Toronto-based recycler TerraCycle has launched the “first national collection and recycling program for cigarette waste.” Participation in the Cigarette Waste Brigade program is free – thanks to tobacco-industry sponsorship – and covers all types of cigarette waste except the (already widely recyclable) cardboard boxes. Participants amass filters and cigrettes’ aluminum and plastic packaging in plastic bags, and when enough waste is collected, they log into their account and print a free prepaid UPS shipping label to send it off for recycling. Contrary to popular belief, cigarette butts are non-biodegradable and do not break down quickly. Waste collected through the Waste Brigade program will be recycled into plastic pallets for industrial use. www.terracycle.ca

Nous avons tous des feutres ou des stylos usagés ! Les instruments d'écriture sont des outils simples et d'utilisation quotidienne.

Grønt regnskab afsløres, og der skal uddeles diplomer til grønne butikker og den grønne initiativpris

"Dit affald er en ressource" - er budskabet i årets landsdækkende kampagne for de Grønne butikker. Istedet for bare at smide alt affald i det samme store forbrændingsanlæg, opfordrer de Grønne butikker sammen med Miljønetværk Syd til, at man sorterer sit affald og genanvender det, som kan få nyt liv i nye sammenhænge.

Tang y TerraCycle lanzan un nuevo concurso donde las Brigadas Tang que más sobrecitos junten, podrán ganarse entradas para asistir a los Kids' Choice Awards Argentina 2012. Es el show de premiaciones organizado por Nickelodeon Latinoamérica, en el que los chicos, a través de sus votos, premian a sus personajes favoritos de cine, música, deportes y televisión. Las 10 Brigadas Tang, que más sobrecitos hayan juntado desde el 1 de enero hasta el 7 de septiembre de 2012, tendrán la posibilidad de ganarse 10 entradas cada una para asistir a los premios. Para participar se debe crear una Brigada de recolección desde TerraCycle www.terracycle.com.ar o Club Tang www.clubtang.com.ar y enviando sin cargo los envoltorios.

When I was young, an older schoolmate told me paper gum wrappers were edible. She said that if you pop the whole stick in your mouth, wrapper and all, the paper would just disappear. Later that night, I unwrapped a stick of gum and suspiciously put only the wrapper in my mouth. I waited and chewed a bit, but it didn’t dissolve. It seems my schoolmate was either mashing up the paper wrapper in the stick of gum and didn’t notice a difference or she was just messing with me. I thought of the gum wrapper when I read this article about WikiCells, a form of edible packaging developed by Harvard professor David Edwards. Unlike the flavorless, “disappearing” gum wrapper, WikiCells add flavor and nutrients that compliment whatever is contained inside. According to WikiCells, “This skin may be comprised primarily of small particles of chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or many other natural substances.” They are mainly used to package soft foods, such as ice cream, yogurt, cheese or beverages. This got me thinking about using edible packaging for more than just soft foods. A lot of things have been made in edible versions – necklaces, tableware, under garments, even shoes – but they are mostly novelty items or prototypes that haven’t taken hold in a meaningful way.

When I was young, an older schoolmate told me paper gum wrappers were edible. She said that if you pop the whole stick in your mouth, wrapper and all, the paper would just disappear. Later that night, I unwrapped a stick of gum and suspiciously put only the wrapper in my mouth. I waited and chewed a bit, but it didn’t dissolve. It seems my schoolmate was either mashing up the paper wrapper in the stick of gum and didn’t notice a difference or she was just messing with me. I thought of the gum wrapper when I read this article about WikiCells, a form of edible packaging developed by Harvard professor David Edwards. Unlike the flavorless, “disappearing” gum wrapper, WikiCells add flavor and nutrients that compliment whatever is contained inside. According to WikiCells, “This skin may be comprised primarily of small particles of chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, or many other natural substances.” They are mainly used to package soft foods, such as ice cream, yogurt, cheese or beverages. © TerraCycle This got me thinking about using edible packaging for more than just soft foods. A lot of things have been made in edible versions – necklaces, tableware, under garments, even shoes – but they are mostly novelty items or prototypes that haven’t taken hold in a meaningful way.

Tang y TerraCycle se suman a los Kids’ Choice Awards Argentina 2012, el show de premiaciones organizado por Nickelodeon Latinoamérica, en el que los chicos, a través de sus votos, premian a sus personajes favoritos de cine, música, deportes y televisión. Las 10 Brigadas Tang, que más sobrecitos hayan juntado desde el 1 de enero de 2012 hasta el 7 de septiembre de 2012, tendrán la posibilidad de ganarse 10 entradas cada una para asistir a los Kids’ Choice Awards Argentina 2012, el súper show que se realiza en Buenos Aires por segundo año consecutivo. Además, la Brigada ganadora podrá estar en el espacio PIT del evento, al lado del escenario. ¿Cómo participar? Creando una Brigada de recolección desde TerraCycle (http://www.terracycle.com.ar) o Club Tang (http://http://www.clubtang.com.ar/) y enviando sin cargo tus envoltorios. Fechas del Concurso: 1 de enero de 2012 al 7 de septiembre de 2012: Tiempo para enviar tus sobrecitos 12 de septiembre de 2012: Anuncio de los ganadores 2 de octubre de 2012: Kids’ Choice Awards Argentina 2012, Estadio Malvinas Argentinas Tang y TerraCycle continúan con el Programa Nacional de recolección y reutilización de sobres de bebidas en polvo, que ya logró acumular más de 1.300.000 sobres que serán reutilizados y reciclados en nuevos productos amigables con el medioambiente.

Maybe this is a scenario that's happened at your house—an empty shampoo or conditioner bottle that finds its way into the bathroom bin rather than the recycling bin. Or hair dye boxes, makeup packaging, or even used lipstick cases that are tossed in a convenient garbage can. Here's an incentive that might inspire you to save those items and bring them to your local London Drugs Customer Service Counter for recycling—starting this August, 2 cents per beauty package or container you drop off for recycling will go to the Canadian Cancer Society! London Drugs, who has partnered with TerraCycle.ca and Garnier, is the first major retailer in Canada to introduce recycling collection boxes for all beauty packaging! The program fits in perfectly with the London Drugs mandate to divert as much weight as possible —currently over 42 million pounds!— away from landfills. You can read more about the London Drugs recycling program called the Green Deal at greendeal.ca.

What do you do with your potato chip bag after you eat the chips? Most of those bags up in the trash, but a New Jersey company wants to turn them into usable products. Trenton-based TerraCycle has selected Hamilton Township as a test site to determine whether consumers are willing to help keep chip bags from ending up in landfills.