Packaging and products made from plastic ocean debris are likely the industry’s ultimate example of lemonade made from lemons. A nearly perfect circular economy model is made real when plastic bottles, for example, made from recovered ocean plastics are turned back into plastic packaging. Whether it’s seen as a glass half full (good, more debris removed!) or half empty (it’s a drop in an endless sea of debris!) proposition, it seems we’re inundated with a growing amount of plastic-products-from-marine pollution, a sampling of which you'll find on the following pages. These appear in essentially chronological order as a kind of chronicle of durable ocean debris recovered and remade into usable plastic products. These are found primarily published by PlasticsToday along with—pardon the expression—current examples from other sources such as sister publications and press releases; sources are PlasticsToday unless otherwise noted.   This market was launched in 2012 when eco-minded, forward-thinking cleaners company Method (San Francisco) entered what were then virgin waters in pioneering packaging from marine pollution.   Appropriately enough, the eureka moment for the company to consider doing such a ground-breaking thing was sparked by a Method executive’s visit to the unexpectedly not-so-pristine beaches of Hawaii.   The company decided to do something about the litter, and literally deployed employees’ boots on the sandy shores in coordinating efforts with local organizations. Volunteers hand-collected several tons of the type of rigid, opaque plastic needed to make this packaging that are most abundant. The debris was shipped to California after sorting. Method had partnered with recycler Envision Plastics to develop a new recycling process to make the bottles. The rest is history because it marked the birth of a brand-new-age, environmentally minded cottage industry. For more on Method’s landmark effort, see Ocean Plastic: Method turns pollution into packaging, published November 2012.          

“We are all so appreciative to have the opportunity afforded to us by TerraCycle, the students have garnered a true understanding of the importance of recycling and the playscape will be a daily reminder to them to continue recycling,” Hawk said. Hawk also said that this contest has brought the entire city together.

Over the course of three months, parents, teachers and students in several states collected recyclable oral care products of every variety in an attempt to win new playground equipment, made from the items gathered through the Colgate and ShopRite Recycled Playground Challenge organized by TerraCycle.

Members, families and guests came before the zoo opened for a light breakfast on the high temperature day which lowered the attendance. But folks who came had fun and brought recyclable items to donate to the TerraCycle program to support the Zoo’s mission to save the environment.

Earlier this year, Häagen-Dazs collaborated with TerraCycle, a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials line ice cream cartons, to release reusable, refillable pints through a sustainability new program called Loop. A special feature of the packaging ensures that the vegan ice cream at the top melts faster than the bottom. Customers looking to further reduce their carbon footprint were able to order the brand’s vegan ice cream through Loop.

GU Energy Labs has partnered with TerraCycle, a highly-awarded, international upcycling and recycling company that collects performance nutrition packaging and repurposes the material into affordable, innovative products. Last year, over 90lbs of nutrition packaging was removed from the course and recycled. “We hate seeing our used packets on the road or trails, and that’s why we are thrilled to partner with TerraCycle to empower both individuals and events like The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon to keep performance nutrition trash from all brands off the streets and out of the landfill.” said Celia Santi, Senior Brand Experience Manager. Learn more about how to upcycle nutrition from all brands at www.guenergy.com/terracycle

The pretty blue bento box from San Francisco’s Pottery Barn Teen is BPA-free and dishwasher-safe and fits perfectly into myriad modern washable lunch bags. Emeryville’s Clif Zbars for kids are not packaged in compostable material, but a partnership program with TerraCycle lets you send in the wrappers for recycling — and those from other energy bar brands, too.

Terracycle has partnered with Gillette to try and create a better system, however, you could control it at the source by changing what you purchase. There are reusable safety razors, which only involve changing out the blade itself, and I’ve also learned of a company called Preserve which is made of recycled yogurt cups and has blades that need to be sent back to the company to be disposed of properly.

Emma Baron, founder of Milkweed, a brand offering contemporary cannabis accessories, points out that recyclable options for cannabis packaging are in their infancy. For example, the TerraCycle (a company offering free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers and retailers worldwide) and Tweed Inc. (a cannabis retailer owned by Canopy Growth Corporation) collection plan is currently unavailable in Quebec, Nova Scotia and the territories. The program was not rolled out all at once, but there are plans to expand nationwide, notes a statement from Canopy Growth.

For example, the TerraCycle (a company offering free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers and retailers worldwide) and Tweed Inc. (a cannabis retailer owned by Canopy Growth Corporation) collection plan is currently unavailable in Quebec, Nova Scotia and the territories. The program was not rolled out all at once, but there are plans to expand nationwide, notes a statement from Canopy Growth.