AN ITEM commonly littered throughout Brisbane’s parks and streets is set to find new life through a Brisbane City Council trial. Cigarette butts will be taken from council bins and recycled by TerraCycle during the six-month program announced at the council’s meeting (Tuesday, June 9). Hamilton ward councillor David McLachlan said the trial aimed to curb the environmental impact of used cigarettes. “Cigarette butt litter accounts for about a third of all littered items and we are looking at reducing this litter in landfill with the added benefit of recycling these materials,” Cr McLachlan said. “This trial is being conducted at 100 bins across the CBD and each of these bins has a sticker about the trial. “After the cigarette butts are collected from the bins when they are emptied, the cigarette butts will be sent to an external specialised plant for recycling.” Cr McLachlan said it was possible to recycle them into useful household goods. “Recycling includes stripping the organic materials from the main part of the cigarette and extracting the plastic from the filters,” he said. “Organics are then processed into composts and fertilisers with the plastics re-used as either outdoor furniture plastics or pallets. “We do look forward to the results of this trial and we will continue to encourage recycling and re-use wherever we can.” The council hands out fines of $227 for general littering and $455 for dangerous littering. TerraCycle launched the world’s first cigarette butt recycling program in Canada in 2012.

AN Australian first recycling program is now in the Shoalhaven. Nowra’s Ewing Electrical has teamed up with innovative recycling company TerraCycle to launch a scheme to recycle usually non-recyclable items. People can now recycle things like toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, cigarette butts and Nescafe Dolce Gusto capsules. Ewing Electrical has registered as one of Australia’s first public collection points for typically “unrecyclable” waste. Lisa Pearson from Ewing Electrical, who will administer the volunteer collection point, said the company wanted to support a program that would help stop more rubbish going into landfills. “We are excited to house a collection box at our shop to give the Shoalhaven community a drop-off location to recycle their used items,” she said. “This empowers us by allowing us to decide where our waste and packaging ends up.” Not only will people be helping the environment, they will also support the Shoalhaven Junior Baseball Club, the Mariners. “Two points are earned for each piece of waste that we send in for recycling,” Mrs Pearson said. “All the money raised will be donated to Shoalhaven Junior Baseball Club and so we encourage people to join us in this community recycling drive and drop off these items and tell all their friends and family to do the same.” Locals are now encouraged to drop these selected used items to the public access collection box at the building entrance of Ewing Electrical, 97 Plunkett Street Nowra from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Items that can be recycled are: * any brand of toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, outer cardboard packaging and floss containers - excludes electric toothbrush components * any brand of hand and body wash pumps, triggers, nozzles beauty product pumps, tubes and face wipes and Nescafé Dolce Gusto tea and coffee capsules. Only a specific type of capsule is part of this collection and cannot be contaminated with other types of capsules.

Used dental items are being sought by St Anne's School to be turned into new products such as bins, chairs or bottles. The Harvey primary school is urging the wider community to contribute items such old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and floss containers. Program co-coordinator and Year 1 teacher Amber Carruthers said the donations would be used for the Colgate-TerraCylce joint program, an addition to the school's own sustainability and recycling initiatives. Miss Carruthers said more than 30 million toothbrushes and 80 million toothpaste tubes were thrown away every year in Australia and New Zealand. "The TerraCycle program teaches children about recycling waste and also shows them how old products can be used to make new ones," she said. "Students are encouraged to bring in their used dental products, which are collected and sent away to be melted down and made into new products such as bins, chairs and bottles. Students have been very excited and each day, more products are coming in but now we are extending it to the general public to join us." Miss Carruthers said the school would receive two cents for every item - including toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, and outer packaging and floss containers. "Money received for the recycling will be used to purchase resources for the school's sustainability centre," she said. She said the students had enjoyed making their own recycle boxes for collecting products and classes were competing to collect the most products. Items can be donated at the school office on Young Street, Harvey. The program runs until November 1 and the school recycling the most also receives a bonus cash prize.

A daily coffee gives many of us a much-needed second wind, but what about a second life for the capsules responsible for the caffeine boost? Wollongong florist Primavera Flowers has joined a nationwide coffee capsule recycling program set up by Nespresso and recycling company TerraCycle. As part of the initiative, coffee connoisseurs can drop their used Nespresso capsules in a collection box inside the Corrimal Street store at no cost. Owner Lina Russo jumped at the opportunity to help Wollongong residents do their bit for the environment. "I know these little capsules are made out of aluminium foil and they don't perish," she said. "So, it was absolutely no trouble for me to offer a little space in our shop, if we could help the environment. "Coffee is really in vogue, a lot of people drink it and these [Nespresso] machines are really affordable now, so a lot of people have them in their houses. "Often they don't know what to do [with the capsules], they just put them in the bin, so that's why we're here." Ms Russo said the concept had been "exceptionally well received" and she was onto her second collection box just eight weeks into the program. "We've had a lot of customers popping in just saying hello and dropping their little bags off. "In the morning, often I find little bags next to our front door, so the news is starting to spread really well." TerraCycle collects the used capsules and sends them to Nespresso's recycling plant, where they are "upcycled" into various aluminium products. Only Nespresso capsules are accepted as part of the program and the capsules should be sealed in a plastic bag.

A radical new way of thinking about business, The Blue Economy, is set to generate 100 million new jobs in the next 10 years all inspired by nature with zero waste, according to the Blue Economy Institute founder and consultant Anne-Maree Huxley. In coming weeks Ms Huxley will present one-day workshops on this topic in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, tailored to business, government and community leaders. The Blue Economy enables improved productivity and sustainable growth for virtually every part of the economy. It is also shaping a new way to do business with zero waste, and represents a sustainable and competitive business framework. As outlined by its founder Gunter Pauli in his report to the Club of Rome, now in 38 languages, The Blue Economy is set to generate 100 million new jobs in the next 10 years. This highly innovative, competitive business model supports a world guided by the Kyoto Protocol and heralds a paradigm shift in economics and sustainability. It showcases cascading business models that have multiple cash flows, examines new energy and buildings options, and shares 100+ innovations that achieve zero pollution and builds social capital. To date The Blue Economy has seen over EUR4 billion in investments and the creation of an estimated three million jobs with innovation and technology that is as diverse as it is game changing. This ranges from turning thistles – yes a weed we spend millions trying to kill with expensive toxic chemicals – into valuable oils (the Sardinia Refinery has seen $600 million in revenues in its first year) to turning coffee waste into a valuable substrate to grow mushrooms, be used in a range of products to repel odors from paint to sports clothes, or in the manufacture of cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, textiles, biofuels and batteries. It has also seen investment in new industries such as growing silk for use in medical procedures as a replacement to mining titanium – which can be done at around half the cost of digging titanium out of the ground – or producing stone paper from mining and building waste – paper that uses no trees or water that can be endlessly recycled at about 40 per cent less than it takes to make paper through traditional means. Aussie ingenuity in blue So what does this mean in an Australian context, especially as we face significant competitive pressures from globalisation, commodity price and exchange rate volatility, extreme weather events and biosecurity issues? Well for some it’s going to mean a new way of looking at the products and services we produce. What we currently see as waste streams and liabilities can actually be new income streams. Natural Evolution in North Queensland, for example, has turned its waste green bananas into high value banana flour and ointment. In the Gascoyne, the Sweeter Banana Cooperative is using bananas salvaged from Cyclone Olwyn to make banana bread that is being stocked in 30 WA stores, and across Australia, thanks to a partnership with Australia Post and TerraCycle, we are also seeing individuals and community groups collecting non-traditional waste such as chewing gum and cigarette butts so they can be reprocessed into high value products such garbage bins and house frames, earning money in the process.

In her second blog, covering her participation at the DesignThinkers Bootcamp (Amsterdam) and The Future Laboratary’s Sydney Trends Briefing, MashUp’s Customer Experience Designer Grace Turtle summarises key observations from Link Festival and how experience is transforming sectors from waste management to retail. At Link, Grace joined eminent people such as Dr. Brandon Gien (CEO of Good Design Australia), Avis Mulhall (Think Act Change) and Anna Minns (Terracycle) in the “Solving the future of stuff” session exploring how movements, communities, design and innovation all help solve the future of stuff. The common consensus was that a shift is underway. Corporations bigger than governments are driving change that is influencing policy and our engagement / experience evolution. Uber, Google and AirBnB are testament to this change. Seguing this change is a need for deeper conversations across communities. For example, hotels – previously synonymous with big chains and uniform service – are slowly evolving to be extensions of the community around them. Like Ace Hotels, a US based chain that is curating individual properties with local artists. People are expecting personal and customisable experiences. At a time of ubiquitousness, speed and more products that our minds can handle, transaction is giving way to experience. And experience is more than just fusing digital to physical. It is about creating value around the entire customer chain. More is giving way to less – but of greater value. It is imperative for corporations to start recognising their impact and influence social environmental and economic sustainability. Read more: http://www.indesignlive.com/articles/in-review/crafting-personalisation-from-ubiquitousness-link-festival#ixzz3XFkCowqe

In an ideal world, it’d be easy to recycle everything we didn’t need. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple – but these 13 tips will make it a little easier to recycle more. Even if you were part of the generation of Australians who had ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ drilled into you during the last decade – recycling can be hard to do. It’s not always clear what can and can’t be recycled in your local council area. recycle bins Even if you were part of the generation of Australians who had ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ drilled into you during the last decade – recycling can be hard to do. It’s not always clear what can and can’t be recycled in your local council area For recycling plastics, we’ve put together this handy guide - but what about recycling beyond your yellow bin? Here are the best tips for recycling all that you can. SHAREONFBSHAREONTWSUBSCRIBE 1: ‘Green’ polypropylene bags, and plastic packaging that you can’t recycle at home, such as biscuit packets, bread bags, rice and pasta bags, can all be recycled in the dedicated bins at both Coles and most Woolworths supermarkets. They might even be remade into things like garden benches for schools. You can read more here. 2: Mobile phones (but not cables) can be left at Sony Centres and Leading Edge Computers. Here, mobile phones are recycled and the money raised will be used to build specialised youth cancer centres for 15 to 30 year old cancer sufferers through the charity YouCan. 3: Domestic batteries can be disposed of sustainably in bins at most ALDI stores. Learn more from our friends at Planet Ark. 4: Used stamps are accepted as donations by many organisations – for example, Guide Dogs in Tasmania. You can find a full list of organisations who collect used stamps at the Give Now website. 5: Used prescription glasses and sunglasses can be donated to OPSM or Personal Eyes, who will pass them on to someone who can’t afford glasses in a developing country. 6: Unused mini shampoos, soaps and lotions from hotels can be given to your local homeless shelter or women’s refuge. 7: Corks from wine or champagne bottles might be recyclable at a location near you. Use Planet Ark’s Recycling Near You tool to find a drop-off point. 8: Used bras and swimwear can be donated to Project Uplift, which sends them on to women for whom bras are unobtainable or unaffordable. You can find participating stores across Australia here. 9: Wire clothes hangers can be returned to dry cleaning shops. 10: Joggers that are not too worn can be given to Soles for Souls who will donate them to orphanages or use them to help fund microfinance projects in developing countries. 11: Used plastic children’s toys in good condition can be recycled with Second Chance Toys. 12: Empty toothpaste tubes, brushes, floss containers, some coffee capsules can be recycled with Terracycle. Just remember to check in and arrange it with them first. 13. Printer cartridges can be recycled at Officeworks, JB HiFi, Australia Post, Harvey Norman, Dick Smith. SHAREONFBSHAREONTWSUBSCRIBE 'Arctic 30' Take Part in a Recycling Day in St. Petersburg Being environmentally conscious on recycling day and sorting your rubbish into compost, recycling and general waste bins is fantastic – but it’s important to think about producing less rubbish to begin with. To help consume less ‘stuff’, try asking yourself these three questions when you’re buying something new: 1. What resources went into creating, producing, packaging, and delivering this product to me? 2. Will my use of this product achieve a good return on investment for those resources? 3. Is there another way? Do I already have something like this at home? Could I borrow this from someone I know? Is there a less resource-intensive alternative? Could I buy this second-hand? Could I make this out of something I already have? TIP: If you can’t recycle it, maybe you can upcycle your trash into something new. Learn more about upcycling and check out some easy DIYs here. Want to do more? Sign up to join 400,000 Greenpeace supporters and get opportunities to create change straight into your inbox!

TERRACYCLE is calling on local community centres, schools and businesses to register, for free, as a collection point for ‘unrecyclable’ items and raise money for non-profit groups. These items can then be recycled into sustainable items or materials and, with 21.3million tones of waste sent to landfill each year, it is an opportunity for local residents and groups to send their waste to a public collection point. The unrecyclable items include toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, cleaning and beauty product pumps, triggers and wipes, cigarette waste and coffee capsules. These items are currently being diverted from landfill. General Manager of TerraCycle Australia, Anna Minns said everyone should think about getting involved. “National Recycling Week and the Christmas period is the perfect time to learn more about recycling and how to get involved in your local community,” she said. “TerraCycle believes anything can and should be recycled and we have developed solutions for waste that are deemed unsavoury or difficult to recycle, such as cigarette butts. “Since TerraCycle’s launch in March on Clean Up Australia Day we have collected more than three million cigarette butts as well as other unrecyclable waste. “We’ve saved this from landfill, thanks mainly to local litter groups, workplaces, community centres and households.” Interested groups are encouraged to register on the TerraCycle website as donations will be given towards a local group or cause. For every piece of waste collected and dropped off at your local collection point two cents goes towards a great local cause or non profit. To register as a collection point, go to www.terracycle.com.au.

Anna Minns is General Manager of Terracycle Australia, a company dedicated to creating recycling solutions for just about anything. What’s involved in developing a recycling solution for “difficult” waste like the Nescafé capsules? More often than not, companies approach us about a solution for their product’s waste stream. Nescafé Dolce Gusto joined with TerraCycle to provide a second life for used Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules, so Australians can now collect, store and ship their capsules from home or work for free. For the current Nescafé Dolce Gusto Capsule Brigade we do not collect any other brand of capsules, only Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules. If consumers are interested in a particular waste stream we suggest they let their favourite brand know about TerraCycle’s work! We hope in time to be collecting more and more “unrecyclable” waste. Can goodwill be infectious enough for the majority of manufacturing companies to take responsibility for end of life of their product, or will they need to be pushed into it by legislation? As the circular economy is increasingly gaining traction in our region many companies are looking to circular solutions rather than linear solutions of ‘take, make, then dispose’. TerraCycle works with many major FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies, as well as small brands, to create a voluntary product stewardship scheme that diverts everyday consumer products and packaging that are difficult to recycle such as toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, coffee capsules and even cigarette butts, from landfill, and instead into new products creating circular solutions. The recycling system creates a collection model open to the public. Australia has one of the highest rates of waste generation per capita in the world and in fact, world waste is also expected to double by 2025. Government schemes and extended producer responsibility laws may be slow in coming to effect to deal with growing waste issues. TerraCycle’s solutions are readily available and the onus is on both brands to consider a solution to an increasing problem as well as consumers to use their buying power as a ‘vote’ for sustainability. What would you nominate as the most unlikely or surprising items that you have created recycling solutions for? Cigarettes, chewing gum, feminine hygiene products and nappies! TerraCycle has proven that (almost) anything can and should be recycled. Do you get to shovel rotting food to the worms occasionally? No. But we are offering a copy of Tom’s book “Revolution in a Bottle” for a Switch Report reader that outlines the origins of TerraCycle as a company turning worm poop into fertilizer! To win a copy of Revolution in a Bottle by Terracycle’s founder Tom Szaky, just sign up for our newsletter by midnight on Sunday 16 November, and you’ll be in the draw. If you are already on our mailing list you don’t need to do anything. You are automatically entered.

Recycling  personal  beauty  product  pumps,  tubes  or  face  wipes  is  no  longer  an  obstacle  with  the  introduction  of  an  Australian  first,  eco-responsible  program  “Cleaning Product Packaging  Brigade®”  by  innovative  recycling  pioneers  TerraCycle. Australians  are  now  able  to  collect  their  hand  wash  pumps,  body  wash  pumps,  beauty  product  pumps,  beauty  product  tubes  and  face  wipes  at  home  or  in  the  workplace. They  can  then  send  their  collections  to  TerraCycle  to  be  recycled  into  bright,  fun  and  sustainable  items  instead  of  being  discarded  garbage  sent  to  landfill. “ Now  consumers  have  a  “clean”  choice  with  the  option  to  recycle  used  beauty  products  regardless  of  brand -  and  look  good  and  feel  good.  Our  recycling  Brigades®  also allow  collectors  to  raise  money  for  their  local  school  or  favourite  charity.”  said  Anna  Minns,  General  Manager,  TerraCycle  Australia.