Backpack and Notebook by TerraCycle (SEE LINK FOR PHOTO) This smile-inspiring bag and matching notebook are perfect for the student who is young or young-at-heart. Made with wrappers from common lunchroom snacks, like Capri Sun pouches and potato chip bags, these upcycled school essentials will make the classroom fun again. Price: $21.99

“Chip Tote” by TerraCycle [SEE LINK FOR PHOTO] Add a little whimsey to all your journeys with this tote made from recycled Lays potato chip bags. This funky tote will bring a smile to any traveler’s face, and it’s perfect for stowing carry-on essentials. Price: $12.99

A busy day at a salon can result in bags of non-recyclable garbage from a full day of haircuts, coloring, nail services and spa procedures. Becoming more environmentally-friendly is on the minds of many spa and salon owners as they rethink what they throw away and how they operate. TerraCycle offers a free recycling program called the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade to help salons and spas move toward more eco-friendly waste management practices. With the Personal Care and Beauty Brigade program, difficult-to-recycle packaging such as hair color tubes (including aluminum tubes), hair care product containers, skin cream tubes, cosmetics packaging and any other plastics or tubes can now be recycled—regardless of brand. TerraCycle, in partnership with Garnier, awards two points for each package received, which can be put toward buying a charity gift or converted to money and given to a charity. Collected packaging is turned into plastic items such as park benches, recycling bins and plastic lumber.

TerraCycle, based in Trenton, NJ, is a for-profit company that upcycles and recycles traditionally non-recyclable waste – into creative consumer products. Even in a city like Cambridge that has a very progressive recycling program (yay for recycling coffee cups and pizza boxes!), there are so many products that are not recycled – and that could be diverted from landfills with TerraCycle’s programs.  Like candy wrappers, chip bags, corks, cookie packaging, and the list goes on….

Green laundry products are tough on stains and gaining share against the competition FRESH LOOKS What consumers are most excited about, it turns out, is ditching the bottle entirely. Maria Brous, spokeswoman for Lakeland, Florida-based Publix Super Markets, said the popularity of mono dose detergent tablets like Dropps is the most notable trend in stores. The mono dose concept certainly isn't new, but manufacturers believe now's the right time because the tablets are concentrated, convenient and eco-friendly. Dropps recently partnered with Terracycle to allow consumers to mail in their used cases for recycling.

Ohlone Elementary School's recycling program is raising funds for school needs. Bags of chips, candy wrappers, tubs of butter…there’s very little that won’t earn a buck at Ohlone Elementary School these days. The school’s growing TerraCycle program allows these items and more to be recycled to earn funds that will be allocated by the school’s Parent-Teacher Association to finance classroom necessities. So far, the school has raised about $240. “Once we get our collection bins set up and volunteers organized, we plan on holding a big recycling drive to get the Ohlone community excited,” said PTA treasurer Catherine de Leon. “At some point, we hope to get the rest of the Hercules community involved as well.”

At a time when education funding is drying up, some schools are finding cash in their trash. For several years now, school districts around Michigan and around the nation have been turning their waste streams into a revenue stream through cooperative program with TerraCycle, a Trenton, N.J. firm that buys discarded juice pouches, potato chip bags, plastic cups and other typical lunchroom debris.

Schools generate plenty of waste that is thoughtlessly disposed of when it should be recycled. An extraordinary recycling program called TerraCycle has brought about a huge change in the recycling behavior of schools in the country. This program takes the initiative to recover food packaging items that take time and effort to recycle and as well pays schools for their work. As per a MichigansThumb.com report, this program awards points to schools in accordance with the amount of recyclable products transported to TerraCycle. The creation of single-serve foodstuffs has heightened the quantity of disposable waste and led to a rising pile of detrimental waste materials in landfills.

Frito-Lay is constantly looking at ways to improve our environment and has recently partnered with TerraCycle to turn waste into new products. Your used packaging will be given a second lifecycle as an everyday product, like a clipboard, tote bag, or trash can. All you have to do is collect used Frito-Lay chip bags and send them to TerraCycle. They even pay the postage! For your help in advancing the "zero-landfill" initiative, for each bag you send in, $0.02 will be donated to the school or non-profit organization of your choice. Small steps can make a big difference if everyone helps out! Find out how to participate.