Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school. Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant. Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice. The materials are then made into a variety of eco-friendly products like trash cans, playground surfaces and watering cans. TerraCycle also provides free sustainability curricula, DIY and craft projects, and art and product design contests that teachers can use to engage their students.

Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school. Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant. Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice.

Students send their used supplies to TerraCycle, Inc. instead of to landfills. TerraCycle uses the items to create trash cans, watering cans, park benches, playgrounds, and other products that are sold at stores like Walmart and Whole Foods Market. In turn, every object students collect earns points toward a donation to the school or a charity. Nearby TerraCycle participants include Blair Mill Elementary School, Pennypack Elementary School, and Upper Moreland Intermediate School in Hatboro; Enfield Elementary School in Oreland; Epiphany of Our Lord School in Plymouth Meeting; and Robbins Park Environmental Education Center, Mattison Avenue Elementary School, Shady Grove Elementary School, and Lower Gwynedd Elementary School in Ambler. Art teacher Mary Arbuckle is the coordinator for Blair Mill and Pennypack. “I…thought it would [be] great to encourage all of my students to start collecting juice pouches to send to [TerraCycle],” Arbuckle explains via email. The schools have added glue sticks, laptops, computer mice, cell phones, candy wrappers, Lunchables, chip bags, energy bars, old shoes, and more to their collections. The approximately 750 children from Blair Mill and Pennypack are very involved in the TerraCycle process. Teachers, staff, and children collect items at home and at school, and students “sort items to be shipped to [TerraCycle]….They are also using their imaginations and [coming] up with their own ideas for reusing items instead of throwing items away,” Arbuckle says.

Back to school, means back to packing a lunch for lots of families around the Tennessee Valley. It also means lots of Capri Sun, granola bar, and chip bag wrappers that can't be recycled. Oops, uh, check that last statement. " Nexus Energy Center, we participate in a program through a company called Teracycle, based in New Jersey. What they do is take all sorts of random items that are typically un-recyclable, we're talking about granola bar wrappers, chip bags, pens, yogurt containers, things that we can't put in our blue recycle bins at home," said Daniel Tait, of the Nexus Energy Center in Huntsville. The items are shipped off to Teracycle and turned in to all kinds of cool things like backpacks, purses, toys and lawn furniture just to name a few.

You know those crinkly snack bags? The ones made of foil or other materials that aren't easily recyclable? Now someone wants them. Tom Szaky and Trenton, N.J.-based TerraCycle have made a successful business out of taking things no one else wants and turning them into cool products that people will buy. Recently, Szaky announced that Hamilton Township, just outside Trenton, had been selected for a national pilot project to collect chip bags. Through an arrangement with Frito-Lay, TerraCycle already collects 0.05 percent — not much, true — of chip bags through its Brigade collection programs, which offers student groups and other organizations money for sending in loads of chip bags that otherwise would be discarded. Now, however, through its new "Chip in for Change" pilot, TerraCycle wants to increase the amount collected to at least 10 percent — closer to the average recycling rate of plastic bottles. To do that during the trial, which began July 11 and runs through Oct. 31, Hamilton Township will need to collect 114,930 chip bags (38,310 per month), according to TerraCycle. For every 50,000 chip bags collected, $250 will be donated to local charities or nonprofits.

It’s time for back-to-school shopping, and you may find yourself feeling frustrated by the lack of green choices offered at your local big box stores. Fret not, oh eco-conscious ones–school supplies for kids don’t have to be harmful to the environment. Our back to school supply list includes resources for eco-pencils, recycled paper products, PVC-free binders and more! Even the most discriminating environmentally friendly children will be pleased. TerraCycle’s upcycled school supplies make our eco-friendly back-to-school supply list. Image: TerraCycle. There are a wide variety of eco backpacks available, including those made from recycled PET, cotton or hemp. You can also get pencil cases, backpacks, lunch boxes, folders and more that are made from upcycled packaging by TerraCycle; they upcycle traditionally non-recyclable packaging like drink pouches and chip bags and turn them into unique school supplies. You can also get involved with TerraCycle’s program by collecting waste in your home, school and community. To get started, visit TerraCycle.com and create an account. Once you have filled a box with relevant waste, you download a pre-paid shipping label and send your box to them so they can turn your waste into cool products. “Since 2007, TerraCycle has kept 2.4 billion pieces of waste from ending up in landfills and paid almost $4.5 million dollars to schools and charities.”

Clayton Snyder, who graduated in June from Lock Haven University, participated in a study abroad program, spending February to June in South Korea.   Snyder, a senior recreation management major with a concentration in environmental/international studies, had received a $4,000 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in South Korea. The son of Bob and Kim Snyder of Lebanon, Snyder is a 2008 graduate of Cedar Crest High School.   In South Korea, he attended Chungnam National University in Daejon, where he studied the Korean language and culture.   The Gilman International Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Institute of International Education. Recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process.

A new initiative by LVC’s Sustainability Committee provides a unique way to upcycle products typically thrown away on campus. TerraCycle creates collection and solution programs for non-recyclable waste, and will be rolled out on campus in time for move in day. Residential Life area coordinator Michael Schoch is spearheading the TerraCycle effort on campus, along with his “green team” of resident assistants, building representatives, and Sustainability Committee members. “The TerraCycle project is another opportunity for LVC to continue to become as sustainable as possible, Schoch said. “It is the team’s hope that we can reduce waste on campus by educating our community about new items that can be upcycled instead of being thrown into general waste. In turn, by simply changing behavior, we will be able to collect points/money and send them off to charities.” Schoch has prior experience with a successful TerraCycle program. During his graduate studies at Millersville University he worked closely with a professor to implement upcyling within a residence hall on campus. “It is my hope to include and encourage the LVC campus community to get involved and contribute to a more sustainable society.”

• Trenton-based recycling company Terracycle has launched a new campaign aimed at increasing the rate of recycling for chip bags, and they’re using Hamilton Township as the test case to see if the program can be a success applied to a larger scale.
• So I challenged my team at TerraCycle with a simple, but monumental question. Can we grow the recycling rate of chip bags to that of municipally recycled plastic bottles? It took 40 years to get to the 25% recycling rate of plastic bottles, but is it possible for a small private company to grow recycling rates to the same level in less than 4 years?
• For the challenge, TerraCycle launched a new program called “Chip in for Change,” with the ambitious goal of getting a local township here in NJ up to 30% recycling of chip bags within 4 months. This program was launched on July 11, 2012 in Hamilton, New Jersey and will run through October. With success, Hamilton will serve as a pilot for nationwide scale-up opportunities.

You know those crinkly snack bags? The ones made of foil or other materials that aren't easily recyclable? Well, now someone wants them. And of course it would Tom Szaky and the folks at Trenton-based TerraCycle, who have made a successful business out of taking things no one else wants and turning them into cool products that people will buy.