Question:    Can I recycle red or blue solo cups?   Answer: Solo cups are made out of number six plastic called polystyrene, the same type of plastic that toys, and Styrofoam are made out of. In Western Massachusetts, our local recycling facility does not accept this type of plastic. However, you do have some options. There is a company called Terracycle that does recycle Solo cups and other types are plastics that are hard to recycle. They offer a program where you can buy a box and once you fill it, it’s picked up to be recycled. They offer recycling for many different types of hard to recycle items. The other option you have is to not buy Solo cups. Encourage teams to bring their own water bottles or use glasses at home parties. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

If you’re a part of a student group at your school, you may have to fundraise for your organization. But how do you go about raising the money? Asking people for donations can be totally intimidating and awkward. Luckily, there are plenty of creative ways to raise the funds you need sans begging, and HC has listed seven of the best. Hello, major cash! 4. Recycle Cosmetics, snack bags, Scotch tape, Solo cups and more Ashley Offenback, a senior and a member of an honors club at Penn State Berks, fundraises for her club through TerraCycle. This website lets you send your waste through different “brigades,” one for each type of recyclables. For instance, the Snack Bag Brigade, the Solo Cup Brigade and the Scotch Tape Brigade each accept the items they’re named after. Once you’ve collected a certain amount of waste (there is a minimum weight requirement), you register for a free TerraCycle account and download a shipping label. Then, you place your waste in a box and send it to the company free of charge. When they receive your recyclables, you are awarded TerraCycle points, which can be redeemed for a donation to your organization. You will receive $0.02 for each piece of waste, which can really add up if you make a collective effort to assemble items to send the company. You can also set up a Facebook event explaining why you’re collecting specific products and place collection bins for them in different areas around campus. Make sure to get permission from your school first, though!

In addition to composting, over the last seven years, students have recycled more than 120,000 bottles and cans and recently expanded to include TerraCycle products like Solo cups and granola bar wrappers.

Ashley Offenback, a senior and a member of an honors club at Penn State Berks, fund raises for her club through TerraCycle. This website lets you send your waste through different “brigades,” one for each type of recyclables. For instance, the Snack Bag Brigade, the Solo Cup Brigade and the Scotch Tape Brigade each accept the items they’re named after.

This spring, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) will become a TerraCycle collection site, joining thousands of other organizations around the world in diverting waste from landfills.

Rethinking what is trash is key to TerraCycling. TerraCycling is a concept that is less then 10 years old but has spread to more than 20 different countries and is now rooted and growing in the local Lincoln County community.

According to McDonald, a group called TerraCycle is paying to ship Solo cups to its facilities and will even donate money to a charity of the group’s choice per cup recycled. The initiative is also currently working on opening up online ordering for the “I Tree Grove” shirts due to popular demand.

Le Moyne students and clubs have a chance to earn money for a charity, or for Le Moyne, by recycling through the TerraCycle company. TerraCycle is a company that recycles and upcycles, which is recycling unusual products into something inexpensive and useful. Tom Szaky initiated TerraCycle in 2001 when he was just 20 years old.

So there has to be other options right? Correct. Back in 2011 TerraCycle and Solo teamed up to create the Solo Cup Brigade, a disposable solution for the millions of single-use cups sold each year.