Eva NYC, a Brooklyn-based cruelty free haircare label that offers clean products that are made with powerful ingredients to support healthy hair, has announced that it is partnering with TerraCycle to make its packaging more sustainable. Through the partnership, Eva NYC will enable its consumers to recycle the aluminum bottles after they've used the product inside. Brand Vice President Jane Morgan spoke to Eva NYC's partnership with TerraCycle, stating “Our goal is to create hair products that are just as down to earth as we are, which is why we’re cruelty-free, completely free from parabens and phthalates, and now 100% recyclable through TerraCycle. This will ensure our customers can trust they'll always be making the right choice for their hair, and can now feel confident it's the right choice for the environment too."

Eva NYC has confirmed they do not test their products or ingredients on animals, they do not allow others to test on their behalf, their suppliers also do not test on animals, they do not allow their products to be tested on animals when required by law, and their products are not sold in stores in mainland China or any other country that may require animal testing. Below is a snippet of the email response I received from Eva NYC: “All of our products are also Leaping Bunny certified, which means that at no point in production are our ingredients or products tested on animals. We do not sell outside of North America at this time.“

Imagine the journey of a typical candy wrapper. A child eats a piece of Halloween candy, puts the wrapper in the garbage and that’s that.   Not necessarily. Thanks to an initiative by Subaru, that little candy wrapper could end up going through a recycling program and ending up as part of a park bench. Doug Crouse, a French teacher and the co-adviser of the Sparta Middle School Environmental Action Club (aka The Green Team), learned of this project and his group of kids jumped on board.   “We want to inspire other community groups to organize their own collections to reduce the huge amount of plastic that makes its way into our waste stream,” Crouse said. “As a club we’ve talked a lot about what we can do to contribute to that effort, including holding a ‘ban plastic straws’ day last year. Halloween was a logical time to do an initial candy wrapper drive, and we’ve decided to continue collecting plastic wrappers throughout the year (assuming we’re here in school.)”   The Environmental Action Club delivers their collections of candy wrappers to Subaru. “It’s pretty amazing the range of things that can be recycled these days,” Crouse said.“   “We have a collection bin here at the dealership, but when Sparta Middle School jumped on board, we were really able to contribute a lot to the project,” said Chris Dexter, general manager at Subaru World of Newton. Subaru sends its collections to New Jersey-based TerraCycle. “They can recycle most anything,” he said. “Right down to ballpoint pens. TerraCycle’s mission is to ‘eliminate the idea of waste.’”   This translates to gathering trash that traditional recyclers don’t handle such as coffee, tea, and creamer cups; snack wrappers; straws; and disposable cups and lids. TerraCycle provides pre-labeled “zero waste boxes” to Subaru dealerships across the United States. Once those boxes are full, they get sent back to TerraCycle. Items are then sorted, with metals melted down and plastics turned into pellets.   “These are then turned into park benches and other outdoor items,” Dexter said. “It’s really impressive.”   Abby Weisbeck is a seventh-grader at Sparta Middle School and part of the Green Team.   “I joined the Green Team last year when it first started, so when we talked about doing this project, I knew I wanted to help,” she said. “The Green Team does do things like this. Things we have done in the past are giving presentations and spreading awareness about turning off the lights in your classrooms when you leave. It helped save a lot of energy. We also had a Green Day in the cafeteria, where everybody brought their lunches in containers and reusable bags instead of plastic.”   For the candy wrapper project, she said the Green Team spread the word throughout the school and community that kids should bring them in on a certain day for collection.   “It was a great way to make Halloween more green,” Weisbeck said. “And the wrappers will be turned into useful things instead of just being thrown away.”  

Since its founding in 2016, StartEngine has raised over $125 million for over 325 companies.   CEO Howard Marks co-founded what is now Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI), but most people couldn’t pick him out of a line-up. Look for him on Wikipedia and you’ll find a different Howard Marks, a billionaire whose Oaktree Capital Management specializes in distressed securities.   To gain star power, StartEngine recruited “Mr. Wonderful,” investor and Shark Tank talent Kevin O’Leary, as a strategic advisor and investor. StartEngine calls itself the largest equity crowdfunding program.   But don’t let that stop you from taking this incubator and crowdfunding enterprise seriously.  

StartEngine Review: What’s Under the Hood

  StartEngine is a full-featured crowdfunding enterprise that takes advantage of every opportunity.   Launched to do equity crowdfunding under the JOBS Act, StartEngine was approved as a broker-dealer in 2019 and accepts bitcoin as well as dollars from investors.   StartEngine crowdfunds itself. It closed its first Reg A+ round for $8.6 million, at $7.50 per share, then began a second round of $41 million at a price of $11.25, and it has filed for a regular CF offering at truCrowd, listing its valuation at $190 million.   Marks says he got interested in initial coin offerings in 2017 and launched its first ICO, for tZero, founded by Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK) founder Patrick Byrne, in 2018.   StartEngine launched its first investor meeting, called the StartEngine Founders Summit, in 2018. The most recent one was virtual, a March webinar.  

The O’Leary Connection

  Marks said several of his companies had already been on Shark Tank before he approached O’Leary. In addition to acting as a strategic advisor and face of the franchise — with advice for entrepreneurs and StartEngine publicized through his fame — O’Leary is also a shareholder.   It’s Marks who runs the show. His aim is to provide a new base for companies, helping them sell equity from startup through public offering. He has an interest in every type of crowdfunding vehicle and wants crowdfunding to be as legitimate as Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS).  

Some StartEngine Successes

  StartEngine calls its crowdfunding efforts online public offerings.   One of past successes is BioClonetics, working on a cure for HIV using monoclonal antibodies. It raised $256,000 on a valuation of $15 million.   Farm.One uses vertical farming, hydroponics and LED lighting to grow rare produce in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. It raised $446,000 on a valuation of $7 million.   A third funding winner, Mycroft AI, offers a voice interface that isn’t controlled by a large platform such as Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). It raised $1.07 million at a valuation of $19.9 million.  

Current Offerings

  Here are some of the 76 current offerings:   TerraCycle says it can recycle the “unrecyclable,” turning things like toothbrushes and laundry bottles into plastic feedstock. The company made $1.1 million on revenue of $20 million in 2018 and pays a dividend.   IX Water converts industrial containment water, the kind you find around oil wells, into usable water. Drillers produced 150 billion barrels of this water last year, which IX calls a $75 billion opportunity. So far, it has raised $133,000 at a valuation of $13.1 million.   Knightscope offers crime-fighting robots in the form of machine-as-a-service tech. They range from stationary and indoor models to one that can roll across a variety of outdoor terrains. So far, it has raised $7.1 million at StartEngine, out of a total investment of $40 million.  

The Bottom Line on StartEngine

  While most StartEngine offerings are for equity, the company does host other types of offers, including those for a revenue share, convertible stock and debt. Investor money is held in escrow until closing, then disbursed to the offering company. The equity is in the form of a subscription agreement.   StartEngine is, like the companies whose offerings it sponsors, a startup seeking both a leadership position within its niche and legitimacy for that niche. It has already taken large strides toward that aim.   Dana Blankenhorn has been a financial and technology journalist since 1978. His latest book is Technology’s Big Bang: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow with Moore’s Law, essays on technology available at the Amazon Kindle store. Follow him on Twitter at @danablankenhorn. As of this writing he owned shares in AMZN.      

In celebration of World Environment Day, Amorepacific has recycled 1,400 cosmetics bottles and turned them into a public bench.   The terrazzo feature uses plastic cosmetic bottle powder and ultra-high performance concrete for the structure, and was co-created with recycling giant TerraCycle and start-up design firm Radio-B.   The bench will be displayed in Amorepacific stores and feature in its dedicated recycling campaign Greencycle.   “This upcycled bench project shows how we can extend the lifecycles of products,” said Amorepacific’s Communication Executive Director, Howard Lee.   “It is meaningful that we actively spread a positive message of overcoming social issues together.   “Amorepacific is proud to work as a global corporate citizen discovering sustainable and innovative ways to contribute to society.”   In the current coronavirus pandemic, Amorepacific decided to add a one metre mark on the bench to encourage social distancing.   It has also set out plans to reduce its plastic use by up to 700 tonnes by 2022, and has committed to creating packaging with post-consumer recycled plastic.

Working within several communities and with over 4,000 people now, handling over 20,000 pounds of recycling, we get a lot of questions.  We encourage the questions, as it gets more people involved in understanding the impact that packaging is having on recycling infrastructure all the way through the production of the materials in the first place.  As many people are starting to understand, plastic is not just this simple item that can be recycled.  There are many steps involved ranging from sorting, to cleaning, and eventually ground down to nurdles. Because of the complexity and investment in some streams, the process is a guarded trade secret. However these are the top five questions that we get, that I can answer.   Why do you ask us to sort our materials?   All 1/2/4/5 materials are sorted by resin code for the simple reason of keeping like items together. We ask that you sort your materials so that it is easier for you and us the day of a Recycling Take Back.  By sorting your like materials together, it allows you to go from each table grouping with ease.  It also helps our volunteers focus on a single resin type. We ask the #2 jugs/bottles be separated from their tub/lid counterparts, since the jugs/bottles have a different melting point. There are systems and machines that can sort large quantities of plastics; however, they tend to be very expensive and can be damaged by the wrong materials be sent through the line.   Why does everything have to be clean and dry?   All material has to be clean and dry for us to recycle it.  Some of our processors do not have ‘wash lines’ for their materials.  This includes one of our bigger plastic recyclers.  If a processors does not have a wash line, they are unable to take dirty materials.  Generally these recyclers cater to industrial plastic waste, as it is clean and ready to be reused as is.  Denton Plastics, the processor the 2/4/5 plastics we collect is unable to recycle plastics that are dirty with food residue, with labels, or with too much food residue.  We also ask the all materials are clean, as we really don’t want to smell the residue found on most of the recycling we collect.  Materials have to be dry to ensure that all of our volunteers are protected.  Many like to claim it is just water, but we have learned through trial and error, that its not always ‘just water’.  It is also a serious safety concern.  Side note-I chuckle when people instruct me to smell it, to check that it is just water.  7^th grade science taught me to never sniff random items, while many may be benign, not all are.  For this reason, we simply ask that all materials submitted to us are dry.   Why do you have to make it so complicated?   We hear this one a lot, and the first thing I like to say is simply, I am sorry.  Yes it is somewhat complicated, and confusing at first glance.  But the more you review the streams of recycling that we offer, the more you come to realize that we are actually making it very easy and convenient. Yes, there is a lot of information; however, we believe that by providing as many streams to recycle in as possible, we are letting you the consumer decide just how involved you want to be.  Many of the streams can be accessed without our involvement, with some serious commitment and work.  Some of the streams that we offer are paid for, by us as well.  We work hard to let everyone make the decisions on what they would like to recycle.   Another reason for the multiple streams is to reduce the workload on you.  Our Personal Care and Health & Nutrition streams do allow labels to remain on the packaging.  Many of these product packages are the hardest to remove labels from, and by offering these streams we hope to reduce the workload.   Where do the material that you collect go?   We have many processors for the materials that we collect, using a network that spans across the United States and now into BC.  We work hard to recycle as close to home as possible, however some of our programs are shipped out.  When materials are shipped, we work hard to ensure that they are carbon neutral, as does one of our recyclers TerraCycle since they pay the shipping fee for their materials.  Other materials are shipped at our expense, to a few processors including Preserve, and we always select carbon neutral shipping.  We also work to pack all boxes that we ship, as densely as possible.   Other materials are transported up to Portland by Lane County Waste Management to a company called Denton Plastics.  Here the 2/4/5 plastics are processed.  We also take the dispensary pop-tops to a company called P3 who processes them.  In terms of #1 bottles and jugs, those are sent to a material recovery facility- Garten Services. While we work hard to keep our recycling in the United States, we have recently expanded our shipping to include Merlin Plastics in Canada through the assistance of PakTech.   Don’t you make money of the materials?   The short answer is- not really.  While we do make pennies per pound on some waste, it has never amount to over $750 across everything that we have recycled to-date. Since we started accepting redeemable containers, we have seen an increase in ‘making money off materials’.  With that being said, consider the cost of transportation and to hold a Recycling Take Back and you will quickly realize why we solicit donations and sponsors.  Furthermore, the 2/4/5 materials are actually submitted to Lane County Waste Management who then transports them to Denton Plastics (Thankfully). The cost of transporting these materials has always outweighed any profit that has been seen, since the market for recycled plastics is still struggling to recover.   We are very thankful for our volunteers and their time. All of the volunteers I have worked with are dedicated recyclers who are passionate about ensure that materials are recovered.  Without their help, EcoGeneration wouldn’t have been able to assist the community reduce the plastic that is sent to the landfill.        

TRENTON, N.J.—Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has proven crucial in stemming the tide of COVID-19 but this surge in production has led to littered PPE covering streets and literally flooding marine habitats. To address this separate unintended public health crisis as well as the threat PPE poses to the environment as plastic pollution, TerraCycle Regulated Waste’s line of EasyPak Containers, an easy-to-use recycling solution for single-use gloves and masks, is poised to help business owners make an impact in time for the holiday rush.   Designed as a recycling system for businesses in need of a turn-key solution for hazardous waste disposal, the PPE EasyPak Containers allow business owners or property managers to easily recycle used gloves and masks on-site, thereby allowing staff to responsibly dispose of their protective gear instead of littering this plastic waste in the environment-at-large.   To recycle PPE waste, TerraCycle Regulated Waste offers the following EasyPak containers:  

• Disposable Gloves EasyPak Box—to recycle vinyl, nitrile, and latex gloves.
• Disposable Masks EasyPak Box—to recycle surgical and industrial face masks.
• Safety Equipment and Protective Gear EasyPak Box—to recycle ear plugs, beard nets, hair nets, gloves, safety glasses, disposable garments, and masks.

  When full, the boxes are returned to TerraCycle Regulated Waste for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. A Solution That is Easy to Use “TerraCycle Regulated Waste developed a solution for PPE waste that is as innovative as it is easy to use,” said Kevin Flynn, Global Vice President of TerraCycle Operations and Director of TerraCycle Regulated Waste. “The EasyPak recycling program can help businesses maintain workplace safety while simultaneously keeping their parking lots, grounds, surrounding communities, and shared environment free from plastic litter just in time for the holiday rush.”   TerraCycle Regulated Waste created the EasyPak program to help businesses facilitate the effective and compliant management of regulated, universal and hazardous waste. All EasyPak boxes are UN-compliant and are sealed while in transit, limiting any possibility of contamination. Additionally, for added convenience, the EasyPak containers are available for purchase through a reorder subscription program ensuring that property managers are never left without a solution to their universal waste.   The boxes travel for up to a week before they are received at TerraCycle Regulated Waste facilities, where additional safety precautions are taken in accordance with CDC recommendations. The EasyPak program does not accept medical waste or biohazardous materials.   To learn about TerraCycle’s Regulated Waste Division, visit www.lamprecycling.com.  

The city of San Diego has recognized 10 businesses and institutions that have implemented or expanded innovative waste reduction and recycling programs.   The programs honored included everything from establishing a cigarette butt collection and recycling program, to creating a system to track solid waste tonnage to identify diversion opportunities.   Those honored were: LJ Crafted Wines where they have had wine membership utilizing reusable bottles with swing tops that are returned and exchanged. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority for establishing a cigarette butt collection and recycling program. The butts are shipped TerraCycle which composts the cigarette paper and tobacco. The plastic filters are recycled and turned into outdoor benches and tables. San Diego Mesa College composted 16.34 tons of pre-consumer food scraps from campus cafeterias and coffee shops for the on-campus garden. UC San Diego had all construction and demolition projects be required to divert 75% of debris from landfills. San Diego State University implemented the SkySpark solid waste tracking system which is an online interactive waste dashboard that tracks tonnages specific to buildings on campus to help analyze and identify diversion opportunities. Johnson R&D made efforts to become a paperless facility, switching to digital signage to reduce the number of posters and flyers. The Hazard Center hosted an annual recycle and spring clean up event for tenants to properly dispose of items that normally are not recycled. The San Diego Zoo was honored for recycling electricity via a one-megawatt energy battery that stores and discharges energy during peak hours to assist with park operations. Sharp Healthcare diverted 4.2 million pounds of material from being dumped in the landfill. This included composting 500,000 pounds of food waste and reprocessing 106,000 pounds of surgical instruments. The San Diego Food Bank used a “Turbo Separator” to take unopened but damaged and inedible cans, boxes, and jars of food and separate the food from the packaging for compost and recycling.   “By reducing their carbon footprint in our communities, these workplaces are showing the community they care about the city’s future,” said Gene Matter, the city’s environmental services interim director.

Waste360 reports that the cannabis industry has sped toward a national presence without solving the problem of its glass, plastic, and composite packaging waste. Although it is the first industry to track products from source to retail in many states, cannabis companies have not factored recycling into its lifecycle until now. Dr. Bridget Williams, a doctor who founded a medical cannabis company in Ohio, Green Harvest Health, has worked for the past year to introduce a recycling program supported by its cannabis producers. She is working with Terracycle, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and out-of-state partners to develop policies for packaging materials and collection using bins in every one of the state’s dispensaries in the next year.

BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP, NJ-- Bordentown Township Environmental Commission is reminding residents that there is an easy way to discard trash and help the environment at the same time.   The Township is participating in TerraCycle's Zero-Waste program, which has the goal of collecting non-recyclable packaging to reduce waste and help keep tons of the Township's garbage from ending up in the landfill.   TerraCycle, which is based in Trenton, partners with municipalities around the world to provide zero-waste solutions for certain waste streams so that the discarded items can be re-purposed.   Bordentown residents are encouraged to save their candy wrappers, chip and snack bags, gum wrappers and granola bar wrappers and bring them to the Bordentown Township Public Works building, where a dedicated collection container is in place to discard the items.   In addition, Bordentown Township is also participating in TerraCycle and Colgate's Oral Care Recycling Program.   Residents can drop off any brand of used or empty oral care products and packaging, such as toothpaste tubes, caps and cartons, toothbrushes and their outer packaging and dental floss containers, to the Public Works Building. The discarded items are then sent to TerraCycle by the Township, where they are upcycled into new, eco-friendly and affordable products to be made available at major retailers.   The Public Works Building's hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 3:30pm, and Saturday from 9am to 1pm. The building is located at 266 Crosswicks Road.   For more information about the Township's participation in the TerraCycle program, click HERE.