Consumers have been making it abundantly clear: they want manufacturers to make packaging more recyclable. For us at TerraCycle, a company that recycles materials not typically considered recyclable, this movement towards recyclable packaging formats is, generally speaking, great to see. If one day all packaging were made recyclable on a municipal level, TerraCycle would be happy to close its doors and go out of business. The fact is, however, that a great majority of packaging is still considered unrecyclable by conventional, municipal standards. This brings up a larger question, one that I’ve been focused on for many years since I entered the industry—why do we consider certain materials to simply be “unrecyclable”?

As consumer interest in green lifestyles grows, customers are no longer satisfied with simply buying eco-friendly products. They are as equally interested in the impact their product packaging has on the environment, and are mindful of what they are throwing away with every purchase. This puts a lot of pressure on consumer product companies, as fully recyclable packaging can be difficult to produce. Despite the fact that many municipal systems have switched from dual stream recycling to commingled recycling, a lot of product packaging still cannot be processed through curbside pickup. Confounding the issue further is the fact that a lot of packaging tends to be made from a mix of materials. This typically means the packaging remains unrecycled, as the cost of sorting and processing the mixed components is too high for most municipal systems. This means that consumers have no choice but to throw most of their packaging away, regardless of their interest in keeping waste out of landfills.

« Sensibiliser avec des outils pédagogiques. » « Nous sommes rapprochés de Terracycle, une société privée qui s'est spécialisée dans le recyclage des dosettes à café, gourdes de compotes et stylos », explique François Despierres. « L'IME a installé un point de collecte disponible, sur la grille de l'établissement, avenue de la République. » Au sein de l'atelier qu'il anime auprès de l'ensemble des élèves, les jeunes apprennent à collecter, trier et préparer les colis envoyés à Terracycle. » Plus largement, la récupération de ces produits spécifiques, en plus de sensibiliser sur l'environnement, permet de développer plusieurs outils pédagogiques. « À travers le tri, nous abordons les couleurs, les formes, la matière… Et tout cela avec un aspect un peu ludique. » Cet atelier souhaite petit à petit monter en puissance en installant plusieurs points de collecte dans toute la ville. « Au final, je souhaite que ce soit nos pensionnaires qui gèrent toute l'opération de A à Z. » En interne, François Despierres va également plus loin en encourageant le recyclage du papier. « Les élèves doivent trier le papier qui est réutilisable, le découper correctement puis le perforer avant de réaliser des blocs notes qui vont pouvoir servir à nouveau. »

I think one of the best things that you can teach your kids is the value of money. Obviously, parents are going to disagree about the specifics but the basics – what it is, how you use it, the importance of spending or saving it wisely – are pretty universal. When it comes to kids saving and earning money, it may also be time to talk kiddie tax. The kiddie tax is the tax imposed on kids at the parents’ tax rate and not at the lower rate of the child when income reaches certain thresholds. The rules can be tricky and depend on a number of factors, including the age of the children, as well as the amount and source of the income.