Solve and Benefit

TerraCycle’s team of scientists and designers have found ways to recycle and upcycle the waste we collect into cool new products. When we upcycle a piece of waste we leverage both the material it is made from and the original shape of the waste. When we recycle we transform the collected waste into new products through a variety of processes like injection molding. Best of all, when you're done with a TerraCycle product you can put it back in the original Brigade collection program and get credit for the waste a second time. One Brigade focuses on collecting candy wrappers. Participating in a TerraCycle Brigade is totally free. There are no signup or participation fees, and the shipping is covered by the program. Once you have joined the Candy Wrapper Brigade®, simply follow the steps below to receive your TerraCycle points:

WAVERLY, Iowa --- Recycling is second nature to Joanna Ewest, who remembers newspaper drives as a school girl growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Hanging on to more obscure trash --- like empty cheese packages, cereal bags and pretzel containers --- is a relatively new habit, one she hopes fellow Waverly residents embrace. "My motive is we should take care of what we are given," Ewest said. "We've been given this wonderful earth and should be taking care of it."

I love Tom’s of Maine. To me, the name is synonymous with great products and environmental stewardship — a winning combination. To that end, Tom’s of Maine does not conduct animal testing or include any animal-based ingredients in its products. The company divulges every ingredient, its purpose and where it comes from at tomsofmaine.com.   Tom’s of Maine makes it a priority to use sustainable practices in every part of its business. The company does not use artificial colors, artificial flavors, fragrances or preservatives in its products. Especially of note: Tom’s of Maine endeavors to use recycled content in its packaging and make it recyclable when it has reached the end of its useful life.   To maximize its products’ recyclability, Tom’s of Maine has teamed up with TerraCycle to provide a second life for empty and used toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, floss containers, mouthwash bottles, soap packaging and antiperspirant and deodorant containers.   “TerraCycle’s purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste,” a statement on TerraCycle’s website reads. “We do this by creating national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste.” Your organization can sign up and join the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Brigade, and while you’re at it, sign up for any of the other 40+ Brigade programs available through TerraCycle at terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/. You can join as many Brigade programs as you like.

Gegan Elementary:

Families are asked to save any kind of juice pouch (not juice boxes) and bring them to the collection center in the front lobby. The pouches do not have to be washed, just empty and in a plastic bag. The Parent-Teacher Organization will ship them to the Drink Pouch Brigade and TerraCycle. The minimum number of pouches needed is 1,001.

Did you know that 99 percent of the total material flow in the United States becomes garbage within six months? Garbage goes to landfills where it releases carbon emissions that have a negative impact on the environment. Technically, some “non-recyclable” materials can be recycled, but they must be collected, sorted and brought to special recycling facilities which process them differently from traditional recycleable materials such as glass, metal, paper and plastic.   Belle Aire School students recently participated in a “Trash for Cash” program. Belle Aire works with a company called Terracycle to collect these hard-to-recycle items such as used juice pouch containers, used beauty product packaging and diaper packaging.   The school receives about 2 cents per item shipped to Terracycle. The company then uses these things to make new products. The items are kept out of landfills and the Belle Aire PTA earns a little bit of cash to support its programs.

Dive for Recycling You may only end up with a couple of trash bags after the big game. But multiply that by millions of others who also have friends and family over for the day's festivities. Take the initiative to have three separate trash cans that are clearly and boldly labeled: Paper, Plastic and Glass. This way, your guests can easily support your do-good attitude and feel like they have made a difference as well. If everyone who reads this post takes part, we can collectively "outsmart waste" and you can even get paid through TerraCycle's innovative recycling platform.

Beyond the blue box

ColorBrightonGreen.org will present "Recycling Beyond the Blue Box: TerraCycle and the Monroe County Ecopark," at 6:30 p.m. onWednesday, January 23. Cheryl Bertou will explain how her son partnered with TerraCycle to reduce waste by recycling previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste and raised funds to build a school in South Sudan. The event is at Brighton Memorial Library, 2300 Elmwood Avenue.

Set up your recycling station and let the kids manage it. TerraCycle has several Brigade programs that accept all brands and items in a category. For instance, send in personal care/beauty packaging and household cleaner packaging regardless of brand. You earn money for each item, which can be donated to a favorite charity.

Waste Less, Save More by Precycling by Leah Blunt --> We’ve all heard the familiar phrase; 'reduce, reuse, recycle.' For many of us, recycling is a habit to which we have grown accustomed. It makes sense to find ways to reuse and recycle items so that they stay out of landfills and last as long as possible. But what about reducing the amount of waste of which you dispose in the first place? Enter 'precycling,' the proactive approach to the 'reduce' portion of our well-known saying. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generated over 250 million tons of waste in 2010. Though recycling trends are on the upswing, there is something to be said for avoiding waste to begin with. While recycling is a crucial piece of the sustainability puzzle, it also requires time, energy and resources. By precycling, you are finding ways to avoid unnecessary waste so that you will be contributing less material that gets recycled or tossed out. The precycling perk? It also saves money. Here are some wallet-friendly tips that help eliminate waste from your shopping habits. MOM Brands cereals are packaged using 75% less materials than the standard cereal box. Because the bags still need to be reused or recycled, MOM Brands has joined with Terracycle to help encourage proper end of life treatment for their product packaging. However, by eliminating the cardboard from the waste stream altogether, they have created a win-win for precyclers looking for low waste, low cost options.

Markers, unfortunately, can’t be recycled and reused at home (beyond wetting the tips to try to get more ink out of them). However, they can be mailed in to a recycling program that will use the plastic housing to make new products. We have two mail-in programs available to us through Prang and TerraCycle. Another mail-in option hosted by TerraCycle is called the Writing Instrument Brigade, which will accept markers, permanent markers, highlighters, pens and mechanical pencils. Go to www.terracycle.com and click on the menu item called “Send Your Waste,” then click on “Collection Programs.” At the bottom of the list you’ll find the brigade for writing instruments, click on that and you’ll see the instructions for registering and printing out the pre-paid shipping label. Just like the Prang Power Recycling Program, the Writing Instrument Brigade requires 7 pounds worth of writing instruments, about 250 items before shipping. However, you can send a variety of brands. It may be best to partner with friends, family or your kids’ classroom to gather enough pieces. After the items are received by TerraCycle they will credit you with points that can go towards a nonprofit or school of your choice.