Ever wonder what happens to waste that can't be recycled? Think it just sits in a landfill? Think again. TerraCycle is making an effort to reduce the amount of waste lying around by recycling items that are typically non-recyclable or difficult to recycle. TerraCycle has diverted billions of units of waste and used them to create over 1,500 different products available at major retailers, like Whole Foods Market. They carry a diverse stock of green items ranging from the very cool circuit board coasters and clipboards to tumblers to clocks. TerraCycle also makes household cleaners, like the All-Purpose Cleaner. TerraCycle cleaners are non-toxic, bio-degradable and packaged in a waste stream bottle! They are safe for use on all surfaces and even effective on glass and mirrors.

TerraCycle, an award-winning company that specializes in recycling hard-to-recycle waste, wants to help small businesses achieve their green initiatives while giving back to the community. If your company signs up to a TerraCycle “Brigade” and begins collecting specific items such as Scotch tape dispensers, toner cartridges, pens, drink pouches, potato chip bags and more, TerraCycle will process those items and your company can earn money for the school or charity of your choice.

Tom Szaky was just a Princeton freshman when he discovered a treasure in an unlikely place: behind the university dining hall. The short version of the story is that Szaky discovered that the organic waste produced in the dining hall could be naturally composted by worms and turned into fertilizer. When Szaky started packaging this fertilizer in used soda bottles, he began producing the first product made entirely from waste. As a result of this discovery, Szaky began a school program that teaches younger generations to change their habits and rethink the way they view waste. Instead of immediately throwing something aside – they should think, “What can I do with this? Can I make something out of this?” Forget about having reusable items sit in a landfill; you can get creative and sew juice pouches together to make a pencil case or iron shopping bags to make a tote.

Terracycle upcycles consumer waste into new salable goods. They primarily harvest their raw material from schoolchildren as part of charity drives, though they are now placing recycling stations at certain Walmart stores. At the Walmart centers they pay 3 cents per piece, but only for a narrow range of product packaging; the website supports a wider range of recyclables.