More and more, successful marketing means reaching your consumer and delivering your message through multiple channels and platforms. TerraCycle, a multiple-time Inc. 500 winner, has grown from a 2-man dorm room operation to a global phenomenon that collects and repurposes waste in 15 countries on 4 continents. In 2011, TerraCycle’s revenues will top $20 million after only 8 years in business. All this growth has occurred without buying a single paid advertisement of any kind. Instead of spending precious dollars on advertising and traditional sponsorship, TerraCycle uses a variety of low-cost marketing efforts, including massive public relations campaigns, corporate blogging, social media promotions and contests, brand ambassador programs, and grassroots marketing. TerraCycle also works with many of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies including Kraft Foods, Frito-Lay, Mars, Kimberly-Clark, and L’Oreal. Through these partnerships, TerraCycle is able to create a variety of unique activation programs through Web site, retail programs, and more.

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.

"Too often environmental education is guilt-driven, globally minded and makes resource conservation and recycling a chore. Through our programs, contests and DIY projects, TerraCycle strives to make environmental responsibility more fun and engaging!" -Albe Zakes, Global VP, Media Relations, Terracycle

3. DIY your costume Handy with a thread and needle or a set of power tools? Show off your DIY skills – and conserve resources – by making your own Halloween costume this year. Instructables.com’s special Halloween section features a wide range of costume ideas and instructions, including a simple sewing pattern for a Smurfette costume and detailed directions for zombie make-up. Or dig through your recycling bin to create a one-of-a-kind kids’ robot costume. All you need is cardboard boxes, an old CD, yogurt lids, plastic bottles and these simple directions from TerraCycle.

At Opelika Middle School, permanent recycling containers have been purchased through the generosity of Opelika City Council President Eddie Smith. Again, one key component to recycling is making the collection point accessible to everyone. These divided containers are located in three main corridors of the school. Student collections will include a variety of items to send to Terracycle for reimbursement. These items include candy wrappers, chip bags, Kraft cheese wrappers, drink pouches and writing utensils. Items are sorted and counted by students, mailed to Terracycle (which also pays the shipping), and this company reimburses the school for the commodities received. The key administrator of the program at Opelika Middle School is Project Grow sponsor Kristin White. The money received from Terracycle will be used to grow the recycling program at OMS.

Klein is very creative when it comes to sources of support for SCRAP-DC and saw TerraCycle’s national Brigade program as an opportunity to raise money and awareness about creative reuse. TerraCycle, an upcycling and recycling company, has a nationwide Brigade Program through schools, churches, and other nonprofit organizations to collect waste streams. To date, over 24 million Brigade supporters have removed over 2 billion waste products from traditional waste streams and raised over $3 million for nonprofits. SCRAP-DC is registered for Terracycle’s Candy Wrapper Brigade, which accepts candy wrappers for Mars, Wrigley and Cadbury products.

BCE Team Green was named a finalist in the Florida Green School Awards sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The team has implemented recycling initiatives at the school, which have reduced trash consumption one-third. Members have raised more than $400 for the school through efforts to recycle juice pouches and chip bags in partnership with Terracycle. The team also has raised money for the nonprofit organization Charity Water, which builds wells in developing countries. The statewide winners will be announced during an awards ceremony Nov. 10 at the West Palm Beach Marriott.

The clutter drew the attention of a speaker, Albe Zakes, vice president for media relations at TerraCycle, a company that seeks useful purposes for waste that cannot be recycled.

In addition to "upcycling," or directly reusing materials to create new ones, TerraCycle also grinds and reprocesses items like pens and glue bottles into plastic lumber, trash cans, watering cans and planting pots. "Take a walk around your local supermarket," suggests Albe Zakes, director of publicity for TerraCycle. "A vast majority of the consumer packaging that you're going to find is non-recyclable." He starts to list products: candy wrappers, chip bags, drink pouches, pens, glue bottles, tape dispensers ... And it becomes obvious that this guy has thought a lot about trash.

The keys to the rooms at the conference hotel bore ads for the AMC cable channel. And ad fliers were regularly slipped under hotel room doors to promote drawings for iPads, iPad2s and even a trip to a French chateau. The clutter drew the attention of a speaker, Albe Zakes, vice president for media relations at TerraCycle, a company that seeks useful purposes for waste that cannot be recycled. “What is garbage?” Mr. Zakes asked rhetorically. “One answer is, all the cards that have been slipped under your hotel doors this week.”