In a world where we’re facing global crises that none of us expected to encounter growing up—or months or weeks ago—it’s hard to know where we can hang our hopes. Personally, I find it helpful to celebrate the small ways in which the world is making progress. The new announcement by Nordstrom that it will begin accepting beauty packaging drop-offs is one such silver lining. The global cosmetics industry produces over 120 billion units of packaging waste per year. But you don’t need to be a statistician to know how many cardboard boxes, bottles, sprays, nozzles, palettes, and tubes come out of our desire for beauty. Since Asian countries including China have stopped importing our plastic waste, most municipalities in the U.S. have stopped collecting these items in recycling. Even in the past, items that are irregularly shaped and require intensive cleaning—such as a tube of old mascara—were bound to go to landfill. Nordstrom seeks to close this loop and attempt the first large-scale circular beauty economy. Teaming up with TerraCycle, a company that normally specializes in mail-in packaging recycling for a fee, Nordstrom will accept used beauty packaging and containers from any brand at 94 locations nationwide. Their goal is to recycle 100 tons of beauty packaging waste by 2025. Note: Credo Beauty, a cult-favorite clean-beauty chain, also partners with TerraCycle for a similar recycling program in 11 locations nationwide. Once collected at a Nordstrom location, the beauty packaging is shredded and sorted by material type. It is then cleaned, melted, and remade into new plastic products, such as picnic tables and park benches. Metals are separated using magnets and smelted into new raw material, while glass is cleaned and color sorted before being turned into new glass products. The incredible thing is that so many different types of compacts, tubes, bottles, mascara and eyeliners, and pencils can all be recycled through this process. But beware of these products that won’t be accepted: aerosol cans, blow dryers and hair straighteners, perfume bottles, nail polishes, and removers. These products are classified as hazardous waste due to their flammability. There are ways to get around this, dumplings! I have a non-aerosol hair spray from Jason, and Mary mailed me one of her hair straighteners (in a used box and bubble wrap, natch!). I focus on using my perfumes all the way instead of collecting a bunch that barely ever get used for years, and also refrain from buying a lot of nail polish for the same reason. If you get tired of the same old fragrance or polish though, consider swapping with friends instead of buying and discarding. The fact that not every beauty packaging is recyclable should show that this isn’t a panacea to our plastic pollution, let alone the world’s problems in general. Indeed, it’s worth noting that Nordstrom probably isn’t doing this purely out of the goodness of their hearts—it will attract consumers into their stores who otherwise might not have visited, and lead to increased revenues. The best way to minimize one’s waste is still to consume less, rather than rely on recycling. But in a world where putting on a lipstick is an act of defiance—much like during WWII—I love knowing that I can put on a bold face without worrying about what to do when that tube is empty.

Clean Ocean Access (COA) has announced  a new recycling initiative in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle. Since  February 2020, the program has successfully collected over 140,000 pounds of sailing and  agricultural shrink-wrap for recycling, according to Clean Ocean Access. Shrink-wrapping boats and greenhouses in preparation for winter is commonplace in the U.S.,  but recycling the shrink-wrap in the spring is now more challenging than ever. Historically,  plastics of all kinds had been shipped overseas to be recycled, but today, the sailing and maritime  community have begun to turn to Clean Ocean Access and TerraCycle’s Shrink-Wrap Recycling  Project as a more local solution. This project aims to establish a U.S.-based recycling system,  while also working with the marine industry to advance more circular solutions such as closed loop recycling for shrink-wrap (where the recycled film can become new shrink-wrap) or  increasing the use of reusable covers where possible. Made possible through a grant from 11th Hour Racing, an organization that establishes strategic  partnerships within the sailing and maritime communities to inspire solutions for the ocean, the  Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project aims to prevent plastic film from entering landfills or  incinerators by collecting the shrink-wrap from marinas, boatyards, vessel owners, and local  agricultural operations, and transporting the material to TerraCycle in New Jersey. After initial implementation in Rhode Island by engaging the marine industry and boating public,  the long-term goal of this project is to leverage an established network of plastic recyclers and  manufacturers with the potential to collect a larger variety of shrink-wrap. “The Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project provides a time-sensitive opportunity to advance the  existing efforts to collect plastic film, and bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of  creating a domestic circular economy, while having a laser focus on improving ocean health so  future generations can enjoy ocean activities,” said Dave McLaughlin Co-Founder and Executive  Director of Clean Ocean Access in a statement. The Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project is COA’s latest addition to an existing repertoire of ocean friendly initiatives including a beach cleanup volunteer program, environmental education events  for children and a Marina Trash Skimmer project designed to leverage technology to remove  debris found in marinas and harbors. “By recycling boat shrink-wrap with Clean Ocean Access, TerraCycle is doing exactly what it  was founded to do,” said Dylan Layfield, TerraCycle Senior Manager, Material Solutions in a statement. “By  picking-up where conventional recycling leaves off, we’re ensuring that our shared waterways  can be enjoyed by our children and our children’s children.” TerraCycle specializes in collecting and repurposing hard-to-recycle waste through a variety of  platforms, including large-scale recycling, which helps organizations like Clean Ocean Access recycle large volumes of waste. For more information about Clean Ocean Access and how you can take part in the Shrink-Wrap  Recycling Project, visit www.cleanoceanaccess.org/programs/shrink-wrap-recycling/. More  information about TerraCycle and their recycling programs can be found by  visiting www.TerraCycle.com.

TerraCycle, Trenton, New Jersey, will be working with Vail Resorts on reducing plastic use at their resorts, in partnership with PepsiCo. TerraCycle will also work with Ocean Spray to launch a national recycling program. Also, Clean Ocean Access and TerraCycle will work together to recycling hard-to-recycle plastic waste. Vail Resorts and PepsiCo Vail Resorts, Broomfield, Colorado, and PepsiCo, Purchase, New York, have announced the expansion of their partnership to 18 more resort locations around North America. In addition to renewing and expanding their product distribution partnership to 33 total resorts globally, PepsiCo committed to a significant investment annually in projects that support Commitment to Zero, Vail Resorts’ sustainability pledge to achieve a zero net operating footprint by 2030, including zero waste to landfill. Through a multiyear sustainability road map, the companies will focus on waste reduction, including reducing beverage and food packaging waste and replacing wax-lined paper cups with compostable or durable PepsiCo products. This season, Vail Resorts and PepsiCo will also partner with TerraCycle to create picnic tables and Adirondack chairs out of recycled snack and candy wrappers for guests to enjoy at Park City, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Vail and Breckenridge resorts. In synergy with Vail Resorts’ Commitment to Zero initiative, PepsiCo has its own target to make 100 percent of its product packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025. “It is by working together, through robust partnerships with shared sustainability goals, that we’ll have the most impact on climate change,” says Kate Wilson, senior director of sustainability at Vail Resorts. In addition to waste diversion efforts, PepsiCo also will support Vail Resorts’ sustainability commitments through guest-facing education initiatives, joint marketing efforts and creative upcycling projects. Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., Middleborough, Massachusetts, announced a partnership with TerraCycle to launch a free recycling program that enables consumers to recycle Ocean Spray flexible plastic Craisins dried cranberries and snack packaging for an alternative use. Through the partnership, Ocean Spray is advancing its sustainable packaging strategy by helping to divert waste from landfills and extending the life of materials to reduce the overall environmental footprint of a product. Now, customers can send their Ocean Spray Craisins dried cranberry products that are in flexible plastic packaging to TerraCycle, where the packaging is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products, such as park benches and picnic tables. As an added incentive, for each shipment of Ocean Spray Craisins dried cranberries packaging sent to TerraCycle through the Ocean Spray Recycling Program, participants earn points that can be donated to a nonprofit, school or charitable organization of their choice. In addition, Ocean Spray is working with TerraCycle’s new Loop platform to develop a program where together they will design and launch products in reusable packaging to create a truly circular economy. Consumers will be able to order Ocean Spray products from Loop’s e-commerce platform, and once done with the product, will be able to simply return the packaging to Loop to clean, sanitize and refill with the original products to reuse. “We are thrilled to partner with TerraCycle and their new Loop program to advance Ocean Spray’s commitment to sustainability so that we can leave the earth a better place for the farmers and families we serve,” Christina Ferzli, head of global corporate affairs at Ocean Spray, says. “We embrace TerraCycle’s innovative platform as a brand-new way to approach the process of recycling, especially as we honor Climate Week and consider the steps we are taking as an organization through all of our sustainability efforts to continue this work in a meaningful way.” "Since our founding, TerraCycle has made it our objective to 'Eliminate the Idea of Waste' by recycling the unrecyclable and diverting waste from landfills and local communities," Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO, says. “Through the Ocean Spray Recycling Program, we are joining forces with this iconic brand to offer a simple solution to packaging waste that helps preserve our environment for future generations.” Clean Ocean Access Clean Ocean Access (COA), Middletown, Rhode Island. a non-profit organization, has announced a new recycling initiative in partnership with TerraCycle. Since February 2020, the program has successfully collected more than 140,000 pounds of sailing and agricultural shrink-wrap for recycling. Shrink-wrapping boats and greenhouses in preparation for winter is common in the U.S., but recycling the shrink-wrap in the spring is now more challenging than ever. Now, the sailing and maritime community have begun to turn to Clean Ocean Access and TerraCycle’s Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project. This project aims to establish a U.S.-based recycling system, while also working with the marine industry to advance more circular solutions such as closed-loop recycling for shrink-wrap (where the recycled film can become new shrink-wrap) or increasing the use of reusable covers where possible. Made possible through a grant from 11th Hour Racing, the Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project aims to prevent plastic film from entering landfills or incinerators by collecting the shrink-wrap from marinas, boatyards, vessel owners, and local agricultural operations, and transporting the material to TerraCycle in New Jersey. After initial implementation in Rhode Island, the long-term goal of this project is to leverage an established network of plastic recyclers and manufacturers with the potential to collect a larger variety of shrink-wrap. “The Shrink-Wrap Recycling Project provides a time-sensitive opportunity to advance the existing efforts to collect plastic film, and bring awareness to the challenges and opportunities of creating a domestic circular economy, while having a laser focus on improving ocean health so future generations can enjoy ocean activities,” Dave McLaughlin, co-founder and executive director of Clean Ocean Access, says. “By recycling boat shrink-wrap with Clean Ocean Access, TerraCycle is doing exactly what it was founded to do,” Dylan Layfield, TerraCycle senior manager of material solutions, says. “By picking up where conventional recycling leaves off, we’re ensuring that our shared waterways can be enjoyed by our children and our children’s children.”

O projeto da TerraCycle, realizado em parceria com a Faber-Castell, chegou ao Miguel! Com o intuito de conscientizar ainda mais a comunidade escolar sobre a importância e facilidade da reciclagem, decidimos aderir à proposta de reciclagem de materiais escolares com o nome de ReciclArte. Nosso maior objetivo é diminuir o desperdício desses materiais, objetos difíceis de serem reciclados, e aumentar a sustentabilidade da nossa instituição educativa.

The world has a plastic problem. By 2050, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish, by weight. That’s because over 50% of plastic consumed in the world today is used once and disposed of, including toothbrushes.   In fact, Americans throw away over one billion toothbrushes each year. And because toothbrushes are made from nearly indestructible, non-biodegradable polypropylene plastic and nylon, almost every single plastic toothbrush ever produced is still in existence.   But, plastic toothbrushes are a relatively new phenomenon. Prior to the 1930s, toothbrushes were produced from more eco-friendly materials, like bark or porcupine quills. Luckily, today you don’t have to find a porcupine to be able to clean your teeth in an environmentally friendly manner. Bamboo toothbrushes are more popular and more effective than ever.  

Why Bamboo?

Bamboo wood is a fully biodegradable substance made from the bamboo plant. It’s also highly sustainable as bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth which usually doesn’t require the use of fertilizers, pesticides or irrigation to grow.   Therefore, the only parts of a bamboo toothbrush that can potentially harm the environment are the bristles and the packaging. However, the bristles are normally recyclable, and most companies provide paper packaging for their bamboo toothbrushes.  

How to Dispose of a Bamboo Toothbrush

Because bamboo toothbrushes are made from two different substances, the first step in properly disposing of the toothbrush is to remove the bristles from the handle. This can easily be done with a set of pliers.   The bristles can be disposed of along with your plastic recyclables. The bamboo handle can then be composted, burned or used around the house as a plant marker, crafting accessory or DIY tool.   If you’re ready to make the switch to a bamboo toothbrush, keep reading to find out more about the eight best options available for purchase on Amazon.  

A atuação de uma empresa não termina após a venda de seu produto ao consumidor. Pelo menos não se ela estiver inserida na economia circular – no qual a vida útil de um material é prolongada de forma a reduzir o impacto ambiental, ao mesmo tempo em que gera ganhos financeiros. Esse foi o tema de encontro virtual promovido ontem pelo Conselho Superior de Meio Ambiente (Cosema) da Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (Fiesp) com quatro grandes companhias que falaram sobre a mudança do seu modelo de negócio para se adequar a uma economia mais sustentável.

Você já parou para pensar sobre qual a maneira correta de se descartar as lentes de contato? Com a crescente preocupação sobre a quantidade cada vez maior de resíduos de plástico descartados incorretamente, que invariavelmente vão parar em nossos oceanos, muitos se questionam sobre o que fazer com suas lentes quando chega a hora de jogá-las fora.