If you do, it just got a whole lot easier. TerraCycle is a great program which partners with manufacturers to make it easier to recycle or reuse product packaging. It's a great premise. You save used packaging, such as the wrap that some cheese comes in or the squeeze tube of baby food or the whole kit and kaboodle of a box of wine.

TerraCycle accepts waste that is harder to categorize and items you probably didn’t realize you could recycle, such as old make-up containers, cheese packaging, shampoo bottles, etc. The lists of things you can recycle is quite extensive and really makes a difference in the amount of “trash” you throw away each month.

I recently learned about this program run by a company called TerraCycle. They partner with a number of companies, including Bear Naked, Clif Bar & Company brands (including Shot Bloks and Clif Shot) and Tom’s of Maine; and offer programs for everyday refuse items like snack bags (potato chip bags, for example, which I remember learning in grad school have something like 17 layers) and even cigarette butts.

While you’re caring for your teeth, don’t forget to also take care of the earth. According to the EPA, by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to eight gallons of water! Parents and kids can also visit www.terracycle to learn how to recycle or upcycle toothpaste tubes

TerraCycle has designated more than 40 waste collection groups or "brigades" in which to collect recyclables. Wassom's brigades include the Chip Bag Brigade, Lunch Kit Brigade, Personal Care and Beauty Brigade and the Candy Wrapper Brigade, among others.

There are companies that do this, too. TerraCycle, a global firm based in Trenton, NJ, is focused on recycling everything from worm poop (into fertilizer) to cigarette butts (into plastic pellets). It upcycles and recycles traditionally non-recycable waste (including drink pouches, chip bags, and tooth brushes) into a large variety of consumer products.

n Brazil, the cosmetics association ABIHPEC is working with municipal agencies to collect and recycle packaging waste, according to Organic Monitor. In the U.S., Tom's of Maine has partnered with Terracycle to collect its packaging waste and use it in new product applications. A closed loop system whereby waste is used as raw materials is considered the way forward for many cosmetic brands taking the green road.  

Different items are collected in each classroom and in the children's homes and shipped away to TerraCycle. Local businesses; including Taylor Books, Edgewood Country Club and the Kay, Casto and Chaney Law Firm; have also partnered with the school to participate in the recycling program. The school has adopted other green initiatives -- it composts some of its waste and has a school garden.

School Wins National Recycling Contest and Community Can Help

St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church in Athens is hosting its first TerraCycle Triathlon of Trash through Aug. 15. The community is asked to gather trash from the list included here below and bring it to the TerraCycle Triathlon of Trash Showdown on Aug. 16 at a location to be determined. The person that brings the most trash, by weight, will win a free semester at the University of Georgia — in-state tuition only, estimated at $3,800. Trash that will be accepted includes: Drink pouches, straws and straw wrappers, coffee pouches, cookie and cracker wrappers, energy bar, breakfast bar and energy food wrappers, candy and gum wrappers, chip and pretzel bags, all lunch kit trays and wrappers, dairy containers, Sprout brand baby food and crushed fruit bags, containers and wrappers, cereal bags, Bear Naked brand granola and cereal product wrappers, wine corks, disposable household tape dispensers, plastic sandwich bags and temporary plastic containers. Also, wrappers from toilet paper, napkins and paper towels, toothpaste tubes, dental floss devices and used toothbrushes, glue containers and glue sticks, all writing instruments except chalk and crayons, beauty and skin care product tubes and containers, diaper wrappers, cheese wrappers, tortilla, tostada and bread wrappers, home cleaning containers and items, plastic drinking cups, laundry and dish wash detergent briquette bags, wine pouches, hummus containers and cigarette and cigar waste including ashes, unburnt tobacco, filter stubs, plastic outer wrap and aluminum paper inner wrapping. St. Gregory also will accept all cellphones, MP3 players, digital cameras, GPS systems, calculators, printer and toner cartridges and laptop computers including all cords and chargers, and all shoes. For information on how to package the trash, about the competition, about TerraCycle and more, call Andrew Lane at (706) 296-6631 or emailandrew.s.lane@us.army.mil.