If you're like most parents, right now is a bittersweet time. Sure, the kids are back in class, but with it comes a barrage of fundraisers. Just about every school - public or private - needs more money. And I'm not against it by any means. However, when the boxes of chocolate bars or the order forms for gift wrap arrive in the book bags, it's difficult to suppress a groan. On more than one occasion, I've told my husband I wish they'd just send us a bill for our portion and cut out the middle man. My girlish figure really doesn't need any candy, and I have enough wrapping paper to take care of Santa's Village. But we do it for our children. This year I'm chairing the fundraising committee for my younger son's school. My goal is to incorporate projects that teach as well as bring in money. I mentioned one a few weeks ago, Box Tops for Education, that's run by General Mills. But in my quest, I've found another I must share. The company is called TerraCycle, and its aim is to make eco-friendly, affordable consumer products from waste.

TST!  I'm so excited to be leading this new project with the Tisch Sustainability Team <http://tischsustainabilityteam.wordpress.com/>  (at work); starting Tuesday, September 7th we will be collecting chip bags and energy bar wrappers to send to TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  for up-cycling!  You faithful readers out there know how cool TerraCycle is, remember they sent me that awesome swag bag <http://www.girlygreengirl.com/2010/05/im-winner.html>  AND a hip drink pouch bag for my very first giveaway <http://www.girlygreengirl.com/2010/07/giveaway.html> ?!  Well you should see the up-cycled chip bag we're raffling off here at work, it's so yummy... I mean cool looking.  For each entry into either the wrapper or chip bag brigade, co-workers will be entered into a raffle for various eco-prizes, the grand prize being the up-cycled chip bag (sorry, Tisch workers only - for now - but if you happen to work on campus and want to participate feel free to inter-office mail me your wrappers and bags!!)

The company that turned Cheetos bags into MP3 speakers is now transforming Chester Cheetah into 32-gallon garbage cans. New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle is teaming up with Pioneer Plastics USA to make heavy-duty trash cans out of recycled polypropylene that was once chip bags. The cans are 80 percent post-consumer–most of the material is from chip bags collected by TerraCycle’s Chip Bag Brigade program. About 20 percent is from scraps of rubber elastic trimming that are leftover in the production of disposable diapers. The old Cheetos and other chip bags are first shredded, and then run through a densifying machine that employs heat and pressure to turn the shreds into a solid material. The material is extruded into plastic pellets, which can be used to make trash <http://www.oohmygoods.com/Wholesale-trash_c830>  cans through injection molding. It takes about 500 chip bags to make each can.

“Send us your trash – we’ll make it into cool products.” That's the simple premise and promise of New Jersey-based startup TerraCycle, a green recycler founded by two former Princeton University classmates who dreamed up the idea in 2001 for a business plan contest. Now full-time "eco-capitalists," they're making good business from trash by partnering with brands to create recycling campaigns for their products, and a halo effect for their affiliates.

TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based startup that upcycles trash into useful everyday items, has popped up on our radar many times over the past year. Because really, how can you not pay attention to a company that turns Frito Lay chip bags into speakers <http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/terracycle-upcycles-frito-lay-bags-tasty-speakers>  and makes kites out of Oreo packaging? Apparently, we aren’t the only ones with an eye on TerraCycle. The company’s latest antics will be available for a national audience beginning tonight, when Season 2 of Garbage Moguls premieres on the National Geographic Channel.

Terracycle, a New Jersey-based startup that upcycles trash into useful everyday items, has popped up on our radar many times over the past year. Because really, how can you not pay attention to a company that turns Frito Lay chip bags into speakers <http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/terracycle-upcycles-frito-lay-bags-tasty-speakers>  and makes kites out of Oreo packaging? Apparently, we aren’t the only ones with an eye on Terracycle. The company’s latest antics will be available for a national audience beginning tonight, when Season 2 of Garbage Moguls premieres on the National Geographic Channel.

Terracycle, a New Jersey-based startup that upcycles trash into useful everyday items, has popped up on our radar many times over the past year. Because really, how can you not pay attention to a company that turns Frito Lay chip bags into speakers <http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/terracycle-upcycles-frito-lay-bags-tasty-speakers>  and makes kites out of Oreo packaging? Apparently, we aren’t the only ones with an eye on Terracycle. The company’s latest antics will be available for a national audience beginning tonight, when Season 2 of Garbage Moguls premieres on the National Geographic Channel.

TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based startup that upcycles trash into useful everyday items, has popped up on our radar many times over the past year. Because really, how can you not pay attention to a company that turns Frito Lay chip bags into speakers <http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ariel-schwartz/sustainability/terracycle-upcycles-frito-lay-bags-tasty-speakers>  and makes kites out of Oreo packaging? Apparently, we aren't the only ones with an eye on TerraCycle. The company's latest antics will be available for a national audience beginning tonight, when Season 2 of Garbage Moguls premieres on the National Geographic Channel.

New eco-friendly 32 gallons garbage cans are made out of recycled chip bags and scraps of rubber elastic trimming leftovers, from the disposable diapers' production. The promoters of this kind of recycling are the same that made out of Cheetos bags, a New Jersey-based recycling company named TerraCycle.

TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based startup that upcycles trash into useful everyday items, has popped up on our radar many times over the past year. Because really, how can you not pay attention to a company that turns Frito Lay chip bags into speakers  and makes kites out of Oreo packaging? Apparently, we aren't the only ones with an eye on TerraCycle. The company's latest antics will be available for a national audience beginning tonight, when Season 2 of Garbage Moguls premieres on the National Geographic Channel.