Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKid Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

Join the Conversation Follow Staples Canada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #PowerEco.   s and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

Join the Conversation Follow Staples Canada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #PowerEco.

Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

Join the Conversation Follow Staples Canada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #PowerEco.

Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

Join the Conversation Follow Staples Canada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #PowerEco.

Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples.       From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco-initiatives that have positively impacted their school and community and submit their entries on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.   "Each year, the Superpower your School Contest recognizes schools and students that have implemented exceptional eco-initiatives to help their communities and the environment," said David Boone, Chief Executive Officer of Staples Canada. "We are happy to continue empowering these students by rewarding them with the latest technology to support them as they continue to build their awareness, consciousness and understanding of the environment."   To date, the contest has awarded 90 environmentally conscious schools with the latest technology to empower students to continue learning and developing their passion and awareness for the environment. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries from schools across Canada, sharing inspiring stories of what their teachers and students are doing to create a more sustainable future in their community.   To help schools prepare entries, Staples Canada, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada have assembled a series of resources, including:  

• A step-by-step entry guide
• Eligibility and entry criteria
• A set of frequently asked questions
• Rules and regulations
• Excerpts from past winning school entries

  The contest is held in collaboration with national charities, EcoKids and Earth Day Canada. EcoKids offers programs and resources for children, parents, educators, and communities in Canada to engage in environmental education. Earth Day Canada helps people and organizations reduce their environmental impact.   "We are thrilled to be working with Staples Canada again to celebrate the inspiring environmental initiatives taking place in schools across the country," said Cristina Greco, Interim Executive Director of EcoKids. "We are proud to support innovative approaches to stewardship and reward the valuable environmental work of Canadian schools and their communities."   Staples Canada helps schools make a difference Staples Canada is committed to helping schools do their part to save the environment by offering several recycling programs:  

• School Ink Recycling : Every year 300 million ink cartridges end up in North American landfills. Schools across the country can participate in this program by signing up to receive a free ink cartridge collection bin. For details and to register for a free ink bin visit canadaschoolrecycling.ca.
• Battery Recycling : Staples Canada partners with Call2Recycle to collect used batteries (rechargeable and alkaline) from all store locations and its Home Office for recycling. The partnership began in 2004 and to date over 1 million kilograms of used household batteries have been collected and safely recycled through the program.
• Writing Instruments: In 2012, Staples Canada launched a writing instrument recycling program in partnership with TerraCycle®. The program encourages customers to drop off used writing instruments, such as pens, pencils, markets and highlighters at local stores, which are then shipped to TerraCycle for recycling.
• Electronics Recycling : Staples Canada and its national electronics recycling partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics at almost all of its retail locations (excluding stores in Calgary, Alberta). Recyclable items accepted include cell phones, computers, computer parts and more. To date, Staples Canada has collected 20.5 million kilograms of e-waste for recycling through its electronics recycling program.

Join the Conversation Follow Staples Canada on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and join the conversation using #PowerEco.

There's winter and then there's Canadian winter. It can be a bone chilling, slipping and sliding, nose hair freezing, winter not-so wonderland. And there's no hiding from the fact that winter brings a particular set of beauty woes: dull and dry, scale-like skin, lips that crack with every smile and hair on the brink of breakage.   If you're looking to do your best to skip that winter mess, here are some products that just may help — tried and tested products from Canadian beauty experts.   Truc Nguyen, writer and fashion stylist     One of my favourite creams is Weleda's Skin Food Original, which feels great on the skin and smells lovely thanks to a blend of lavender, rosemary and sweet orange essential oils. It comes in two sizes, and the smaller tube (which can be recycled through a partnership with TerraCycle), and even fits into the pocket of my parka, for days when I am purse-free.   Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra Rich Cream,$17.29, Well.ca

At NRDC we choose quality goods and services that reflect our values and support companies that align with our mission. Even with the best of intentions it can be difficult to understand who to purchase from and what to look for.   Upon reading a recent study, we found pyramid shaped tea bags, like the ones we were using, are leaking billions of microplastics. We decided investigate further the impact of bioplastic in the hopes of findings a better option.

What is bioplastic?

It is made from plants or other biological materials, and most commonly created by converting sugar from corn or sugarcane to polylactic acids (PLAs).

Is bioplastic compostable?

Bioplastic, even if it is certified ASTM D6400 compostable, cannot be composted at home and most municipal composting facilities rarely accept or are able to process this type of material. For it to biodegrade it takes a very specific environment of 122 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 percent humidity.

How is bioplastic disposed of?

Ideally, the bioplastic item is sent to a compatible compost facility. The more likely routes though are the item is either:

• Tossed in municipal recycling. Here bioplastic will contaminate the petroleum-based plastic that is in the process of being recycled causing the entire batch to be sent to the landfill or incinerator.
• Ending up in our ocean. Once there, it will not biodegrade instead it will break down into micro-sized pieces, lasting for decades, and presenting a danger to marine life.

Who is our new tea supplier and why?

We decided to begin purchasing from Numi Tea because their company:

• Aligns closely with the NRDC Catering Policy which means catering purchases (like tea) must reduce damage to the environment, exploitative labor, and food shortages for others. More specifically Numi Tea:
  • Creates tea that is Fair Trade Labor Certified and Certified Organic.
  • Is a Certified B Corporation. This means it meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
  • Purchases carbon offsets for its corporate office, staff travel, and tea, spice and herbal materials shipments.

How do we dispose of our new tea?

In Vision 3 of the NRDC Sustainable Operations Plan, we make a commitment to achieving zero waste. With this in mind, it is very important we understand the post-consumer life of the tea: The natural hemp-based unbleached filter-paper tea bag can be composted in at home bin or by any commercial facility. The outer packaging can be discarded in a TerraCycle box. While we try to avoid purchasing items packaged or made with hard to recycle material that requires TerraCycle, Numi Tea’s outer packaging is printed with soy-based ink, packaged with no plastic shrink wrap, and made from 85 percent post-consumer waste. By purchasing goods that utilize post-consumer waste we are helping to support the recycling industry.

Seeing Your Purchases Through a New Lens

Take a look around your home and ask yourself if your purchases support your health and the health of planet. One of the first steps could be learning more about materials in your home that are hiding hazardous chemicals. Together, as consumers, we can begin to prioritize purchases that support the future we want.  

In late 2019, PepsiCo set a new target for 2025 to reduce the use of virgin plastics for its beverage brands by 35% through the increased adoption of recycled content and alternative packaging. Here, Roberta Barbieri, Vice President Global Sustainability, PepsiCo, elaborates on the strategies the company is using to reach its ambitious sustainable packaging goals.   Packaging World:   Why did PepsiCo feel the need to up the ante with its announcement of a goal of reducing the use of virgin plastics across its beverage portfolio by 35% by 2025?   Roberta Barbieri: We share concern over the growing threat that plastic packaging waste poses, and we recognize the significant role we can, and must, play in working to change the way society makes, uses, and disposes of plastics. Last fall we announced a new target to reduce 35% of virgin plastic content across our beverage business by 2025, which equates to the elimination of 2.5 million metric tons of cumulative virgin plastic. This is another step forward in our journey toward a world where plastics need never become waste.   Does this change or replace any previous goals?   It does not. The target we announced builds on our other packaging goals for 2025: to make 100% of our packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable and increase our use of recycled content in plastics packaging to 25%.   What will the use of alternative materials entail? Will it include the use of biopolymers?   Among the alternative materials to be used, beginning this year, bubly will no longer be packaged in plastic, and Aquafina will be offered in aluminum can packaging in U.S. foodservice outlets. Brand tests will also be conducted this year on the move to aluminum cans for Aquafina in retail.   Regarding biopolymers, as more carbon-efficient technologies like bio-based packaging scale, we’ll consider how this can further support our reduction targets.   In 2011, PepsiCo announced work on a 100% plant-based bottle. What is the status of that technology?   PepsiCo is continuing to invest in the development of more sustainable plastic packaging materials. Plant-based packaging is a more resource and carbon-efficient way of making plastic than through the use of oil-based polymers, providing a pathway for PepsiCo to improve the environmental impact of its packaging. We have been continuing to look for ways to scale the technology.   In 2011 and into 2012 we were able to produce a small number of 100% bio-based PET bottles, but that technology didn’t scale to be an effective solution for our packaging needs and business. Most recently, we’re working with industry partners as part of the NaturALL Bottle Alliance and through that work plan to develop fully recyclable plant-based plastic for use in our bottles, made from renewable feedstocks like sustainably farmed trees or agricultural residues that will not diminish food resources and will be less carbon-intensive than oil-based PET.   We are also innovating to transform our snack packaging to be more resource efficient. In India, Chile, and the U.S. in 2018 and 2019 we tested industrially compostable thin-film packaging for snack products that will biodegrade over time if disposed of in well-managed composting facilities. We worked with technology pioneer Danimer Scientific to develop this material, and together, we’re also developing a next-generation film that we aim to be fully biodegradable regardless of how it is disposed.   How will you avoid the discoloration and haziness associated with 100% rPET when you roll out your 100% rPET LIFEWTR bottle—a bottle known for its aesthetics—in the U.S.?   Just as we do with our 100% rPET Naked Juice bottle, PepsiCo will select the highest-quality rPET we can source for the LIFEWTR bottle. In 2020 and beyond we’ll have more brands around the world move to 100% rPET plastic packaging. As of Q1 2020, all our Lipton bottles in the Netherlands and Belgium will be 100% rPET.   How do you plan to overcome the lack of availability of recycled materials in order to meet your goals? What needs to happen to increase recycling rates and availability, especially when so many other major CPGs have made commitments similar to PepsiCo’s?   There simply isn’t enough recycled content in the supply chain today to enable us to reach our goals, and the only way to make more is to drive higher recycling rates. This is why we are investing to boost recycling rates and have also formed new partnerships to help develop enhanced recycling technologies.   Because higher recycling rates mean a greater supply of recycled plastic, we are investing in recycling infrastructure and consumer education with key partners, and we have joined a range of partners to help build new systems that we believe will make plastics use more sustainable.   PepsiCo and The PepsiCo Foundation are accelerating efforts to boost recycling rates across the world. Between July 2018 and July 2019, we pledged over $51 million globally in partnership initiatives, with a specific focus on some of the areas with the poorest infrastructure and highest risk of contributing to plastic pollution. Investments include The Recycling Partnership, Circulate Capital, Global Plastic Action Partnership, TerraCycle, Alliance to End Plastic Waste, Recycling with Purpose, and Recycle Rally.    PepsiCo’s new goals include the expansion of your SodaStream business. How do you intend to do this?   We have been working to create a portfolio of options that go beyond the bottle, meeting consumers’ individual needs and putting smiles on their faces, whether they’re at home, away from home, or on-the-go. At the heart of the Beyond the Bottle strategy is SodaStream. Over its lifetime, one SodaStream bottle can avoid the use of thousands of single-use bottles. Through the expansion of PepsiCo’s SodaStream business, an estimated 67 billion plastic bottles will be avoided through 2025.   Can you provide a very brief overview of the Hydration Platform?   The hydration platform is a connected ecosystem built to reflect how people drink water today that is made up of three components: a beautifully designed hydration dispenser, a companion, user-friendly smartphone app, and a personalized QR code sticker for reusable bottles that allows consumers to be effortlessly recognized by the dispenser. This ecosystem allows users to set their own daily hydration goals and automatically tracks their way to meeting them. Additionally, it tracks their environmental impact with a unique count of plastic bottles saved with each pour as well as over time saves unique preferences (like favorite flavors and carbonation levels) for future use.   Has the platform been launched yet? If so, what have been the results?   With our partners and customers, we’re continuing to test and optimize all aspects of our hydration platform—including branding. In fall 2019, we began rolling out our units in a beta test to select locations where there is a high demand for plastic waste reduction. We’re also working with travel and hospitality partners to bring our hydration platform to people who want to stay hydrated while they’re on the go.

It’s that time of year when many of us want to be starting something new—whether it’s a job, workout routine, or getting rid of some household items and making space for bright beginnings. While I’m all for freshening up a living room with a newly acquired rug or standing lamp, there’s never been a more urgent time to conscientiously consider how we buy our goods and what we do with them once their lives are over. That’s why we’ve rounded up New York City’s best options to recycle and dispose of common household goods.   “Keep in mind the waste hierarchy: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle,” says Nicole Grossberg, co-founder of the Zero Waste NYC Workshop Series, held monthly on various topics, all focused on how we can better shift our daily practices to produce less waste. “If you’re going to recycle an item, make sure that you’re recycling properly and not ‘wish cycling’. It counts to go the extra mile to make sure you are disposing of something properly.”   There’s another reason to be proactive about our waste: New York City’s residential recycling rate is just 18%, an abysmal number for a major city. (Seattle and San Francisco’s rates are three times ours.) Until New York does its part to mandate certain recycling programs like food waste, it’s up to us to pick up and recycle the slack.   Organic waste, both food and yard scraps, makes up a third of our city’s waste stream. When left in the trash that’s sent to landfills, the rotting rubbish emits methane, a more noxious greenhouse gas than carbon monoxide.   GrowNYC and their compost drop-off sites are hoping to change that. With over 150 residential food scrap drop-off sites, this is one of the easiest changes you can make in your life when it comes to living greener and disposing of your household waste in a meaningful way.   There’s also a curbside compost collection option if you live in one of these districts where you may have noticed small brown bins next to your regular trash and recycling ones. But the city has yet to make good on its promise to mandate composting, so GrowNYC is the foolproof way to get your compost into the right hands, regardless of where you live in the city. “There’s a gap in the education piece of the brown bins,” says Grossberg, “but the dropoff program is amazing. That’s what I utilize, I make it part of my routine.”   GrowNYC has another great drop-off component, for textiles! They note that “NYC residents discard nearly 200,000 tons of textiles every year, at a cost to taxpayers and our environment.” (One of the reasons why we should only purchase 3 new items of clothing a year.) So while there aren’t as many as drop-off locations for textiles as there are for compost, you’ll find one at each Greenmarket across New York, currently totaling 30 sites. There’s even an option to get a refashionNYC collection bin placed in your office or apartment building (as long as it has ten or more units).   Another local option for getting rid of your clothing, shoes, and accessories is to donate or sell them to second-hand shops like Buffalo Exchange, Housing Works, Beacon’s Closet, or smaller ones in your neighborhood. One important thing to find out before dropping your clothes at these locations is if your items aren’t sold, will they be properly donated to be recycled as textile waste?     The Freecycle Network is a grassroots movement run by volunteers in communities all over the globe, based on the idea that people want to give and receive things for free (from clothing to electronics to art supplies to furniture). There’s a large Brooklyn community that all are welcome to join for free. As you let go of furniture on this site, you may even find your next item here too! “We often forget about the upstream and how things are produced,” says Grosberg. “The production of that item (a couch, for example) is probably using coal and oil in the factory to produce it. You’re affecting the supply chain when you choose to buy used items.”   Other organizations that may provide free pick-up service in your neighborhood are Habitat for Humanity, Housing Works, and The Salvation Army.     Unfortunately, unlike other textiles such as clothing, towels, and linens, most rugs and carpets contain materials that aren’t recyclable or are made of multiple materials that can’t be pulled apart. New York doesn’t have a simple solution for properly recycling rugs yet, but there are a few places to do research if you have a large area rug or wall-to-wall carpet.   Carpet Cycle in New Jersey is finding uses for post-consumer carpets and may be able to pick up your residential carpets. And Earth911 provides more insight into the types of recycling centers that may take carpets or carpet pads.     DonateNYC is my favorite New York City-based tool when it comes to finding places to drop off more miscellaneous items in close proximity to my apartment. Especially for so many of us who don’t have cars, it’s the perfect solution to skipping the movers or renting a truck yourself. They have a directory based on an address you type in of where you can donate or receive pretty much anything from automotive supplies to home appliances to books.   One of its partners, Big Reuse in Brooklyn, will accept donations of appliances and home renovation supplies, and offer a “deconstruction” service whereby professionals will come and dismantle a kitchen or bathroom slated for renovation, often at no or low cost to resell at the shop.   There are also many of DonateNYC’s bins set up in residential and retail buildings. They even host classes multiple times a day all over the city on topics such as mending clothes, write helpful resources, host drop-off days for specialty items, and have developed a new event, ReFashion Week NYC 2020, coming up in February that I’m excited to attend.   For all your old toothpaste tubes and personal care items like toothbrushes, haul them to the Package Free Shop in Williamsburg and Chelsea Market, which use uses TerraCycle. The Park Slope Food Coop accepts a few random items too, like toothpaste and Brita water filters.     There are a couple of easy and responsible ways to get rid of those pesky dead batteries or overused electronics that have probably been hanging around your apartment for some time.   To get rid of batteries and other hazardous waste like paint, hold on to your dead AAs until the city hosts one of its biannual SAFE Disposal events, hosted by NYC’s Department of Sanitation, which happen in the spring and fall. These events accept electronics too.   For electronics recycling year round, a few options include Staples, which accepts all those extra cords, chargers, and cracked tablets you don’t know what to do with. The Package Free Shop in Williamsburg and Chelsea Market uses TerraCycle to collect electronics, too.   You can also ask your employer to sponsor electronics recycling through TerraCycle, so you could bring in home electronics on your morning commute.   While the options for recycling and repurposing goods is expanding, it’s key to keep zero waste as a goal, even if it’s just about making micro improvements to your daily routine. “In general, it’s becoming more of a conversation, even trendy, if you will,” says Grossberg. “That gets me excited. As much as I think we have a long way to go, I’m seeing so much interest. It gives me a lot of hope.”   You can attend the next Zero Waste NYC Workshop on Wednesday, January 22nd at LMHQ in Downtown Manhattan. Click here for tickets.

We were just as surprised as you are when we noticed the luxury beauty brand being sold at everyone’s favorite down-home store. So immediately after adding to cart, we went on the hunt to see what other cool brands were lurking on the dot com. Behold, that very Gucci perfume, plus 12 other beauty favorites we can’t wait to get our hands on (for less, no doubt).