What if you could reduce waste and get some awesome gifts at the same time? No seriously. What if you could give someone garbage and they create the coolest gifts for those special people in your life? I’m for real!

TerraCycle upcycles and recycles traditionally non-recycable waste (including drink pouches, chip bags, tooth brushes and many more) into a large variety of consumer products. These products keep waste out of our landfills and contribute to a cleaner world.

I was provided some of the coolest items ever to review (and to add to my gift giving list!) I received the Upcycled Mail Sack Tote that as soon as I opened the box, hubby and I were fighting over it!

TerraCycle is a company known for recycling and upcycling non-recyclable items that was founded in 2001. Their products can be found anywhere from Walmart to Uncommon Goods, a web site where you can purchase upcycled items made from old repurposed mail bags and tents. TerraCycle works with 30 major brands in the U.S. (and worldwide) to collect used packaging and products that would otherwise be thrown into a landfill. The waste is collected through TerraCycle’s Brigade Programs, which are free fundraisers that pay for every piece of waste collected and returned. This company is so innovative and cool I could describe it all day. Find out more about TerraCycle here. They sent me a few upcycled items to chhe first product I received was the M&M’s EcoSpeakers. The speakers are portable, lightweight and are made from 80% recycled materials. You can plug these babies into your laptop, iPod, phone, and more. They don’t require batteries and are extremely easy to assemble. It just takes a little bit of folding and they are ready to use. I find it pretty darn nifty that M&M’s packages can be used to create a casing for speakers. It just takes a little bit of folding and they are ready to use. I find it pretty darn nifty that M&M’s packages can be used to create a casing for speakers.eck out and each one of them impressed.

The next item in this prize was sponsored by TerraCycle. I am completely smitten with this company, and oogle over their items anytime I see them. Here at Freetail Therapy, we are eco-friendly, and today’s consumers are searching for more eco-friendly, sustainable and reasonably priced products. TerraCycle, known for recycling and upcycling non-recyclable items introduces a collection of gift ideas perfect for the whole family. These items are so stylish and useful; no one needs to even know they are both eco-friendly and affordable! Other unique items include tote bags, lunch sacks, toiletry cases and travel pouches made from repurposed USPS mail bags and upcycled tents. All USPS and tent products will be available online at Uncommon Goods. Lunch sacks will retail for $37.00, dopp kits for $38.00, and tote bags for $46.00. The Coin Pouch, Tote, and iPad Case will retail from $14.00 – $84.00. They are also featuring portable, Eco-Speakers for $19.99, which we are also giving away! Come join us to enter that one! TerraCycle gave us this BEAUTIFUL hand woven handbag to give away to a Freetailing Fashionista, and I couldn’t be more excited! These bags retail around $30 – $40 for this size. It is about 4 inches  high and 9 inches long. This bag features a chain link handle with an 8 inch drop for the handle. This is the perfect size bag to fit a small wallet, keys, cell phone and some gum.

Hudsonville Christian School released the detailed list of waste to be sent to TerraCycle.

While most of his peers were at the library, or the bar, college freshmen Tom Szaky was busy launching a business out of his dorm room. For his first product he turned worm-poop into fertilizer as a way to transform waste into something useful. Since then he’s turned that first product into a multi-million dollar business Terracycle, with clients including Walmart and Home Depot. Inspiyr spoke with Tom about the mission of Terracycle, his favorite type of trash, and some advice for budding entrepreneurs or anyone looking to achieve their dreams.

Since 2001, TerraCycle has risen from a dorm-room start-up selling worm poop-based plant food into a internationally-known growth business.   Its focus: providing consumer packaged goods companies and retailers with cause marketing programs and nonprofits with fundraising opportunities. TerraCycle has over 70,000 schools and charities collecting waste globally and they have earned collectively almost 4 million dollars just by recycling more! Whether you work for a large company, a start-up or an NGO, you'll pick up valuable lessons from Global VP Albe Zakes based on Terracyle's decade of turning "waste into wonder".

2. Terracycle Upcycled Boombox Bring the boombox back! Terracycle's boomboxes are made with up to 80% recycled materials, like the wrappers of your favorite snacks and candy -- Cheetos, Skittles, Starburst and Peanut M&Ms are all available. The boombox has a 3.5mm universal plug so you can jam to your iPod, iPhone or laptop, and no batteries are required. If you're in the market for speakers only, those are available for $13.99.

(6 of 16) 6. Snack Wrapper Eco-Boombox This is a desktop toy your coworkers will salivate for. Frito Lay joined forces with TerraCycle to give their snack packaging a second life, and the Eco-Boombox was born. It’s made with 80% recycled packaging materials (some sent in from consumers themselves) and has a 3.5mm universal plug so you can play music from your iPod, iPhone, MP3 player, laptop, or computer. This gives new meaning to the term "rapper." The Eco-Boombox is priced at $19. [Link] (5 of 16) 5. TerraCycle Crushed Electronics Trash Can TerraCycle is a company on a mission to reduce the estimated 2.5 million tons of electronic waste that ends up in our landfills every year. They create a variety of products out of crushed and remolded computers, fax machines and other office equipment. These 11 inch trashcans painted in day-glo designs by inner city artists in Trenton, N.J. are a sturdy and groovy addition to any office. Oh, and the irony of a trashcan made out of trash isn’t lost on us. Price: $10. [Link]

•More schools are collecting candy wrappers to send to TerraCycle, a recycling company that gives donors money for charitable use. It has received 1.2 million candy wrappers so far this year, more than double its 2010 total. "At first, kids were like, 'It's just trash' … but when they saw how it added up, they caught on," says Daniele Clark, a fifth-grade science teacher at Spicer Elementary in Haltom City, Texas. She says students have collected enough wrappers to raise $842 so far — enough to send eight kids to a three-day science camp.