Here are a few ideas that should help point you in the right directions. This is by no means a comprehensive list. Please add suggestions on our Facebook page and let other locals know other easy ways to avoid filling the landfill faster... Waste collected through the Terracycle program turns cigarettes and their plastic package wrappers into plastic pallets and compost.

To me, the back-to-school months of September and October feel more like the new year than January. There’s a general sense of inspiration about fall that prompts people of all ages to do more for themselves and the people and environment around them. Speaking as the helm of a recycling company on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste, I can attest that my drive to help the planet definitely revs up around this time of year.

We live in an increasingly health-conscious world — but what about the health of our planet?

Our CEO Rick Fedrizzi often talks about the Second Wave of sustainability. At IWBI, we believe that sustainability extends far beyond environmental protections. Just as WELL is for people, we believe that sustainability is about helping people make the best choices for both the environment and their health.

Personally, I’ve long been interested in the intersection of food and nutrition with health and sustainability. Our land, our health and our food systems are so intricately connected and dependent on one another that it’s almost impossible to address one without affecting the other. Think about it: we can only cultivate healthy, nutritious food in soil that is well taken care of. If we neglect the land, then the food suffers. If the food suffers, then human health suffers.

Hi!!! Long time, no talk.  I’ve had a few ideas for posts on my mind, and I’m finally sitting down to share.  Let’s talk about snacks.  They happen often at our house.  Seriously, our kids start asking for snacks about five minutes after we clean up breakfast and then every two hours thereafter until they are asleep…not until bedtime, because we sometimes hear, “I’m hungry” after teeth are brushed, books are read, and everyone is tucked in for the night.

How do you define “good” food? Maybe to you good food is comfort food; food that tastes delicious and stirs up pleasant memories. Maybe you consider good food to be healthy, nourishing food. Or maybe good food equates to high-quality food and you splurge on expensive cuts of meat, fish, and artisan products. But have you ever considered the “goodness” of your food to extend beyond the food itself? It’s time to start thinking about the benefits your food can have, aside from satisfying your taste buds and your tummy. Given the current state of our world, with problems ranging from environmental concerns to terrorism, it is so important to know that there are companies out there that still care about how they give back to society. Some of our most beloved food companies hope to improve our planet for future generations by incorporating a social or environmental giving tie-in to their brands. But they can't achieve their goals alone. They need consumers (with excellent taste) to help them. By exercising our purchasing power to support socially- and environmentally-responsible companies, we are demonstrating a concern for our planet and doing our part to sustain it right by our favorite companies’ sides. Our purchases also keep these sustainable companies in business, so that they can continue to make our world a better place to live. Here are 8 of my favorite brands that have both good food and good intentions. 6) LARABAR I didn’t know a nutrition bar could taste so much like dessert…until I discovered LARABAR. And the best part? All of their products are made from recognizable ingredients that are minimally processed. Not only is LARABAR committed to creating non-GMO products made with Fair Trade ingredients, but they also partner with two bomb organizations, Feeding America and Terracycle. Feeding America aims to alleviate hunger and bring awareness to the issue of hunger, while Terracycle makes recyclable products. Dessert-like nutrition AND sustainability initiatives make this a company you definitely want to get behind.

We live in a world of packaging. Unless you buy every single food item in bulk, never buy pre-made snacks or meals, and never grab a snack on a whim at a nearby bodega, there’s a very good chance you have a decent amount of packaging in your house. While some things, like cardboard cereal boxes, Tetrapacks, and glass bottles, are a bit easier to sort, there are other items like chip bags, juice pouches, and bar wrappers that don’t seem to belong in any particular recycling bin. With this problem in mind, TerraCycle was born. This innovative recycling program allows consumers to send in material they can’t recycle on their own and allow TerraCycle to take care of it. While TerraCycle has programs that require consumers to purchase special boxes where they can send waste in, the company also partners with different brands and companies to offer free recycling programs. Pretty much what this entails is TerraCycle sending a packing box or envelope to your home, you filling it up with the waste from a particular brand, sending it back for free, and subsequently feeling good about helping bring down the amount of trash that ends up in landfills. Then TerraCycle finds better uses for the material. Pretty good deal for all! Want to participate? Check out these 12 brands that have partnered with TerraCycle to get started. Happy recycling!

Students at Prairie Winds Elementary School in Monument have done it again. The school in Lewis-Palmer School District 38 is a top collector of energy bar wrappers for TerraCycle. The Trenton, N.J.-based company re-purposes hard-to-reuse waste, such as potato chip bags, coffee capsules and cigarette butts, into office supplies, cleaning products, purses and other products. Prairie Winds students recycled 10,700 foil-lined wrappers from energy bars. TerraCycle and contest sponsor Larabar recently recognized the school for its efforts. Parent Barb Sailer helped start the recycling program at Prairie Winds three years ago. Everyone in the school is encouraged to recycle all kinds of discarded items, using bins set up at key locations. Last spring, the school was a regional contest winner for collecting 2,579 Entenmann's Little Bites muffin bags. In the past, students donated their points to support a Yellowstone National Park project and an organization that helps fight hunger. This year, the students' work will benefit an organization that educates people about climate change and how to reduce their carbon footprint. "This recycling program allows us to help others and starts the conversation for why that matters," Sailer said.

Students at Prairie Winds Elementary School in Monument have done it again. The school in Lewis-Palmer School District 38 is a top collector of energy bar wrappers for TerraCycle. The Trenton, N.J.-based company repurposes hard-to-reuse waste, such as potato chip bags, coffee capsules and cigarette butts, into office supplies, cleaning products, purses and other products. Prairie Winds students recycled 10,700 foil-lined wrappers from energy bars. TerraCycle and contest sponsor Larabar recently recognized the school for its efforts. TerraCycle offers free recycling programs for schools, organizations and individuals. For every piece of waste sent to TerraCycle, collectors earn points that can be redeemed as a donation to the nonprofit or school of their choice. Parent Barb Sailer helped start the recycling program at Prairie Winds three years ago. Everyone in the school is encouraged to recycle all kinds of discarded items, using bins set up at key locations. Last spring, the school was a regional contest winner for collecting 2,579 Entenmann's Little Bites muffin bags. In the past, students donated their points to support a Yellowstone National Park project and an organization that helps fight hunger. This year, the students' work will benefit an organization that educates people about climate change and how to reduce their carbon footprint. "This recycling program allows us to help others and starts the conversation for why that matters," Sailer said.

CLINTON – The Hunterdon Art Museum is working to conserve the environment by recycling foil-lined wrappers in TerraCycle’s Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade, sponsored by Larabar energy bars. Despite being new to the program, the museum is one of the top collectors of 2015, having recycled more than 4,800 wrappers since signing up earlier this year. “I personally try to live a low waste lifestyle at home and was very happy to bring that effort to my work place,” said Jennifer Brazel, director of education at Hunterdon Art Museum. “As an art school, we generate a lot of waste. Our staff eats a lot of Larabars and other foil-lined on-the-go bars due to our busy schedules and our summer camp students bringing snacks daily. “I really appreciate that TerraCycle makes the entire recycling process easy, plus the points program makes recycling a very appealing as a fundraiser for our nonprofit organization.” Through the recycling Brigade programs from TerraCycle, collectors can earn points that can be redeemed as a donation to a nonprofit organization of their choice. The Hunterdon Art Museum has chosen to fund their education programs as well as donate to Charity:Water, an organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. “Everyone can recycle,” Brazel said. “It’s the most simple, efficient and cost effective way each person can reduce waste and play a role in increasing sustainability. Recycling cuts material costs, making recycled items less expensive than virgin material items. Plus, who wouldn’t want a cleaner environment? Recycling is a no-brainer.” Any school, organization or individual looking to reduce waste can find more information on TerraCycle and the Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade sponsored by Larabar at www.TerraCycle.com.”