For today's post during this TerraCycle Refresher week on our blog, I'm sharing a list and description of what items we collect for TerraCycle here at Blue Ridge. Glue Bottles/Sticks Any size Elmer's brand glue sticks and plastic glue bottles are acceptable. Only Elmer's please! We earn $0.02 per item.ri

To help, one company is offering consumers a way to reduce their household garbage while earning money for local schools or charities. Through free collection programs called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is collecting and paying for packaging waste from household staples -- from the bathroom to the kitchen to the classroom. Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling. Scott tissues and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect plastic packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And since most oral hygiene products aren't recyclable, Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste cubes.

Though recycling is not a new trend, many people are unaware that most objects are un-recyclable. This means that the traditional recycling method is too costly and inefficient to properly break down items such as chip bags, juice boxes, shampoo bottles, yogurt containers, candy wrappers, pens, butter tubs, and more. TerraCycle is a breakthrough company that intends to recycle the formerly un-recyclable. Now, anyone can sign up for the TerraCycle campaigns and send in their trash to be converted into new products. The best part, besides doing something good for Mother Nature, is the money anyone can receive from TerraCycle for donating their trash. The company reports to collect one million juice pouches every two to three days and returns $0.02 per pouch to the donator. By collecting and sending items that would normally end up in the trash, sewer, or ocean, they are able to help create products such as park benches, messenger bags and backpacks, fences, picture frames, just to name a few of more than 260 products feature on their website. TerraCycle does not actually make new products, but instead acts as a supplier to manufacturing companies that would normally use virgin material.

To help, one company is offering consumers a way to reduce their household garbage while earning money for local schools or charities. Through free collection programs called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is collecting and paying for packaging waste from household staples- from the bathroom to the kitchen to the classroom. Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling. Scott Tissue and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect plastic packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And since most oral hygiene products aren't recyclable, Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes.

To help, one company is offering consumers a way to reduce their household garbage while earning money for local schools or charities. Through free collection programs called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is collecting and paying for packaging waste from household staples- from the bathroom to the kitchen to the classroom. Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling. Scott Tissue and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect plastic packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And since most oral hygiene products aren't recyclable, Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes.

One company is offering consumers a way to reduce their household garbage while earning money for schools or charities. Through free collections called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is paying for packaging waste from household staples- from the bathroom to the kitchen to the classroom. Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling. Scott Tissue and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect paper packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes.

One way to go green without costly changes is to take things you would ordinarily throw away and reuse them. Milk crates can become book shelves and metallic drink pouches can be stitched together to make pencil cases for the children. This practice is called upcycling and you can either do it yourself or contribute reusable household trash to organizations that convert it into eco-friendly products. Through free collection programs called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is collecting and paying for packaging waste from household staples.

To help, one company is offering consumers a way to reduce their household garbage while earning money for local schools or charities. Through free collection programs called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is collecting and paying for packaging waste from household staples -- from the bathroom to the kitchen to the classroom. Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling. Scott tissues and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect plastic packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And since most oral hygiene products aren't recyclable, Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste cubes.

Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling.  Scott tissue and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect plastic packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And since most oral hygiene products aren’t recyclable, Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes.