In an effort to make recycling more practical, Recycling Operations Manager Barry Wilkins will be working with TerraCylce, a New Jersey-based waste collection company, to collect used chip bags for its Chip Bag Brigade “upcycling” program. TerraCycle, founded in 2001 by then-Princeton University student Tom Szaky, works with schools and companies to collect previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste materials and helps remake these materials into new items.

El Ayuntamiento de Elda va a colaborar con la empresa TerraCycle, empresa de reciclaje selectivo que junto con la multinacional Bic han lanzado lo que llaman “Brigadas de reciclaje de instrumentos de escritura”, con el compromiso de avanzar en la mejora medio ambiental. De esta manera, el consistorio va a instalar dos cajas, una en el ecoparque y otra en la concejalía de Medio Ambiente para depositar cualquier bolígrafo, pluma, rotulador, corrector o marcador fluorescente excepto madera.

Cualquier bolígrafo, pluma, rotulador, corrector o marcador fluorescente, sin importar la marca o el material, a excepción de la madera, puede ser reciclado.

 

Los elementos a recoger serán de plástico o de metal: bolígrafos, portaminas, rotuladores, marcadores, reglas, envases de tinta correctora y de pegamentos, etc que estén gastados o deteriorados y no se vayan a utilizar más. El objetivo es evitar que estos materiales vayan al vertedero y se pueda reciclar para fabricar otros productos con ellos. La recogida está patrocinada por una marca de productos de escritura pero en los contenedores se pueden depositar de cualquier marca.

Social media is popular for various reasons including the fact that it’s easy to reach people and that it’s free. Media such as advertising and marketing often is not free, so for many companies it is hard, if not impossible, to find room in the budget. For companies who don’t mind taking a leap of faith, there’s another option, one that TerraCycle relies heavily upon: owned media. I say “leap of faith” because sometimes you have to shell out some cash to create the owned media, and then be patient and wait for the fruit of your efforts to materialize. Here at TerraCycle, we just started a bi-weekly podcast that documents eco-tips, eco-news, and features interviews with key players from our partners such as Elmer’s, Dropps, and Garnier as well as leading voices from the sustainable industry.

Enfin, elle lance une collecte originale : tous les ustensiles d'écriture usagés à corps plastique ou métallique peuvent être déposés en mairie. Pour chacun d'eux, la société Terra Cycle versera 2 centimes à une association humanitaire locale.

All-natural treat makes classroom parties sweet I hate to admit it, but I still have candies from last Valentine ’s Day. Having 3 children and 18 students, we were way overstocked after this especially sweet holiday. And then came Halloween and Christmas and that basket that usually has only a few pieces in it is overflowing now. I am not a big fan of candy and I certainly don’t feed it to my children. Eating candy is a special treat in our house and it is hard to control the little sugar loving minds when they know it is around (so as far as I know they are unaware of the location of that basket). I also have a son who is highly allergic to dairy, soy, and nuts – pretty much three ingredients that are in most common candies. You know, the feeling of grabbing a piece of candy out of your child’s hand to possibly save his life … hmm, not a good one. Needless to say, I am very happy to find a healthy and safe alternative to the Valentine sugar rush that will please all three of my children and their little Valentines. Angie’s Kettle Corn Valentine’s Snack Packs are a sweetheart of an all-natural treat, packaged in portable and convenient packs for classmate and friend treat exchange.

The pen is a marvellous invention, but when it has done its job it still ends up in the garbage. One more non-recyclable item journeys to the landfill. In the US, 1.6 billion meet that fate each year. Recycling pens poses big problems. Even though a good portion of a pen is plastic, it is usually several different kinds of plastic, usually contaminated with a bit of metal or an ink core or some other materials.

Fourth grade students at Winton Woods Elementary School are helping the environment through the school’s Recycling Club. In addition to recycling cans and paper throughout the building, students recently took on the sticky job of bundling recycled juice bags to send to Terracycle, a company whose goal is to make the non-recyclable recyclable. The juice bags will be “upcycled” into school products like pencil bags, totes and backpacks. The school receives 20 cents for every bundle of 10 bags, and a recent bundling session earned $34 for the school.

As both packaging professionals and consumers, we live lives dominated by packaging and its science. When we pick up a product at the grocery store or order something new online, we think about what the item itself is packaged in, how it was or will be sent to its destination, and what will happen to it after we use it. What are the possibilities? What are the limitations? 2012 brings an entire new year of searching for packaging solutions and creating new options for consumers and the eco-minded. Because we’re both producers and users of packaging, we see both sides of the problem: the science and the facts, and the problems consumers face in choosing a product with eco-friendly packaging, and employing the solutions available for that packaging. For 2012, I have four packaging resolutions for TerraCycle and five packaging resolutions for myself-something to think about as we head into the New Year. TerraCycle Resolutions 1. Work on the packaging of our own products, and solutions for the products themselves. As we evaluate and change our own habits and science, we can improve our processes and packaging along with the recycling solutions available to the consumer. 2. Help support the compostable packaging movement. In order for consumers to appreciate compostable packaging and compost it correctly, they need to understand how the packaging can be eco-friendly and learn to overlook the potentially noisy side effects. 3. Develop a TerraCycle composting solution for our partners. Some people aren’t interested in composting, even if their product packaging is compostable. Hopefully, the movement will grow, and we can support it by offering composting solutions for our partners in addition to our traditional TerraCycle processes. 4. Brainstorm new products to be made from the packaging we collect. The possibilities are endless, and we’re always excited about new ideas.