US-based TerraCycle was founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky. It manufactures a wide range of products from waste, and its turnover in 2010 (calendar year) was $13.3m, on which it made just under $500,000 (£324,000) pretax profit. "By using rubbish, a company keeps its costs low, enabling it to offer eco-friendly products at a competitive price while turning a profit," Szaky says. "The manufacturing process involved in upcycling tends to be less energy intensive, saving manufacturing costs. "Also key is our partnering with major corporations such as Danone, Kenco, BIC and Johnson & Johnson. This enables us to secure a consistent and reliable raw material source and helps immensely to market our products and collection programmes."

Article in mainstream Romanian newspaper detailing TerraCycle’s recycling and TerraCycle’s design work (featuring Tiffany Threadgould!).

Saintly Recyclers mail in their trash. Terracycle.net will recycle (usually postage is free) and donate to charity your candy wrappers, yogurt cups, drink pouches, cookie wrappers, Flavia Freshpacks, Frito-Lay chip bags, energy and granola bar wrappers, Bear Naked wrappers, Kashi packages, cell phones, Huggies and Scott tissue wrappers, Aveno tubes, Scotch tape dispensers, corks, cereal bags, Sharpies and Papermate writing instruments, Neosporin tubes, coffee bags, lunch kits (like Lunchables), Colgate tubes and packaging, Ziploc bags and containers, Inkjet cartridges, and Sprout and Revolutions food containers. Preserveproducts.com recycles your No. 5 plastics (same company that has the receptacles at Whole Foods) and water filters into toothbrushes and razors.

Terracycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>   is always coming up with fun and cool ways to recycle, but they also  have come up with a way (actually 6 ways) Moms can go green, reduce  waste at home, AND raise money for their kids school and/or favorite  charity. Terracycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  realizes Moms have enough things to think about  without wondering how to reduce the amount of waste leaving their home  and heading to the local landfill. So they have come up with six new  Brigades (read as free collection programs!) to make it easier than ever  for parents to eliminate waste from their home while raising money for a  school or charity of their choice. All they need to do is collect and  send in the packaging you discard every day, TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/>  pays the postage  and contributes two cents per unit of waste returned. I keep mine in a  bag by the pantry next to the bag for Box Tops to make things easier.