Az emberek és a vállalatok is hajlandóak fizetni a hulladék feldolgozásáért.
Kanadában egy Tatabánya méretű város képes szemét nélkül működni – az eddig csak a sci-fi írók fantáziájának és az elvakult környezetvédők vágyálmának tekintett zero waste koncepció a valóságban is működik, azaz meg lehet csinálni. Ráadásul nyereségesen!
GOLD: TerraCycle
TerraCycle’s business model is to eliminate waste by offering free recycling fundraisers to any school, non-profit, corporation or individual/family for any type of man-made waste. The program incentivizes the collection of common packaging and products ranging from candy wrappers to cosmetics, packaging to cigarette butts.
“Brigades” collect waste that TerraCycle then turns into more than 1500 new products, ranging from recycled park benches to upcycled backpacks. These products are available online and at major retailers ranging from Walmart to Whole Foods. There are currently more than 40 programs that range from food packaging (like drink pouches and candy wrappers) to office supplies (like pens and tape dispensers) to personal products (like cosmetic and beauty packaging to diaper packaging).
For every item returned, TerraCycle donates two-cents (or the local equivalent) to a school or non-profit of the collector’s choice. TerraCycle operates in 22 countries, minimizing the global threats of landfill and incineration on humans and the environment. So far, through TerraCycle, 32 million consumers have diverted 2.5 billion units of waste from landfill and incineration, while earning over 4.5 million dollars (US) for schools and myriad non- profits.
For example, the drink pouch is a ubiquitous waste stream found in every school cafeteria in America. In order to offset the estimated 11 BILLION pouches that go to waste every year in America alone, TerraCycle partnered with Honest Tea and Capri Sun to start the Drink Pouch Brigade. The free recycling fundraiser was an opportunity for two competitors to put aside their corporate differences and do the right thing for the environment. Since the Program was founded, over 70,000 organizations – including 57,000 schools – signed up for the program. As of December 2012 they helped collect over 164 MILLION drink pouches and collectively earned over 3.2 million dollars.
The collected pouches are upcycled or recycled into a variety of products. School items like pencil cases and backpacks that help to complete the education for kids. The students get to see what the pouches they helped collect are turned into for a second life. Pouches are also recycled into more utilitarian products like park benches, picnic tables and railroad ties.
TerraCycle’s programs are sponsored by some of the world’s largest companies. These major companies include Kraft Foods, Nestle, Mars, Inc., Kimberly-Clark, Frito-Lay, Kashi, Sanford, Elmer’s Products, Inc, Logitech, Old Navy, Clif Bar, Sprout Baby Food, 3M, Malt-O-Meal, Colgate, Palmolive, L’Oreal, and BIC.
Students today know the importance of recycling, reusing and repurposing at home, but are they getting the opportunity to put the lesson into practice at school? A company called TerraCycle helps schools implement what they teach while also earning money for the school.
Several local schools already have TerraCycle programs, including Corpus Christi in Wheeling, Hilltop in Marshall County and North Elementary in Brilliant.
Students and teachers can collect supplies such as pens, markers, glue containers, tape dispensers, keyboards and mice, along with lunchroom waste such as drink pouches and chip bags. For each piece of waste collected and sent in for free, the collector earns points toward a donation to the school or charity of their choice.
With
Hillsborough High School having received more than $2,000 worth of benefits from participating in TerraCycle programs since 2010, technology teacher Tim Zavacki has some big plans for this upcoming school year.
TerraCycle is an "upcycle" company that makes consumer products from pre- and post-consumer materials. Organizations are able to participate in the company's programs, donating what would normally be trash such as chip bags, candy wrappers, cereal boxes, apparel and electronics to be “upcycled” and used for new products such as duffel bags, tiles, and school supplies. Over 83,000 items have been upcycled since 2010.
“I have been named a most valuable collector by TerraCycle for being in the top 100 in the USA for successful collections,” Zavacki said.
The school has
found success with TerraCycle, winning its Erase Your E-Waste Keyboard and Mouse Brigade last year, receiving brand-new Logitech keyboards and mice in return. Zavacki was able to distribute them throughout the school for teachers and students to use.
Four years ago, Julie Beachboard saw a tiny ad for TerraCycle on the back of a juicebox. A paraeducator at Long Neck Elementary School, she helped jumpstart the initiative with her students.
TerraCycle is a nationwide program based in New Jersey that promotes recycling. The company gives new meaning to the adage "one man's trash is another man's treasure," turning garbage into useable products.
Long Neck, along with Sussex Academy of Art, Kidz Academy and Friendship United Methodist Church, are the latest to join the efforts to both clean up the environment and help out an array of charities.
The 'upcycling' by teacher Tim Zavacki and the entire school recognized by TerraCycle
Some great work by
Hillsborough High School helping the environment is being recognized.
TerraCycle, an "upcycle" company that makes consumer products from pre- and post-consumer materials, has focused one of its Location Spotlight videos on the school. The video, attached to this post, specifically takes a look at how applied technology teacher Tim Zavacki has made the company's brigades a huge part of the school's day-to-day operation.
Zavacki, the staff and students at the high school have had a lot of success with the program.
Hillsborough was the winner of the company's Erase Your E-Waste Keyboard and Mouse Brigade. By doing so, the school received brand-new Logitech keyboards and mice that Zavacki was able to distribute throughout the school for teachers and students to use.
In the video above, Zavacki talks about how his wife tipped him off about the company and its programs. The school's environmentally conscious way of looking at purchases and items is detailed in the video.
We often hear about technology recycling places to turn in old computer systems and monitors so that they don’t wind up in landfills. But what about all the peripherals that go along with them, like keyboards and mice and web cameras?
That’s the focus of the
TerraCycle Keyboard and Mouse Brigade. The program is sponsored by Logitech (which I am sure would love it if you bought new keyboards and other peripherals while you are ditching the old ones). The language on the program page is aimed at schools, but the initiative is also applicable for charities or other organizations trying to get rid of a bunch of peripherals in a responsible manner.
Wondering what to do with that pile of old and broken down gaming gear you’ve got stashed in your filing cabinets, closets and under your bed? Well now, it can have a new life thanks to TerraCycle and
Logitech.
Computer peripherals are now more readily recyclable, thanks in part to TerraCycle’s Keyboard and Mouse Brigade. Anyone can send in their broken, outdated, or extra keyboards, mice and webcams for recycling into anything from park benches to lapdesks, compliments of
Logitech and TerraCycle. This is the first collection program for computer peripherals that provides both an incentive for collecting and free shipping from anywhere in the U.S.
