GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Some schools are finding cash in an unlikely place: Students’ lunch boxes. A handful of Genesee County schools have supplemented in-school recycling efforts by teaming up with TerraCycle, a New Jersey company that pays them for reusable and recyclable materials like empty juice pouches and potato chip bags.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- No one knows where good ideas come from. In some cases, the answer may simply be to throw a bunch of brains together in a room and see what happens. That was the approach favored by the Jefferson Innovation Summit, a conference hosted by the University of Virginia this Tuesday and Wednesday. Named for Thomas Jefferson, who founded the university, the summit was aimed at kick-starting American entrepreneurship and encouraging new forms of thinking.

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Are you making your Halloween costume out of recycled materials this year? Well if you are, why not enter it in Terracycle’s costume contest ! You could win a fabulous gift card to DwellSmart.com!

Are you making your Halloween costume out of recycled materials this year? Well if you are, why not enter it in Terracycle’s costume contest ! You could win a fabulous gift card to DwellSmart.com!

Monster Mash Your Trash Costume Contest Are you making your Halloween clown costume from candy wrappers? Your dragon mask from drink pouches? If so, Terracycle wants to see it! Enter your upcycled costume into the Monster Mash your Trash costume contest by November 4th and you could be one of four contestants to win a gift card for cool TerraCycle upcycled products.

The Bluffton Middle School is accepting certain trash for its upcycle program, a recycling-like initiative and fundraiser that earned the school more than $1,750 last year and about $700 so far this year. Unlike traditional recycling, upcycling, a term first created in 1994, does not break down products to incorporate them into other materials. Instead, upcycling is designed to essentially change the used product into a new product without breaking it down. Consider these examples from the TerraCycle website. homework folder lunchbox backpack stereo clip board

Congratulations to Mr. Schafer’s 5th grade class on being selected as a finalist in the nationwide Box that Rocks Design Contest sponsored by TerraCycle! The students designed their innovative entry to replicate the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum! They used cardboard for the base of the box and placed the window pane design that is on the real Rock Hall. The students used juice pouches and chip bags in the design. They also used scraps of cardboard and cut up juice pouches to make the guitars that are on the top of the pyramid. This pyramid is one of two that were made for the center of the OFIS cafeteria to promote recycling. The students designed and built this creative recycling station during recess. What dedication!

This semester, the class is tasked with helping the Children’s Center create an outdoor learning center.  With the help of the Children’s Center Director Holly McFaul, the groups will turn what is currently an empty playground into an engaging, educational outdoor environment for the younger children to explore. Travis’s team has come up with a unique way to contribute towards the Children’s Center project.  They are doing a waste -free program called TerraCycle where they collect candy wrappers and send them in for money. In addition, her group is helping the center put their garden to bed as winter approaches.  She said though the class is challenging, she feels it is a worthwhile experience.