PHOENIX (Oct. 27, 2:30 p.m. ET) -- Backyard composters know red worms are masters of turning banana peels and coffee grounds efficiently into fertilizer. Increasingly, brands are turning to Terracycle as the “red worm” of the marketing ecosystem -- converting the effluvia of such heavy hitters as Coca-Cola Co., Kraft Foods, L’Oreal and Colgate-Palmolive Co. into new products and green-marketing initiatives. At the Association of National Advertisers conference, Terracycle VP-Global Media Albe Zakes recounted a story that’s now widely familiar thanks to his own PR efforts that make up the bulk of the brand’s marketing.

PHOENIX (Oct. 27, 2:30 p.m. ET) -- Backyard composters know red worms are masters of turning banana peels and coffee grounds efficiently into fertilizer. Increasingly, brands are turning to Terracycle as the “red worm” of the marketing ecosystem -- converting the effluvia of such heavy hitters as Coca-Cola Co., Kraft Foods, L’Oreal and Colgate-Palmolive Co. into new products and green-marketing initiatives. At the Association of National Advertisers conference, Terracycle VP-Global Media Albe Zakes recounted a story that’s now widely familiar thanks to his own PR efforts that make up the bulk of the brand’s marketing.

RT: TerraCycle is a strategic sponsor of Trash Tycoon. They not only market the game to the over 21 million users of TerraCycle, but they also pitch the game to their partners, some of the top consumer packaged goods companies. We have all sorts of cool, deep branding of TerraCycle into the game. Players can collect TerraCycle items, put TerraCyle factories on the map, and make and bottle a TerraCycle product like fertilizer. The most important aspect of the collaboration is that players sign up with TerraCycle, so waste they recycle in the real world with TerraCycle earns points in the game and vice versa. Players can redeem points they make in the game for TerraCycle products.

Noble Elementary School is one of four schools nationwide to receive a donated playground from Old Navy and TerraCycle Inc., an upcyling and recycling company. The playground was installed Sept. 10. "Playgrounds provide the ideal place for children to master physical skills, such as learning to swing, balance and climb as well as master social skills such as communicating, sharing and cooperating with other children and adults," said Manju Ramachandran, Noble Elementary's Parent Teacher Association president. "The kids will be so excited to have a playground after two years of playing in a dirt box. Coming back to school and seeing the new playground will be like Christmas to them because this is something in their lives that they will never forget."

After Halloween is over, bring your empty candy wrappers to the Waverly Recycling Center or the Waverly Chamber of Commerce Office and place them in TerraCycle bins. Wrappers and other items are being collected to benefit Waverly-Shell Rock schools.

One Simple Ask is dedicated to exploring the theory and practice of ethical consumerism. Over the past few months, our team has come across some outstanding companies that are truly walking the “green” marketing talk that permeates our consumer culture. One such company is TerraCycle, a small business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, that specializes in producing products from pre- and post-consumer materials that people send to the company. Over the years, TerraCycle has produced over 1,500 different products available at major retailers, including Walmart and Whole Foods Market. Below is a discussion I had with Megan Yarnall, the Senior Publicist at TerraCycle. What inspired the creation of Terracycle? TerraCycle’s creation was inspired by a blooming plant fertilized by worm poop and a business contest. Tom Szaky, the CEO of TerraCycle, visited a friend from home during a college break and discovered how well his friend’s plant was growing after being fertilized with worm poop. Tom happened to be entering a business plan contest at that time, and he realized that if he could figure out a viable way to produce and package worm poop in a bottle, worm poop fertilizer could be the basis for his business.

Madison Avenue Elementary won first runnerup in a recycling contest. Rex and Rita, the “dinosaurs” used as recycling bins for chip bags and drink pouches at the school, won $500 for the PTO in TerraCycle's Box that Rocks Contest. An elementary school in Winston-Salem, N.C., which used a recycling bin shaped like a taco, won the top prize of $1,000 in the online contest.

Which brings us to garbage. Albe Zakes – VP at Terracycle, told us how they have grown from a 2-man dorm room operation to a global phenomenon that collects and repurposes waste in 15 countries on 4 continents. Repurposing brand waste has become the real focus... repurpose and reuse being the key words. TerraCycle has changed the debate on brand responsibility. They realized every brand has a waste issue, most all their packaging is non recyclable and brands are not stepping up to deal with it. They pitched brands that spend millions on this packaging and branding to reuse their brand packaging and avoid the pollution of landfills and incineration. It is catching on. Kraft Foods, Frito-Lay, Mars, Kimberly-Clark, L’Oreal Coca Cola and others have signed up and created partnerships.

Which brings us to garbage. Albe Zakes – VP at Terracycle, told us how they have grown from a 2-man dorm room operation to a global phenomenon that collects and repurposes waste in 15 countries on 4 continents. Repurposing brand waste has become the real focus... repurpose and reuse being the key words. TerraCycle has changed the debate on brand responsibility. They realized every brand has a waste issue, most all their packaging is non recyclable and brands are not stepping up to deal with it. They pitched brands that spend millions on this packaging and branding to reuse their brand packaging and avoid the pollution of landfills and incineration. It is catching on. Kraft Foods, Frito-Lay, Mars, Kimberly-Clark, L’Oreal Coca Cola and others have signed up and created partnerships.

Costumes are where you can get creative! Use your imagination and make costumes from what you already have, borrow from a friend, or go to a thrift store. This time of year second hand stores have all their Halloween merchandise displayed and ready to be put to use. TerraCycle is sponsoring the Monster Mash Your Trash Costume Contest . Terra Cycle is encouraging us to learn in a hands-on way how every day waste materials can be reused into unique, innovative products. Enter your upcycled costume by November 4th and you could be one of four contestants to win a gift card for cool TerraCycle upcycled products.