Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school. Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant. Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice. The materials are then made into a variety of eco-friendly products like trash cans, playground surfaces and watering cans. TerraCycle also provides free sustainability curricula, DIY and craft projects, and art and product design contests that teachers can use to engage their students.

Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school. Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant. Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice.

With Hillsborough High School having received more than $2,000 worth of benefits from participating in TerraCycle programs since 2010, technology teacher Tim Zavacki has some big plans for this upcoming school year.   TerraCycle is an "upcycle" company that makes consumer products from pre- and post-consumer materials. Organizations are able to participate in the company's programs, donating what would normally be trash such as chip bags, candy wrappers, cereal boxes, apparel and electronics to be “upcycled” and used for new products such as duffel bags, tiles, and school supplies. Over 83,000 items have been upcycled since 2010.   “I have been named a most valuable collector by TerraCycle for being in the top 100 in the USA for successful collections,” Zavacki said.   The school has found success with TerraCycle, winning its Erase Your E-Waste Keyboard and Mouse Brigade last year, receiving brand-new Logitech keyboards and mice in return. Zavacki was able to distribute them throughout the school for teachers and students to use.

Looking for a gift for the traveling guy or gal that has everything? Search no further than Terracycle’s Upcycled Tent Dopp kit. Christmas may be a ways off, but keep Terracycle in mind during the holiday season or when searching for a unique gift for any occasion. Terracycle is well known for upcycling, or re-working/re-using products or waste and forming a completely new product. The Dopp kit is a prime example of this creativity and resourcefulness, as each kit is made from discarded tent scraps from various manufacturers. Each kit is slightly different or unique from the next, which makes each product that much cooler in my book. The Dopp kit is also 100% handmade. The Upcycled Tent Dopp kit features 3 zippered compartments, with one of these being composed of mesh or the netting component of a tent. The location of these compartments varies by each product. The one I tested featured the mesh compartment on the bottom, with the nylon tent material enclosing the other two pockets. Being made of tent materials means that the Dopp kit is also extremely light weight–making it perfect for those wanting to shave on weight on the trail and other, more tame travels. The fabric is also extremely durable and resistant to rips and tears, just like a tents’ fly. The Dopp kit is also easy to clean, simply throw it in the wash and let it line dry.

Only recently, Tom's of Maine, a company that specializes in manufacturing and supplying markets with natural-ingredients-only personal care products, decided to team up with TerraCycle, a company whose business agenda revolves around turning waste into affordable environmentally-friendly products. This partnership is expected to help find new uses for discarded packaging, meaning that items such as toothpaste tubes, mouthwash bottles, soap wrappers, deodorant containers and the like are all to enter a free recycling program, officially known as “Tom's of Maine Natural Care Brigade.” Apparently, the decision to launch this new recycling program stems from the fact that Tom's of Maine is seriously committed to cutting down on its ecologicalfootprint, by making sure that the waste resulting from the products it sells is put to better use, rather than simply being discarded as landfill. As the official website for this recycling program reads, “Each and every year, the products we use everyday to make our bodies clean, our teeth bright and shiny, and keep us smelling fresh, end up being thrown away after use and ultimately end up in a landfill.”

Upcycling and recycling pioneer TerraCycle of Trenton, N.J., runs free collection programs for glue bottles, pens and markers, Scotch Tape, keyboards and computer mice, among other things. Any parent, teacher or other interested party can sign up for free at

Tom’s of Maine has partnered with recycling company TerraCycle to keep product packaging out of landfills. The free recycling program, called the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Brigade, accepts toothpaste tubes and caps, mouthwash bottles and caps, deodorant/antiperspirant containers, plastic soap wrappers and floss containers, regardless of brand.   For each piece of packaging collected and sent in, the collector earns points that can be put toward charity gifts or converted to cash and paid to any school or nonprofit organization. Any individual, company, group or school can join for free and all shipping costs are prepaid.   To coincide with the new program, the company has also launched the Tom’s of Maine Less in Landfills Sweepstakes, through which Brigade participants can earn $1,000 for the non-profit or school of their choice.   TerraCycle collects more than 50 different kinds of products and packaging through its Brigade programs, which are open to any individual or organization. The company says it has already kept more than 2 billion pieces of trash from going to the landfill, and with its partners, dispersed almost $4.5 million to charity.