Thinking that I wasn't the only one who had these questions from time to time, I polled the mbg office to get their take. I was met with a resounding wave of "YES! What do you do with (insert misc. item here)!?!" So I reached out to one of mbg's go-to waste experts, Tom Szaky, the founder and CEO of recycling company TerraCycle, to clear up the confusion.

Human beings manufacture nearly 300 billion pounds of new, virgin plastic every year, and it is estimated that up to 129 million tons (43 percent) of the plastic used is disposed of in landfills. We are endangering the long-term well-being of the planet because of a desire for short-term wealth and material objects. As a consumer, the power to purchase is directly in your hands.

Creating green opportunities can drive value for brands. The current recycling infrastructure considers certain items “highly recyclable.” As it stands, recycling makes economic sense for aluminum, steel, paper, and certain plastics such as #2 (HDPE) and #5 (PP). These materials can be collected in high volumes, processed at relatively low cost, and then brought back to market for a profit. Thus, they are often top on mind for consumers as far as recyclable items go. However, a recent report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that most plastic packaging is used only once; 95% of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80 billion-$120 billion annually, is lost to the economy after a short first use. Of the more than 300 million tons of new, virgin plastic produced globally per year, it is estimated that up to 129 million tons (43 percent) of the plastic used is disposed of in landfills.

KAMLOOPS - Business owners and patrons of downtown Kamloops have had cleaner sidewalks over the past month thanks to a new program that recycles cigarette butts. Downtown Customer Care and Patrol team member Nathan Bymoen says they, along with support from City Hall, have partnered with a company called TerraCycle out of Vancouver to collect cigarette butts from newly installed recycling boxes in exchange for cash that goes back to the city for sustainability initiatives. "The way it works is for every three pounds of cigarette butts we recycle we get one dollar back," he says. "So it's not like we are just collecting the cigarettes and then throwing them out. We collect them, we ship them back with free shipping to TerraCycle, and they recycle them 100 per cent."

“Green buildings” are on the rise in an industry at a crossroads. Technology and enhanced environmental consciousness are changing the way physical spaces are used to do business, and differentiation is essential to enhance the attraction and retention of clients and stakeholders. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, sustainability adoption reaps real benefits for owners and managers in the commercial real estate sector, who are in a position to set themselves apart with innovative processes and positive impacts.

As anyone with kids knows, parenthood isn’t always easy. Add in the decision of leading a zero waste lifestyle and it can seem next to impossible. However, being a zero waste parent is not as far-fetched as it might seem. We’ve tackled a few zero waste parenting ideas in the past. And yes, it can take a bit more effort at first, but the small steps you take now will set your children up for a brighter and cleaner future! With that in mind, let’s get into our next zero waste parenting adventure and head back to school!

One thing that seems to be inevitable for most women is having empty makeup and cosmetics containers. Unless you make your own makeup or just go without it altogether, you probably have at least one or two containers every year that you need to dispose of.

Capturing littered plastic – whether in the oceans, on beaches or from city streets – and transforming it into new products has become something of a creative marketing drive, with brand owners investing in high-profile launches to demonstrate leadership in this space:P&G’s beach plastic shampoo bottle and the Timberland X Thread collection are just two recent examples.

MADISON – As the community strives to “go green,” one question is: How can residents recycle “non-recyclables?” The Sustainable Madison Advisory Committee, which works with the Madison Environmental Commission and other committees in the borough to encourage environmentally sustainable practices, has one answer.

When oil prices drop, as they have in recent years, recycling profits plummet. In most countries, it’s cheaper to simply make new petroleum-based plastic goods than turn the ones used once into the same items again. That’s led to a dismal recycling rate of just 9 percent worldwide, and an enormous buildup of plastic in the ocean, according to a recent study on global plastic production.