31 October 2013

AFP - Recycling entrepreneur Tom Szaky is stubbing out the world's cigarette problem -- one butt at a time. The 30-year-old who dropped out of Princeton University to start his innovative company TerraCycle in Trenton, New Jersey, says there's no such thing as trash, even when you're talking about the contents of ashtrays.

El primer paso de esta empresa, es recolectar basura para después convertir los desechos en productos útiles y económicos. Los recolectores hasta ahora suman 21 millones de personas en 14 países. Esta empresa fue fundada en el 2001 por Tom Szaky, alumno en ese entonces del primer grado de Princeton. TerraCycle empezó como una compañía de fertilizante orgánico, ahora es una de las empresas más fuertes en productos ecológicos en el mundo. Actualmente convierten sobres de bebida en polvo en monederos, o en una estuchera de lápices, cajas de pastas de dientes en libretas, tubos de crema dental en cosmetiqueras y bolsos, discos vinil o LPs en relojes de pared, botellas de pet en cortinas, entre otras tantas. ¿Cómo ayudar? Puedes ingresar a su página en internet y checar las brigadas de recolección, por el momento están recolectando sobres de bebidas en polvo y productos de cuidado bucal (cepillos de dientes, tubos de cremas dentales y empaques de los mismos). Por cada sobre o producto de cuidado bucal que las brigadas les envíen, acumularán 25 puntos* a su cuenta de Terracycle los cuales después podrán ser canjeados por donativos que beneficien a la escuela iglesia u organización no lucrativa de su elección (*1 punto TC es equivalente a $0.01 de pesos mexicanos).

What have juice, cookies, or chips done for your schools, recently? Well, if your kids go to Garland Elementary, over the last year, the Parent Teacher Association has been collecting these empty bags, as well as Malt-O-Meal cereal bags, to fund projects like field trips. Melissa Skinner, this year’s Garland PTA president-elect, set up the recycling program after hearing about TerraCycle on a T.V. show highlighting Park City students who were recycling using a company based in Trenton, N.J. Skinner chose to focus on the following items: Nabisco cookie wrappers, Capri or Kool-Aid pouches, Frito-Lay chips bags and Malt-O-Meal cereal bags. So far, the school has collected 2,211 chip bags, 272 cookie wrappers, 2,222 drink pouches and after just starting the cereal bags in January, they have had 80 cereal bags. The total of $95.70 may not seem like much, but Skinner just sent another batch of bags to the company and will see another check at the end of April. Plus, she said TerraCycle pays the shipping expense. Skinner wants to get the word out, that anyone is encouraged to donate their used wrappers from these companies to Garland Elementary.

Last week on Facebook, I entered a contest all I did was leave my blog link (as a comment) on Terracycle's Fan Page. This morning I had a message saying that I won. Yay!!  I of course don't know what the prize is until it gets here. But I wanted to share this site with yall. I stumbled across Terracycle when I was ... yes I don't remember what I was doing. They recycle all kinds of things into new things. Some of these things will be available only next month(April) in Walmart Stores. Here is some more information about it; the information is copied in part with permission. "A whole bunch of brand new TerraCycle items will be available, during April for a limited time only, at every single Walmart across the country. Starting April 5th, nearly 60 TerraCycle products will be sold right next to the original items they were made from. Cheetos kites and tote bags made from Frito-Lay wrappers will be sold with bags of Frito-Lay chips, while notebooks and purses made out of skittles and M&M wrappers will be sold right next to bags of Mars Candy. For those of you unfamiliar with the trash to treasure company, TerraCycle, here is a little background information: TerraCycle collects traditionally non-recyclable waste from people all across the country by paying a non-profit of the person collectings choice, 2 cents for each piece they collect and mail to the company, with the use of a pre-paid shipping label they can print right from the TerraCycle website (www.TerraCycle.net). A majority of TerraCycle’s active participants are schools, because the students usually bring in the items TerraCycle collects during lunch; such as juice pouches, chip bags, and cookie wrappers, plus the money can go right back to the school. TerraCycle uses the waste it receives from its Brigade members to make hundreds of products that are not only eco-friendly, but are also very affordable because its made from waste!"