What is upcycling?  According to a very cool company, TerraCycle, upcycling is defined as using every aspect of waste as value.  Every year billions of drink pouches and candy wrappers and of in dumpsters and landfills across America.  Check out these items below and see upcycling in action.  See the volunteering section at highschoogle to learn more about how you can be part of TerraCycle’s Brigade movement, by starting a club at your school.

Founder and CEO of TerraCycle, Tom Szaky has been collecting and upcycling refuse since childhood, starting with discarded TVs and computer monitors.   "Even at a very young age, the excess and waste I saw surprised and intrigued me." Inspired by seeing waste as a great opportunity, the landfill as a poorly organized factory, and that with a little innovation he could run a profitable business that was also good for the planet, Tom dropped out of Princeton and TerraCycle was born.  Starting with sales of the brand's worm-converted waste fertilizer to the Home Depot and Walmart in 2004, TerraCycle has continued to flourish now working with major brands such as Kraft Foods, Frito-Lay, Mars, CLIF BAR and others, in sponsoring the collection of post-consumer packaging that pays schools and non-profits 2 cents for every piece they collect.  Today over 50,000 organizations have helped collect over 1 billion pre- and post-consumer wrappers that have been made into affordable eco-friendly products, such as totes and backpacks. In 2009, Tom released his first book, Revolution in a Bottle, and starred in 3 episodes on the National Geographic Channel series, Garbage Moguls.  When asked what lasting impression he wants to leave on the planet?

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.

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.

The Secondary Transition Program (STP) has joined forces with TerraCycle to begin a recycling project for the Sanilac Intermediate School District Special Education Programs and Services. Each year millions of candy wrappers, chip bags, glue bottles, and drink pouches end up in landfills. TerraCycle is a proud partner with Mars/ Wrigley, Nabisco, Frito- Lay, Capri- Sun, and Elmer’s Glue. Terracycle works with these companies to upcycle materials into fun new products! The Sanilac ISD Special Education Programs will also earn $0.02 for each wrapper/ package that is sent in. TerraCycle has been such a success in schools everywhere that they now require a 250 - 500 piece minimum send in! Due to this increase the ISD is reaching out for help. Please send in any Wrappers, packages, and drink pouches to the Sanilac ISD at Maple Valley or at the Sanilac Career Center.

I love crafty ideas and making your own candy wrapper napkin rings is one sweet idea. TerraCycle explains how to make these unique napkin holders.

Anna, who is TerraCycle?  They definitely have a cool name.

I love the name too.  In fact, I gush about TerraCycle so much on the website, you would think I worked for them.  Why do I love them?   Schools and other organizations are paid by TerraCycle to collect certain trash.  Yep. 2 cents per item!  Believe me.  It adds up. Plus, the items collected are up-cycled into new products.

Now onto the Candy Wrappers

All you need is an Elmer glue stick, ruler, scissors, pencil, and candy wrappers that everyone swears they didn’t eat the candy.  (You know what I am talking about.  Don’t play shy with me.  Been there. Done that.) Once you have your supplies, check out the candy wrapper to napkin ring video below.  Like the old fashion written instructions?  TerraCycle has you covered with their handy upload napkin ring PDF.

As you all know, I’m on a rampage to expand the way we measure out business success to be more than just about profits.  We need to move from a blazing lack of integrity and ethics to a socially responsible mindset.  Frito Lay is already ahead of that game. For over 70 years, Frito Lay has been taking steps to reduce impact on the earth. Here are some of their moves: Imagine a future where chip bags won’t end up in landfills, where used packaging will be given a second lifecycle as an everyday product, like a clipboard, tote bag, or trash can. That’s what Frito Lay’s partnership with Terracycle delivers, thanks to Terracycle’s innovative upcycling.  But that’s not all Frito Lay does.

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.

One local school in Rockford, Illinois does a great job collecting non-recyclable items and sending them to TerraCycle.

Innovative New Jersey-based company Terracycle <http://www.terracycle.net>  has made a name for itself by collecting and recycling literally tons of trash into an ever-growing array of fun, unique consumer products, from plant food for gardeners to clocks, coasters, bags, office products and much more. These colorful speakers are made from discarded chip bags, and they don't require any additional power source (they are designed to plug directly into an MP3 player or other audio source).