REESE - Just by eating lunch, students at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School are fundraising for their school. The students separate their Capri Sun pouches from the rest of their waste and send the popular juice containers to TerraCycle of Trenton, N.J., which in return gives the school 2 cents for every juice pouch recycled.

Mark Fritzler, 8th grade, left, and Zack Parman, 7th grade, right, count the recycled Capri Sun juice concentrate drink during her lunch hour at St. Elizabeth School in Reese. Students are encouraged to recycle their Capri Sun drink containers after use for a school recycling program. REESE — Just by eating lunch, students at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School are fundraising for their school. The students separate their Capri Sun pouches from the rest of their waste and send the popular juice boxes to TerraCycle, who in return give the school $0.02 for every juice pouch recycled. St. Elizabeth is among 40,000 organizations participating in the TerraCycle program. After two weeks of lunches, St. Elizabeth collected about 270 juice pouches, said Gabriela Marguery, school principal. They have participated in the program for eighteen months. While the $5.40 collected does not seem like much raised over two weeks, Marguery said, but the amount adds up. “With $5, there’s something we can do,” she said. “It helps pay for a field trip. The important thing for them is you’re recycling and helping the school.” The school has even incorporated recycling into their curriculum, with a “Take Care of God’s Creation” unit. Luke Holtz, son of Nicki and Todd Holtz of Reese said he brings a juice pouch nearly every day for the school’s fundraiser. “(Recycling) is fun, you can help pick up at your house,” he said. Alyssa Brow, the daughter of Todd and Cheryl Brow of Buena Vista Township said she recycles her juice pouches at school, and her food and canned goods at home “so it doesn’t make the world dirty.” The recycling program at St. Elizabeth Area Catholic School doubles as a fundraiser. The students separate their Capri Sun juice pouches from the rest of their refuse and each pouch generates 2 cents for the school. The day this was filmed, the school earned $5.40 from the 270 pouches over a two-week period. Zack Parman, son of Kathy and Stan Parman of Bridgeport Township, a 7th grader at the school helps count the recycled packages every two weeks. He said he doesn’t mind helping out because fundraising ultimately helps the school, paying for field trips, balls and lighting in the gymnasium. “We partner with these companies, these brands, to provide a solution for their packaging at the end of its life,” said Lauren Taylor, director, U.S. public relations for TerraCycle. The company partners with many companies like Kraft Foods, Frito Lay, Revolution Foods, Bare Naked, Colgate, Elmers and Logitech. They recycle and “upcycle” the discarded packaging. Recycling turns the product into something new and unrecognizable from its original form, but upcycling creates something recognizable from a product’s original form, like a Capri Sun purse or pencil case, or a backpack made out of chip bags. “We have a lot of schools that participate, but anyone can get involved,” Taylor said. “Offices, community groups, anybody can get involved to make a difference.”

To help, one company is offering consumers a way to reduce their household garbage while earning money for local schools or charities. Through free collection programs called Brigades, upcycling pioneer TerraCycle is collecting and paying for packaging waste from household staples -- from the bathroom to the kitchen to the classroom. Many major brands are getting on board with upcycling. Scott tissues and Huggies are sponsoring programs to collect plastic packaging waste from paper products and diapers. And since most oral hygiene products aren't recyclable, Colgate and TerraCycle have partnered to collect used toothbrushes and toothpaste cubes.

Instead of throwing out their garbage this summer, hikers and park-goers have another option for their non-recyclable trash after they pack it out: sending it free of charge to pioneering company TerraCycle to be recycled. TerraCycle collects people’s trash and recycles the non-recyclable into eco-friendly, affordable, and practical products. The “leave no trace” policy, which has evolved into the “pack it in, pack it out” policy of taking all your trash out with you, is furthered by TerraCycle’s Brigade program. People can send in difficult-to-recycle food wrappers for recycling and upcycling and earn cash for charity. Usually, wrappers from products including Kashi, Bear Naked, CLIF BAR, and Revolution Foods, among others, are non-recyclable.

In July 2004, while backpacking a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), I ran into a patch of really nasty weather and bivouacked a night on Lodge Lake (47.408457 N, 121.430168 W), just south of Snoqualmie Summit. I was out of gas for cooking and was soaked to the bone from a torrential downpour that had blown in from Puget Sound. Getting a fire going quickly was imperative. However, everything in the vicinity was soaked and I had virtually nothing available that would do more than pathetically produce smoke. Ultimately, I was forced to shred the footprint for my Kelty Raptor tent to get a fire going. While it was a real bummer to loose part of the tent, I was grateful for the added warmth in what turned out to be a very cold and wet night. This experience taught me to always carry the essentials for getting a fire going. This is especially important in places like the Pacific Northwest where heavy rainfall can limit fuel sources. I’ve found that dryer lint is one of the more effective items to carry. It’s light weight and burns extremely well. I’ve also just recently been introduced to Eco-Friendly Fire Starters made by a company called TerraCycle. For hikers, bikers, campers, and general outdoor enthusiasts who subscribe strictly to Leave No Trace (LNT) principles (and all of you should), this is a product and company you’ll be keenly interested in.

I think it is safe to assume that the majority of people who engage in the camping experience do so because they have a desire to get back to basics and mix it with the magnificence of nature and the outdoors. Whether you are a well seasoned camper or just a novice, camping remains an amazing adventure with nature, sharing and exploring a world so far apart from the busy hustle of the modern life we have become accustomed to. We can all do our bit to ensure that this world remains intact for us (and many others) to enjoy again and again by doing our best to ‘leave no trace’ when we decamp. Always try to camp on established campsites or sites that have obviously been used before to minimise impact on the environment. This applies to walking tracks too – stay on the formed tracks and don’t go crashing through the bush creating your own track. The most important thing when eco-camping is waste removal. Always make sure you take every piece of waste away with you or dispose of it in a green and eco-friendly manner. This includes food scraps or any other waste material no matter how biodegradable it may seem. When you leave a campsite always walk around it to ensure you have left no trace of your camping. Dispose of all garbage, even that left by previous campers.

Here is some information that might interest hikers who prescribe to the Leave No Trace philosophy of hiking. The below information is about a business that will recycling many of the non-recyclables that hikers regularly throw out. Anyone can send in their used wrappers for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant’s choice. Here is a press release that was sent out by the people at TerraCycle. We thought it was a cool concept. TRENTON, New Jersey – June 21, 2011 – This summer, instead of throwing out their garbage, hikers and park-goers have another option for their non-recyclable trash after they pack it out: sending it free of charge to pioneering company TerraCycle® to be recycled. TerraCycle collects people’s trash and recycles the non-recyclable into eco-friendly, affordable, and practical products. The “leave no trace” policy, which has evolved into the “pack it in, pack it out” policy of taking all your trash out of the park with you, is furthered by TerraCycle’s Brigade® program, through which people can send in difficult-to-recycle food wrappers for recycling and upcycling and earn cash for charity. Usually, wrappers from products including Kashi, Bear Naked, CLIF BAR, and Revolution Foods, among others, are non-recyclable. TerraCycle upcycles some wrappers into tote bags, coolers, notebooks, laptop cases and mini-speakers. Wrappers that aren’t upcycled are melted down and turned into plastics such as trash cans, flower pots, and clipboards. The snacks that hikers use while enjoying the outdoors can become eco-friendly, long-life products that support the environment that hikers are enjoying. Instead of just leaving no trace on the parks, hikers and outdoorsmen can also leave no trace on the Earth. Anyone can sign up for TerraCycle’s Brigade programs and send in their wrappers for free. For every wrapper TerraCycle receives, two points are awarded that can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant’s choice. Most importantly, the Brigade will be keeping these wrappers out of the local landfills and off the ground.

TerraCycle Jun 10th, 2011 by Sarah Awhile back I received a press release from TerraCycle about reducing the burden of energy bar wrappers: Recycling the Non-Recyclable: TerraCycle Works to "Leave No Trace" on the Earth TRENTON, New Jersey - May 18, 2011 - This summer, instead of throwing out their garbage, hikers and park-goers have another option for their non-recyclable trash after they pack it out: sending it free of charge to pioneering company TerraCycle(r) to be recycled. TerraCycle collects people's trash and recycles the non-recyclable into eco-friendly, affordable, and practical products. The "leave no trace" policy, which has evolved into the "pack it in, pack it out" policy of taking all your trash out of the park with you, is furthered by TerraCycle's Brigade(r) program, through which people can send in difficult-to-recycle food wrappers for recycling and upcycling and earn cash for charity. Usually, wrappers from products including Kashi, Bear Naked, CLIF BAR, and Revolution Foods, among others, are non-recyclable. TerraCycle upcycles some wrappers into tote bags, coolers, notebooks, laptop cases and mini-speakers.  Wrappers that aren't upcycled are melted down and turned into plastics such as trash cans, flower pots, and clipboards. The snacks that hikers use while enjoying the outdoors can become eco-friendly, long-life products that support the environment that hikers are enjoying. Instead of just leaving no trace on the parks, hikers and outdoorsmen can also leave no trace on the Earth. Anyone can sign up for TerraCycle's Brigade programs and send in their wrappers for free. For every wrapper TerraCycle receives, two points are awarded that can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant's choice. Most importantly, the Brigade will be keeping these wrappers out of the local landfills and off the ground. So far, TerraCycle has kept over two billion pieces of trash from leaving their mark on the Earth, and with its partners, dispersed over $2 million to charity through the Brigade program. For more information on how to sign up, send in trash and earn extra cash for your favorite school or charity, visit www.terracycle.net ~Sarah

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