Trenton, NJ — Barcel USA has partnered with international recycling company TerraCycle to offer consumers a free and simple way to recycle its Takis brand’s plastic packaging. By participating in the Takis Snack Recycling Program, consumers can earn TerraCycle points that they can choose to redeem for donations to a nonprofit organization or school of their choice. “We are thrilled to partner with TerraCycle to offer our consumers an easy and rewarding way to recycle the Takis snack packaging varieties,” says Sandra Peregrina, marketing director of salty snacks for Barcel USA. “Protecting our planet is so important to our brand and to our consumers, so we’re honored to offer this simple recycling solution for all of our intense Takis fans.” Consumers can make an account on TerraCycle.com, sign-up on the Takis Snacks Recycling Program page and mail in empty plastic packaging using provided prepaid shipping labels. Once collected, the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products. This program is not Barcel’s first sustainability initiative. According to the company, it has also implemented new technologies throughout its manufacturing process including a heat exchanger that repurposes heat to reduce overall energy expenditures and cleaning techniques to reduce water consumption. “The Takis brand is giving their consumers the unique opportunity to responsibly recycle their snack packaging,” says TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky. “Participants in this recycling program can enjoy their favorite snack while minimizing their carbon footprint.”

Takis is known for its ultra-spicy rolled tortilla chips, but did you know that the company is also big on reducing waste? According to a recent press release, Takis is launching a new initiative with the recycling company TerraCycle, allowing customers to recycle the brand's packaging — and earn points that can be redeemed for donations to nonprofits or schools.

According to Keep Truckee Green, chips are usually sold in a type of bag that isn't recyclable via your typical blue bin. These crinkly bags are made from a mix of different materials like aluminum and plastic. Because it's incredibly difficult to separate these components — which must be done for these bags to be recycled — they usually end up in the trash. TerraCycle, however, has the capacity to recycle these bags — and is hoping its partnership with Takis will divert some of those chip and snack bags from ending up in landfills.

According to the press release, participants can begin by making a TerraCycle account and signing up on the Takis Snacks Recycling Program page to access a prepaid shipping label. Then, simply use the shipping label to mail your collection of Takis bags to the company. Per the brand's TerraCycle page, you can reuse any box you have and should wait until it's full of used bags to mail it; This will reduce the carbon footprint from shipping. Once they get to TerraCycle's facility, the Takis bags will be cleaned and melted into hard plastic, per the press release. The resulting material can then be used to make other products. After sending each box of Takis bags, participants will earn points, which they can redeem as donations to their choice of organization or school. "We are thrilled to partner with TerraCycle to offer our consumers an easy and rewarding way to recycle the Takis snack packaging varieties," Marketing Director of Salty Snacks for Barcel USA, Sandra Peregrina explained in the press release. "Protecting our planet is so important to our brand and to our consumers, so we're honored to offer this simple recycling solution for all of our intense Takis fans."