March 29, 2013 -- Tom's of Maine has introduced its new Naturally Clean toothbrush made with a plant-based handle from renewable castor oil plants instead of petroleum. It also has dye-free, multiheight bristles to clean between teeth and along the gumline.

What are the current issues in your region is facing and why is it an issue (regarding waste)? In this day and age, most are familiar with the effects of non-sustainable consumer behavior and aware of the growing importance of resource conservation. Still when budgets tighten, consumers turn away from eco-friendly products and towards more tradition – affordable – options. In 2008, the average American Consumer produced 4.5 pounds and only 1.1 pounds of that was recycled – and this was before the worse of global economic downturn. That same year, Clorox debuted Green Works, its sustainable line of cleaning products, and sales reach as high as 100 million dollars. Since then, sales dropped to about $60 million dollars by 2012 indicating that less consumers are willing to pay a premium for socially responsible items.

One of those goals is to reduce the percentage of virgin materials used in their packaging from 60 to 40 percent by 2020. Innovations like moving from aluminum tubes to recyclable laminated BPA-free plastic tubes, their partnership with TerraCycle and their switch to stand-up dispensers for children’s toothpaste that don’t require cartons, all improve their packaging performance. Water savings has a goal to reduce their consumption per metric ton of product made, from 4.3 to 2.5 cubic meters, a 42 percent reduction by 2020 through a comprehensive program that includes every drop that comes into their facilities.

Tennyson Elementary School is feeling green. Through the TerraCycle program, students and faculty at Tennyson have been cutting down waste by focusing on recycling Theresa Underhill and Alyssa Bruner are Green Team leaders for the project. Three fifth grade students also make up the Green Team — Lyla Schmitt, Warren Koss and Josh Grosvenor.

LIHU‘E — A Kaua‘i Community College student is attempting to introduce a recycling program that would ship waste to the Mainland annually, with hopes that it would pay for itself over time. Britney Gurkin, a freshman biochemistry major with a goal of eventually pursuing a doctorate, has taken the lead in an effort to bring an innovative recycling program to Kaua‘i.

April Segura of Lincoln, Nebraska was chosen as the winner in the nation-wide Less in Landfills Sweepstakes, sponsored by Tom's of Maine and TerraCycle. Her prize comes in the form of a $1,000 donation to Nebraska Friends of Midwives.   April won this sweepstakes by doing something good for the planet. She participates in the Tom's of Maine Natural Care Brigade, which allows her to keep traditionally non-recyclable deodorant tubes, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss packaging out of local landfills. Instead of throwing them away, April collects and sends these items to TerraCycle to be recycled. In addition to the $1,000 sweepstakes prize, April earns money for Nebraska Friends of Midwives with each piece of waste returned.   The Less in Landfills Sweepstakes was a way to celebrate the launch of the Tom's of Maine Natural Care Brigade, which is one of TerraCycle's newest recycling options. Each shipment of waste during the contest window counted as an entry into the sweepstakes. April also participates in several other Brigade programs in which members of the community can get involved with. The more waste collected, the more money the organization can earn. For more info on the collection efforts there, please visit http://www.nebraskamidwives.org/fundraising.html.

I love Tom’s of Maine. To me, the name is synonymous with great products and environmental stewardship — a winning combination. To that end, Tom’s of Maine does not conduct animal testing or include any animal-based ingredients in its products. The company divulges every ingredient, its purpose and where it comes from at tomsofmaine.com.   Tom’s of Maine makes it a priority to use sustainable practices in every part of its business. The company does not use artificial colors, artificial flavors, fragrances or preservatives in its products. Especially of note: Tom’s of Maine endeavors to use recycled content in its packaging and make it recyclable when it has reached the end of its useful life.   To maximize its products’ recyclability, Tom’s of Maine has teamed up with TerraCycle to provide a second life for empty and used toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, floss containers, mouthwash bottles, soap packaging and antiperspirant and deodorant containers.   “TerraCycle’s purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste,” a statement on TerraCycle’s website reads. “We do this by creating national recycling systems for previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste.” Your organization can sign up and join the Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Brigade, and while you’re at it, sign up for any of the other 40+ Brigade programs available through TerraCycle at terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/. You can join as many Brigade programs as you like.

TerraCycle is going to turn your trash into KME's cash! These are all the items we are collecting.

We’re always on the hunt for new ways to protect Mother Earth and recycle anything we can. When we found TerraCycle we got pretty excited. We’ve recently partnered with TerraCycle who is on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. The collected waste is then converted into new products, ranging from recycled park benches to upcycled backpacks. Here is a list of the items that we can now collect: Chip Bags – Any empty brand or size chip bag. Candy Wrappers – Any brand and size candy wrappers, excluding candy boxes or gum packaging. Toothpaste Products – Any brand used toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes and plastic toothbrush packaging, excluding cardboard. Writing Utensils – Any brand and any size pen, pencils, mechanical pencils, wooden pencils, markers and highlighters, sharpie and dry eraser markers; just to name a few. No crayons please. Thanks to the help of our File Creation team we’ve printed up some fun boxes around the office to collect these new items. If you’d like to know more about TerraCycle please visit their website.