We here the words 'reduce, reuse, recycle' a lot  when it comes to cleaning our our environment and cutting down on waste in our landfills but have you thought much about the word 'upcycle'? To ucpcycle an item would be to use the product again in a totally different way than it was originally used.  Terracycle  <http://www.terracycle.net/> has found a ton of ways to take our trash and recyclables and make them into something new. The great thing about this company is that YOU can get involved, too!  Here is a little bit about Terracycle from their website:

In March some members of the Environmental Club took a field trip to Terracycle in Trenton to deliver 12,000 juice pouches they had been collecting. Club Co-leader Behm praised the hard work of the 25 members. "Every day they went around collecting the juice pouches, and then on Wednesdays after school they counted them, washed them and packed them. They worked so hard," she said. Their efforts raised $200 for the school playground.

As part of its recycling campaign, Walmart is beginning this month to sell eco-friendly pet products such as dog beds and kitty litter boxes made from trash. Another new Walmart effort begun this month is a collection system for 28 types of trash that’s being tried at five stores on the East Coast. TerraCycle, takes the waste, including candy wrappers, pens and coffee bags, and upcycles the waste into products like tote bags and portable speakers.

TerraCycle, the popular upcycling manufacturer, has teamed with Ziploc to create the Make-A-Difference-Mom Contest.  The contest which began on October 24, 2010 will run through December 15, 2010. To enter, consumers can visit the TerraCycle website where they can explain how a mom they know embodies the “Make-A-Difference-Mom” ideal–a mom who makes a conscious effort to deliver a positive impact on the environment and the community in her daily life. In January, four finalists will be picked from these submissions and will be highlighted on the TerraCycle Facebook page where fans can vote for their top pick. The grand prize winner will receive $1,500 to reward herself or the community, and a video camera to document her experience.

Northfield-based Kraft has also revisited packaging and advertising. Kraft ditched movie tie-ins on packaging, and nutritional information is more prominent. Most Lunchables trays are now clear, because moms said they wanted to be able to see the food inside. Because the plastic trays aren't recyclable, Kraft moved to avoid "green" criticism by partnering with TerraCycle to convert used Lunchables containers into lunch boxes and pencil cases.

Phoenix Public Library and the city of Phoenix Public Works Department kick off Recycle Write on Monday, Nov. 1, 2010. Visit any one of 16 library locations or nine OfficeMax retail stores in Phoenix to deposit used pens, pencils and markers of all types in designated collection containers. The collected writing instruments will be shipped to TerraCycle, a company specializing in making consumer products from post-consumer materials.

But what happens when a college student has an entrepreneurial itch that just can’t be scratched within the confines of an institution of higher learning?  When I was writing Upstarts!, I heard many stories of students leaving school to focus on their companies. Among them are Tom Szaky (TerraCycle), Ben Kaufman (Quirky), Caleb Sima (SPI Dynamics), Brendan Ciecko (Ten Minute Media), Brad Weinberg and Rajiv Kumar (Shape Up the Nation). Some were clearly not academically inclined from the get go; others just could not manage a company and school at the same time, and the former took precedent.   I doubt that any of them regret their decision, but I wish that they had not been forced to make it. And for that, I blame the colleges and universities that they attended and left.

In today’s constantly changing business environment, innovating is more important than ever to your survival. But how do you do it? I asked four highly innovative young entrepreneurs to reveal the secrets of their success: - Tom Szaky’s TerraCycle transforms waste products ranging from worm poop to candy wrappers into a wide range of consumer products.

Today's featured project isn't my own.  It comes to me from a company called TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/> .  I can hear you scratching your head and questioning, "A corporate craft?" Yes, friends - a corporate craft.  But, TerraCycle is no ordinary corporation.  Founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky (when he was 19 years old and a freshman at Princeton University,) TerraCycle is a multi-category eco-friendly upcycle company. Basically: They profit by taking waste and turning it into new goods which they then sell.  Things like Capri Sun drink pouches, Oreo cookie package wrappers, Cliff Bar wrappers and other assorted non-recyclable waste becomes purses, picture frames, clip boards and other cool items.

Curses! How do I get rid of … ? Jack-o’-lanterns: Compost them in a heap or in a bin. Need a bin? RIRRC sells Earth Machines on Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 4 for $40. Candy wrappers: These aren’t accepted in your blue bin, however you can join or start a local “brigade” of collectors for many hard-to-recycle items, including candy wrappers, and earn cash for your school or nonprofit by signing up at www.terracycle.net. If this is not an option, please place them in the trash.