Aveeno Sun Care, a nationwide manufacturer of beauty products, is partnering with a New Jersey company that recycles discarded and used beauty products, and both are going to work in Sherwood from July 15-16 in an attempt to raise public awareness about skin care safety and to raise money to fight skin cancer. Sara Koncius, a spokeswoman for the recycling company TerraCycle Inc., Trenton, N.J., said her company is working with Aveeno to hold a educational workshop at Gander Mountain, 5450 Landers Road, Sherwood.

Benjamin Banneker Elementary School students earned two cents for each juice drink pouch they collected and returned to a company called TerraCycle, which makes products from packaging waste. Last school year, the students collected nearly 3,700 pouches, and the money raised will help teachers purchase instructional materials. More than 70,000 schools and community groups around the country have signed up to help collect more than 100 million used pieces of packaging. The participating organizations collectively earned more than $2 million this year. Interested organizations can learn more at www.terracycle.net.

TerraCycle Makes Strides with Brigades Most outdoor enthusiasts enjoy energy bars, granola, or trail mix before, during and after they hit the trails, streams and lakes. They already stash the leftover wrappers in pockets and backpacks to properly discard the used packaging when they return home. Now some of the industry's most trusted names, CLIF BAR, Kashi, Bear Naked and Odwalla, are rewarding people's efforts by creating a program that turns those wrappers and bags into eco-friendly products, while earning money for local charities. The four leading brands sponsor TerraCycle "Brigades" or free collection programs that contribute two cents to a school or charity for every energy bar wrapper, granola bag, or Kashi packaging returned. In under a year, the programs have helped keep over a million and a half wrappers out of landfills -- TerraCycle collects the used packaging and other hard to recycle material and turns it into new products ranging from shower curtains to backpacks.

TerraCycle began in a Princeton University dorm room in 2001 and has grown into a large business that repurposes nonrecyclable material like candy wrappers into items such as bags, decorations and toys. The company collects the items for free so that instead of watching them go into the trash can, they can be molded into a Skittles insulated cooler, a pencil made from newspapers or, ironically, a recycled plastic trash can. Vice President of Media Relations Albe Zakes says the company focuses on hiring smart, capable people who can learn about green practices, rather than searching out idealists who need to learn real-world skills. “It’s better to find smart, experienced, talented people to help the company succeed than it is to find people who follow the company’s goals,” he says. “We don’t necessarily look for someone who has to drive a hybrid, and compost their own waste.” Having a familiarity with the relevant issues gives candidates a leg up. “I love people that come from a nonprofit or socially friendly background because it means they’ll know how to talk the talk when it comes to green and social issues.” Mr. Zakes got involved in the company after applying for, and not getting, a full-time position. He says he convinced his now-boss to give him a summer internship as a tryout. Now, TerraCycle has upward of 30 interns.

  St. Mary’s Episcopal School is collecting empty tubes of beauty products Friday at the Rite Aid on Union Avenue and Saturday at the Rite Aid in Cordova on Germantown Parkway. The recycling effort will help Saint Mary’s raise funds for its needs and also help The Skin Care Foundation. The event is done in partnership with Aveeno and TerraCycle.

Piñon Elmentary School PTO President Gloria Brehm introduced Terracycle to the school last year and the results have been significant.  Three thousand juice pouches have been given to TerraCycle, a company that turns non-recyclable waste into eco-friendly products.  Additionally, 1,000 chip bags have been shipped to the company. The PTO does receive a small fee for its waste. For instance, the PTO receives 2 cents per juice pouch and has earned a total of $60.   Although with bins collecting trash at Canyon Vista Pool and Piñon Park Pool, more money could be raised. Brehm said the students have really caught on to depleting the amount of garbage that is sent to the landfill.

Wiggins said the following items are difficult to recycle, but for those who are determined to find a way, it can be done: • Plastic food containers. When possible, Wiggins suggests you buy items in cardboard. Some containers — including those for yogurt and cottage cheese — can be recycled at Whole Foods. Or you can keep the containers to store leftovers or other items. • Chip bags. Many are a blend of paper and plastic. They can be mailed to TerraCycle, a company that makes items such as fashionable bags out of them.

Piñon Elmentary School PTO President Gloria Brehm introduced Terracycle to the school last year and the results have been significant.  Three thousand juice pouches have been given to TerraCycle, a company that turns non-recyclable waste into eco-friendly products.  Additionally, 1,000 chip bags have been shipped to the company. The PTO does receive a small fee for its waste. For instance, the PTO receives 2 cents per juice pouch and has earned a total of $60. Although with bins collecting trash at Canyon Vista Pool and Piñon Park Pool, more money could be raised. Brehm said the students have really caught on to depleting the amount of garbage that is sent to the landfill.

TerraCycle has introduced new Office Product Brigades, open to any supplier or consumer of office supplies and modeled after TerraCycle’s programs for schools that pay for the collection of drink pouches, yogurt cups and chip bags. These new programs, which collect any writing instrument, tape dispenser or glue product regardless of brand, were founded in response to the growing need to reduce the amount of useful materials going to landfill.

The Aveeno Healthy Skin Tour will be in town and will be collecting empty tubes for the Aveeno Brigade.