Tom Szaky, founder of the pioneering recycling firm Terracycle, said he had felt similarly compelled. In his sophomore year he was trying to develop a business based on fertilizer made of worm poop and his classes became too much, he said. People told him he was crazy to leave, but he wasn’t sure Princeton was helping him achieve his entrepreneurial goals.

However, if your heart is truly begging and pleading for you to own a mountain of candy, The Wilderness Society suggests buying candy in bulk and buying sweets that comes in cardboard packaging rather than plastic. This shockingly small change means the material has a chance of being recycled rather than simply thrown away. But if you must buy your favorite treat and all its sticky mess of plastic foil wrap, know that there is still at least one option for recycling. TerraCycle is a company that upcycles Twix, 3 Musketeer, Snickers, Starburst and a variety of other wrappers sent to it, uses the material to make backpacks, tote bags and even laptop sleeves.

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. Which is not surprising, considering TerraCycle's entire business model is built on trash – and their offices are made from it. The 10-year-old company takes nonrecyclable materials – like the candy wrappers and chip bags – and turns them into new products like pencil cases and lunchboxes. TerraCycle founder Tom Szaky often says he doesn't ever see trash anymore; he just sees cash.

20% off Upcycled creations! Bags, totes, backpacks and more- TerraCycle turns trash into gift-giving treasures. Save 20% at TerraCycleShop.com with code WWMAG.

Phenix PreK-8 has expanded its recycling program as it works to raise $1,000 for butterfly gardens in two of its courtyards. The school recently joined the TerraCycle program, which converts empty juice pouches from brands including Capri Sun and Kool-Aid into new products such as bags. It is also collecting cans. Every pouch students turn in earns the school two cents, said Jessica Scott, a preschool teacher who is coordinating the effort. Phenix also started a "beautification fund" for cash donations toward the project.

A school in Flint, Mich., gathered tens of thousands of potato chip bags, juice boxes and other lunchtime trash, then sold it all to Terracycle, a company that turns the packaging into bags and placemats. The school made almost $500 dollars.

Then came Albe Zakes, VP of Media Relations for TerraCycle. TerraCycle began on the Princeton college campus as a way to ecologically and cheaply bottle fertilizer (worm poop) the founders were selling. Instead of creating new bottles, they simply re-used old plastic soda bottles. This sparked an idea in the TerraCycle team. Fast forward a few years, and TerraCycle is the go-to company for big CPG corporations that allows them to both save money and create less waste by re-using and upcycling their own materials. And this is done with little to no paid media!

Have old make up containers? Don’t trash them! Origins will actually take back and recycle any make up container. M.A.C. cosmetics will give you a free lipstick when you return six of their primary containers. Who doesn't have old pens in the bottom of their purse? Billions of these wind up in our landfills each year. They can be difficult to recycle. Office Depot teams up with Terracycle once a year to recycle them responsibly.

And since 2009, Frito-Lay has been part of a partnership with TerraCycle to promote TerraCycle’s snack bag recycling program, the Chip Bag Brigade , which encourages schools and non-profit organizations to collect used Frito Lay snack bags and send them to TerraCycle to be turned into upcycled totes and messenger bags.

4. St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church needs you…or at least, your online vote . Turns out the parishioners of the church have been mailing in their trash to Terracycle , a recycling company focused on zero waste. Organizer Andrew Lane says they are tithing with trash. They've even designed Yearnie, the yogurt cup monster that's a waste collection can made out of discarded materials. Whoever gets the most votes for their can design wins $1,000, so vote for the home team.