Recycling used to be so simple: aluminum cans, glass bottles, newspapers and paper bags. The sheer amount of disposable items has turned a garbage problem into a garbage crisis, says Tom Szaky, founder and chief executive of TerraCycle. The company's mission is recycling the previously unrecyclable, such as cigarette butts, contact lenses and chewing gum.

As consumers have become more supportive of recyclable products, the options for recycling what we used to deem trash have grown. Major manufacturers are partnering with companies such as TerraCycle to recover their (and sometimes even competitors') products. Cities and counties have ramped up recycling programs to accept a wider variety of items.

As consumers have become more supportive of recyclable products, the options for recycling what we used to deem trash have grown. Major manufacturers are partnering with companies such as TerraCycle to recover their (and sometimes even competitors’) products. Cities and counties have ramped up recycling programs to accept a wider variety of items.

Tom Szaky, president and CEO of international recycling company TerraCycle recently gave the keynote address at the 7th annual Responsible Business Summit New York. Szaky addressed how companies are increasingly looking towards sustainable innovations to change environmental, social and governmental risks into workable business opportunities.

So, what do you do? Look to TerraCycle, an innovative waste management company working to "recycle your hard-to-recycle waste." It's spearheaded multiple recycling programs, even teaming up with brands like Garnier to recycle skin care, hair care, and cosmetics packaging such as hair gel tubes, shampoo caps, mascara tubes, and lotion dispensers.

Collectors will earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice.   When it comes to shaving, the Gillette brand razors and accessories have long set the standard for product and packaging excellence, but not so much when it came to sustainability and waste diversion.   However, that shortcoming appears to be finally addressed in a big way by its progressive brand-owner Procter & Gamble Inc., which is hooking up with leading product upcycling services provider TerraCycle, Inc. to collect and recycle all of its disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units, and razor plastic packaging right across the U.S.   Under the recently-launched Gillette Razor Recycling Program, individual participants and organizations can sign up on the program page (www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette) to download pre-paid TerraCycle tracking labels for shipping their used razors and packaging directly to the recycler—ultimately to be made into broad range of useful new products like park benches, bike racks, petfood bowls, recycling bins, etc.   Under the program, businesses, gyms, colleges, cities and community organizations will be actively encouraged to become designated drop-off points for the returned waste, whereby they will by supplied with special razor recycling bins that they can simply seal and return via UPS to TerraCycle, which will promptly send a new bin back to them.   For every shipment weighing at least 15 pounds, collectors will earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice.   “Through this innovative, first-of-its kind program, disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and their associated packaging are now nationally recyclable through the Gillette Recycling Program,” says TerraCycle founder and chief executive officer Tom Szaky.   “We are proud to partner with this forward-thinking company to offer consumers a way to divert razor waste from landfills,” Szaky states.   “We are very excited about our partnership with TerraCycle to offer recycling for Gillette, Venus or any razor brand across the U.S,” adds Gillette’s chief executive officer Gary Coombe.   “This is an important first step towards sustainable solutions for shaving products and the start of an exciting journey with Gillette and TerraCycle,” Coombe states.   “We are thrilled to bring this option to our consumers in the U.S.,” Coombe proclaims, “and we are already working on plans to roll out this important initiative to more countries very soon.”      

Gillette, in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle, announced for the first-time in the United States that all brands of disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and razor plastic packaging are recyclable on a national-scale. Through the innovative partnership consumers are invited to recycle their razors in three ways:

• Gillette Razor Recycling Program – Participants wishing to recycle their razors from home are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette. When ready to ship their waste, they can simply download a self-funded TerraCycle tracking label, package the razors in a secure, puncture-proof package and send it to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions – Businesses, gyms, colleges, cities and community organizations are invited to become public drop-off points for the Gillette Razor Recycling Program. Participants interested in becoming a drop-off point are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. After acceptance to the program, they will be sent an exclusive razor recycling bin developed by TerraCycle and Gillette. Once full, they can simply seal and return the bin to TerraCycle via UPS and a new one will be sent back to them. The address listed in the account will be posted on the publicly-available map of local recycling solutions on the Gillette Razor Recycling Program page.
• Gillette On Demand Razor Recycling Program – Consumers that participate in the Gillette On Demand subscription service are also invited to recycle their razors through the Gillette Razor Recycling Program. They can sign up on the program page at https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-on-demand; when they are ready to ship their waste, they can simply download a self-funded TerraCycle tracking label, repackage the used razors in the Gillette On Demand delivery box and send it to TerraCycle for recycling.

“Through this innovative, first of its kind program, disposable razors, replaceable-blade cartridge units and their associated packaging are now nationally recyclable through the Gillette Recycling Program,” said TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky. “We are proud to partner with this forward-thinking company to offer consumers a way to divert razor waste from landfills.” “We are very excited about our partnership with TerraCycle to offer recycling for Gillette, Venus or any razor brand across the U.S. This is an important first step towards sustainable solutions for shaving products and the start of an exciting journey with Gillette and TerraCycle. We are thrilled to bring this option to our consumers in the U.S. and are already working on plans to rollout to more countries very soon,” said Gillette CEO, Gary Coombe. Organizations that participate in the Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions as a public drop-off location earn money for the waste that they recycle through TerraCycle’s Sponsored Waste Recycling Program. For every shipment weighing at least fifteen pounds, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice. The collected packaging will be recycled into a variety of new consumer products such as park benches, bike racks, pet food bowls and recycling bins. To learn more about the program, please visit http://www.terracycle.com.

Through the innovative partnership consumers are invited to recycle their razors in three ways: •Gillette Razor Recycling Program – Participants wishing to recycle their razors from home are invited to sign up on the program page on the terracycle website. When ready to ship their waste they can simply download a self-funded TerraCycle tracking label, package the razors in a secure, puncture proof package and send it to TerraCycle for recycling. •Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions – Businesses, gyms, colleges, cities and community organizations are invited to become public drop-off points for the Gillette Razor Recycling Program. Participants interested in becoming a drop-off point are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. After acceptance to the program, they will be sent an exclusive razor recycling bin developed by TerraCycle and Gillette. Once full, they can simply seal and return the bin to TerraCycle via UPS and a new one will be sent back to them. The address listed in the account will be posted on the publicly available map of local recycling solutions on the Gillette Razor Recycling Program page. •Gillette On Demand Razor Recycling Program – Consumers that participate in the Gillette On Demand subscription service are also invited to recycle their razors through the Gillette Razor Recycling Program. Sign up is on the program page at https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-on-demand, when they are ready to ship their waste they can simply download a self-funded TerraCycle tracking label, repackage the used razors in the On Demand delivery box and send it to TerraCycle for recycling. Organizations that participate in the Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions as a public drop-off location earn money for the waste that they recycle through TerraCycle’s Sponsored Waste Recycling Program. For every shipment weighing at least fifteen pounds, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to charities of their choice. The collected packaging will be recycled into a variety of new consumer products such as park benches, bike racks, pet food bowls and recycling bins.

•Gillette Razor Local Recycling Solutions – Businesses, gyms, colleges, cities and community organizations are invited to become public drop-off points for the Gillette Razor Recycling Program. Participants interested in becoming a drop-off point are invited to sign up on the program page https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette-local-recycling. After acceptance to the program, they will be sent an exclusive razor recycling bin developed by TerraCycle and Gillette. Once full, they can simply seal and return the bin to TerraCycle via UPS and a new one will be sent back to them. The address listed in the account will be posted on the publicly available map of local recycling solutions on the Gillette Razor Recycling Program page.