From there it goes to Burton's garage in Holiday, where it's sorted and shipped to various recycling programs sponsored by Coca-Cola Recycling Program, Pepsi and Waste Management, and their latest venture with a company called Terracycle. For the green at heart, there's a bounty of items that aren't on the typical recycle list that Terracycle will take and turn into something else — candy wrappers, yogurt cups, empty tape dispensers, glue bottles and the plastic store wrapping on paper towels and toilet paper. Done with that grated cheese? They'll take the wrapper. Empty tube of toothpaste? That, too, along with your old toothbrush. "It's all stuff the county won't pick up; stuff you can't recycle in your blue bags," said Rash, who discovered the program while surfing the Internet. "And we get money for it. Two cents for a candy wrapper and 2 cents for the drink pouches." That might seem like small change, but it adds up — $634 so far this year funneled into the school's ABC program to help needy students or to buy classroom supplies.

The 15 students of the high school's environmental club, SAVE, or Students Against Violation of the Earth, are participating in a recycling campaign sponsored by TerraCycle, a Trenton-based company that "upcycles" trash and turns it into reusable items that are sold at stores like Target, Walmart and Home Depot. The students are encouraging the whole district and even residents to participate in the campaign which started Friday and runs through Dec. 15. SAVE adviser Donna Pancari said the competition is open to all public schools in New Jersey and could net the district a hefty prize. A total of $125,000 will be awarded to the six schools that collect the most garbage with the first-place prize being $50,000. Winners will be announced in January.

Students at Bentley School are trying to do their part to help the environment. The school has different recycling containers throughout the building for plastic and paper recycling. In the lunchroom students are encouraged to recycle their foil juice drink containers, granola bar wrappers, candy wrappers, cookie wrappers, chip bags, as well as milk containers, pop cans, and water bottles. Students are encouraged to recycle at home and bring these items back school. The foil juice drink containers, granola bar wrappers, candy wrapper, cookie wrappers, and chip bags are then boxed up and sent to TerraCycle. This company then turns the “trash” into backpacks, lunch bags, folders and more! Last year Bentley students recycled 1,684 Capri Suns, 1,145 Granola/Energy Bar Wrappers, and 396 Chip Bags. We are very proud of our students for all that they are doing to make the world a better place!

Reusable, recyled back to school items from Terracycle and Rebinder.

After reading an advertisement on the wrapper, she learned about a company called TerraCycle, which pays groups to collect foil- and plastic-lined bags, as well as other types of trash, and then turns them into other products.