We have to admit that we are a disposable society. Without doing something constructive with many things we possess and become tired of, we simply toss it away in the garbage can. Recycling of course is nothing new to us. We see people throw away so much reusable stuff that invades our landfills every single day and never think twice about finding an alternative use for those goods. Many of our parents and grandparents recycled every day, not because it was a fashionable thing to do, but rather out of sheer necessity. TerraCycle, a company founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky, who was a 20-year-old freshman attending Princeton University at that time, strives to eliminate the idea of waste. This company offers collection programs to recycle things that people may think is non-recyclable into a broad range of products and materials. Over 14 million people collect stuff that is disposed of in 11 different countries to turn those non-recyclable items into solution systems.

Plastic-coated candy wrappers have long been a recycling dilemma because of their size, weight and lack of valuable, post-life material. But even though they’re tiny in size, they’re everywhere. In fact, Americans consumed 23.8 pounds of candy per capita in 2008 alone. We are also big fans of the upcycling geniuses at TerraCycle, who collect hard-to-recycle items to create products ranging from book bags to fire logs. The company has partnered with Mars to collect wrappers through its Candy Wrapper Brigade, a free program that pays nonprofits to help collect candy wrappers. For each wrapper collected, Mars and TerraCycle will donate 2 cents to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Summer is the season for outdoor parties and picnics, and it’s important to take care of the outdoors as you are enjoying it. Instead of filling up your trash can with empty food wrappers and plastic cups after guests leave, you can reuse the packaging yourself or send the waste to TerraCycle, where you can earn money for your favorite charity and keep things out of the local landfill at the same time. There are already some Brigade teams in the area, including Bentley School. TerraCycle, an innovative upcycling and recycling company, partners with brands such as Frito-Lay, Nabisco, Kraft Cheese, Solo, and Scott to reduce the amount of waste being thrown away. Some of the wrappers can also be used for do-it-yourself projects. An easy, crafty summer project is the do-it-yourself chip bowl, which can be made from a Frito-Lay chip bag, and then used for your next party! Or, you can turn your used Solo cups into herb planters for the porch or kitchen. For those who’d prefer to send their waste back to TerraCycle, they’ll earn two cents per item for a charity of their choice.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or products that cannot be recycled into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. This is a fairly new term in our increasingly eco-conscious world. Upcycling embraces uniqueness and creativity because upcycled products are truly one of a kind. One of the pioneers of upcycling is TerraCycle. They are taking wasteful materials such as drink pouches, chip bags, and tooth brushes and making them into a variety of neat consumer products. TerraCycle’s products are available through a number of retailers including Wal-Mart and Target as well as online.

Talk about a s-w-e-e-e-et way to start day two of our Texas Summer Bash Giveaway…from trash to treasure—that’s what Terracycle can do for you!!! TerraCycle is an amazing company that specializes in making so many wonderful things out of pouches from Capri Sun drink pouches, Yogurt cups, chip bags and soooo much more! I’m telling you—they really are awesome and they’ve got recycling down pact! Terracycle pays non-profits and schools to collect used drink pouches, yogurt cups, chip bags and more! Then they turn those materials into awesome and affordable high quality products.If you would like to learn more about TerraCycle or sign up for their Waste Collection Programs. Many of the collections programs are free and they will donate to a school of your choice! We have a Yakpak backpack, an Urban Art Pot, a Vegetable Growing Kit, an Honest Kids pencil case, a mini Capri Sun notebook, and candy wrapper boom box speakers to giveaway all courtesy of TerraCycle. Click on the beach ball to enter!

Es presidente de TerraCycle Cono Sur. La misión de TerraCycle es eliminar la idea de la basura creando sistemas de reciclaje para los materiales que hasta ahora no son reciclables. Ann es de Estados Unidos pero hace dos años que vive en Buenos Aires. Vino en principio por un año pero la convocaron para estar a cargo de TerraCycle Cono Sur, le encantó la idea y decidió quedarse. Tiene solo 29 años, habla perfecto español y está muy comprometida con este proyecto.

Recycling is something we all have to do for the future and TerraCycle is an awesome company that is reducing waste by finding creative was to use materials most of us would think of as garbage. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure right?

I absolutely love this. Talk about a Destination Eyecare Office? Check out Terracycle’s Office who has creatively up- cycled trash into a cool, unique and trash look. Think about how many of your patients would want to come in and check out your new- reused look TerraCycle, specializes in making new products from hard-to-recycle waste, from used corks to cookie bags. It’s only fitting that its own office is upcycled, too. Check out photos from our tour of its Trenton, N.J. facility. (Source earth911.com)

Ozark Trail coolers, a line at Walmart stores, have a hard plastic line made entirely from snack packaging that has been recycled by a company called TerraCycle. The coolers range in size from 6-can to 42-can (on wheels) and range in price from $5.88 to $29.88. Anyone can send in their used wrappers to the company for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant’s choice.