks, cameras, cell phones, any sort of packaging, pre-consumer waste, shoes, diapers, energy bars, pens to yogurt containers, TerraCycle handles them all. They are very proud to say that they have not yet encountered a form of waste in which they can’t handle. Also, the whole Trenton office is upcycled featured conference rooms made from bottle walls and reclaimed doors used for desks (the office was voted the “Coolest in America.”). Some of their more successful products can be found in Walmart and the Home Depot like the Capri Sun backpack and the garbage cans made from 1,500 Frito-Lay bags. Next time you’re at the grocery store, be sure to look at the back of a Capri Sun box!

As students headed back to class this fall in dozens of area schools, they were reminded to think twice before dumping the remains of their school lunch in the trash. The schools- more than 50 of them in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties- are partnering with TerraCycle, a national "upcycling" and recycling company which comes up with creative ways to reuse non-recyclable or hard to recycle waste.

The designers at TerraCycle refer to themselves as “junkies.” The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders may not recognize job addiction, but after speaking with the company’s resident design junkies, it is not hard to imagine withdrawal symptoms on days off. Not simply because the Trenton, New Jersey-based recycling and upcycling firm does eco-friendly work, but because so much of what they do, or fail to do, is an exercise in recombinant aesthetics. It was hard not to picture a modern art piece dangling in the Guggenheim when Brad Sherman, one of TerraCycle’s design junkies, told me about a chandelier he made of used eyeglasses. Although this project, and his bamboo-like picture frames made of cigarette butts, never made it to market, it says something about a company when even its failures can be mistaken for art.

It’s time for the Go Green Giveaway Event! I am really excited to be taking part in this green event! There are over 50 blogs participating, all bringing you natural/organic products or family friendly items from eco-friendly companies!! For my giveaway I have 3 great sponsors!! Terracycle, a pioneering upcycling and recycling company, makes back-to-school products and tote bags that could be perfect for the fall. The bags are made from upcycled Frito Lay, Capri Sun, and Mars packaging that normally cannot be recycled. TerraCycle makes it possible to reuse these items and prevents them from going to the landfill. Terracycle has these great tote bags and one of my lucky readers will receive one free as part of my giveaway package!! These tote bags will be perfect for the kids to carry to collect all their treats in.

Terracycle is a company that collects and "upcycles" different kinds of waste packaging and turns that waste into new consumer products. Repurposed products include pencil cases made from Oreo cookie wrappers, kites from Skittles packages, backpacks from Capri Sun drinks pouches and natural plant fertilizer made from worm excrement that is packaged in empty soda bottles. These upcycled products are available for sale in several large national chain stores including Home Depot, Walmart and Wholefoods Markets. So far, Terracycle has collected over 1.5 billion tons of waste. In Lays potato chip packets alone, over two million tons of waste has been diverted from landfills.