Ishani rewattkemeet is the march community green award winner in Columbus, GA. Ishani is a seven year member of the girl scouts and started a project with TerraCycle by recycling products and packaging in her community.

It seems like all we hear about these days is the “go green” movement. We are all told to drive hybrid cars, recycle and use paper — not plastic. In addition to this movement, the Virginia Tech Equestrian Team has joined the movement by collecting our food wrappers? The Equestrian Team has joined a brigade through a company called Terracycle. Terracycle is a relatively new company that aims to create bags, purses, kites, picture frames and backpacks, almost anything you can imagine out of old food wrappers. It’s really not as weird as you may think, and the products end up looking quirky and cute. Terracycle devotes its work to “upcycle” traditionally non-recyclable products and create usable items. The company statement claims that the products “keep waste out of landfills and contribute to a cleaner world.” It may seem a little far-fetched, but it’s amazing how one small movement can make such a large impact. Some of the products are available at major retailers such as Target and Walmart, while the entirety of its products are available to buy online. You also have the opportunity to buy either a pre-made product or to “create your own.” In creating your own product, you or your specific organization can choose the item you want to create, and then learn about the wrappers you need to collect. Different products are made with different types of wrappers, and these wrappers are then mailed to Terracycle which then upcycles the wrappers into various products.

Manlius (WSYR-TV) – On the final day of school, students at Fayetteville Elementary learned an important lesson – one that will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives. On Thursday, the students collected a year’s worth of used juice boxes – thousands of them – and sent them off to Terracycle, a company that specializes in getting new uses from trash. At Terracycle, old juice pouches might become a messenger bag, Skittles wrappers might become a kite, or Starburst packing, a boom box. Teacher Matt Titus got the ball rolling with one class and now the entire school is participating. And the kids are aware that they’re making a difference.

TRENTON — For environmentally savvy people, the only place for a Starburst wrapper or an empty Coke bottle is in a recycling bin. The folks at Terracycle take it one step further. Terracycle is working with The North Face, a retailer of rugged outdoor apparel, to recycle the clear plastic bags used in packaging. The company just cemented a deal to recycle 2 million plastic bags a year collected from 20 North Face stores. “These bags are a huge problem in the industry, and unless there is a recycling solution, they get thrown away,” said Lauren Taylor, spokeswoman for Terracycle.

To keep garbage out of landfills, you can also visit Terracycle (www.terracycle.net). This Trenton-based company works with companies and consumers to recycle certain products. Like Gazelle, it pays people to do it. For example, the site now has an offer to collect Solo disposable cups. People who collect them will get two cents per cup. You can also get three cents each for yogurt containers and $2 each for old digital cameras. The site currently has 43 such offers. Besides collecting recyclables, Terracycle also creates new products out of used packaging. It sells fencing made out of drink pouches, recycling bins made out of recycled plastic, and picture frames made from bicycle chains. The site currently sells 206 products and they all look pretty nice. The insulated cooler made from Starburst wrappers is especially eye-catching. If you want to help the Earth and a local company at the same time, give Terracycle a try.