When it comes to recycling, Sharon Sullivan, an educational assistant at Maude Wilkins Elementary School, takes it one step further. She recycles what was once considered unrecyclable and, at the same time, turns a profit for the school. “The students recycle their juice boxes and donate the money to charities,” said Interim Principal Wanda Pichardo. Sullivan, who has been employed at the school for 16 years, said she got the idea after reading about TerraCycle in a magazine.

The Elmer’s Glue Crew Brigade is a free program through TerraCycle that pays schools and organizations to collect Elmer’s glue bottles and glue sticks to be recycled. This video walks you through the collection and recycling steps. To join Elmer’s Glue Crew Brigade, visit www.elmersgluecrew.com or http Connect with us at www.facebook.com This video is courtesy of TerraCycle.

On 9/16/11, I had a fun and informative interview with Albe Zakes.  He is the VP of Media Relations for TerraCycle. He has been with TerraCycle since 2006. That same year, INC magazine ran a story calling TerraCycle the “coolest little start-up in America”. They are still very cool and now exemplify a company that’s known for being at the   forefront of waste reduction worldwide! When it comes to sustainability – they get it in a BIG way.

Vicky Peck has a nickname some might find not so flattering, but she loves it when kids call her the “juice pouch lady” because it means they’re thinking about recycling. And getting kids to think about recycling is the first step. In two years, Peck and the students of Douglas Elementary School have recycled more than 55,000 drink pouches through a nationwide recycling program run by TerraCycle Inc. In return, the school has received $1,105 for enrichment programs, and the students have caught the recycling bug.

When you hear “worm poop made him millions” you are left thinking two things. The first is, “Wow!” The second is, “Yeah, it’s simple, but I probably never would of thought of using worm castings as a natural fertilizer….” But Tom Szaky, in a tale of true entrepreneurialism, did. And in 2001, he dropped out of Princeton to build this eco-friendly business he named Terracycle <http://www.terracycle.com/> . When we spoke to Szaky three years ago in our first Young Guns segment he was already making more than $6 million in revenue annually. True to the company’s recyclable premise, the product was sold in used soda bottles, and it made its way onto shelves at big-name stores like Lowe’s (LOW <http://quote.foxbusiness.com/symbol/LOW/snapshot> : 19.18, -0.74, -3.71%) and Home Depot <http://www.foxbusiness.com/topics/business/companies/home-depot.htm>  (HD <http://quote.foxbusiness.com/symbol/HD/snapshot> : 33.84, -0.97, -2.79%). Terracycle was also just starting to branch out into creating other products from waste, from backpacks made from chip bags to totes made from Capri Sun juice pouches.

Visit www.TerraCycle.net for neat ways to reuse candy wrappers and benefit your favorite non-profits. I know my son would never forgive me if I didn’t let him help carve the jack o’lantern, play at the local carnival and go trick-or-treating. However, always trying to stay conscious of little things I can do to put his health, safety and the safety of our planet first, I came up with a few tips on how to make Halloween more green, without scaring away any of the fun of the orange and black:

My family has been loyal to the Guerrero <http://www.tortillasguerrero.com/en/>  brand for more than 20 years. For those of you who are not familiar (if your a follower of this blog how could you not be!) Guerrero is a brand of Tortilla and among others such as its sister brand, Mission or other private brands such as Diana’s,  it tends to be the leading brand for Hispanics. TerraCycle is truly something great that they are participating in which creates a greener environment and supports your favorite charity. This is how it works… 1. You collect the empty pouches of your tortillas or tostadas guerrero 2. Fit as many pouches as you can in a cardboard box 3. Print the pre-paid label, stick it on the box and take it to the nearest UPS center 4. Once they get your shipment they will transfer your credit to your account and send it to a non-profit organization of your choice in June or December of this year.

PTAs often combine fundraising efforts with service to the environment or community.  For example, Debra Johnson, president of Weyanoke PTA, has garnered funds through the collection of juice pouches and chip bags.  Sent to Terracycle.net to be “upcycled” into items like tote bags, they earn a few cents each.  The used flipflops they’ve collected will be turned into playground material. For Lisa Keyes and her PTA at Columbia ES, their efforts include helping families in need. “Some of the community events we are involved in are sponsoring a school supplies drive for families in our community, participating in a food drive to help stock a local food pantry, a coat and hat drive for our community,” she says.

My hatred of waste is well-documented in this space.  And yet I have much to learn and much to go in this area.  Tom Szaky's "Revolution in a Bottle," which is about his firm, Terracycle, explains that trash is a modern Western phenomenon and that it imposes significant costs on the planet in the form of massive amounts of undegradable materials in our landfills and even in the middle of our oceans.  I am reminded of my brother-in-law's extended family's plantation in southwestern India, which is completely sustainable in that it requires no running water or electricity and generates no waste. In contrast to that, my family easily generates one or two trash cans' worth of trash, plus two or three bins of recyclables, every week.  Not to mention the trash I throw out at work or anywhere else.  I am spurred on by Aaron's new teacher, who has a "zero trash" policy in the classroom (there are no trash cans) and who teaches her students about composting.  I may never get to "zero trash," and my wife still needs some convincing on the composting, but I am more aware, and I am taking baby steps.  I hope you will too.

TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky is part of a show called Biz Kids.