“People are missing out on valuable resources because they’re overlooking what in front of them and writing it off because that’s the old habit.” Tom Szaky Terra Cycle, Inc. CEO MO.com is proud to partner with The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC): The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The Y.E.C promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and underemployment and provides its members with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth. TerraCycle, Inc. is an international upcycling company that takes difficult to recycle packaging and turns it into affordable, eco-friendly products. Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, founded it in 2001. TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste. TerraCycle works with over 30 major brands in the U.S. (and in a growing number of other countries) to collect used packaging and products (Frito-Lay chip bags, Mars candy wrappers, Capri Sun and Honest Kids juice pouches, pens, toothbrushes, etc.) that would otherwise be destined for landfills. TerraCycle repurposes that waste into new eco-friendly materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected through TerraCycle’s Brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay schools and non-profits for every piece of waste they collect and return.

TerraCycle’s Back to School recycling efforts have been underway with collection programs for Frito-Lay chip bags, Nabisco cookie wrappers, and Capri Sun and Honest Kids juice pouches. They collect these normally non-recyclable items, upcycle and recycle them, and pay their collectors for what they send in. Interested schools and individuals can sign up HERE.

Staying true to Guerillapps’ philosophy that focuses on real-world ties, Trash Tycoon is connected to TerraCycle’s Brigade programs that pay community groups for collecting difficult-to-recycle materials and turns them into new eco-friendly products sold online <http://news.softpedia.com/news/Trash-Tycoon-Upcycling-Game-Launches-on-Facebook-222002.shtml#>  and at major retailers. “Trash Tycoon’s message speaks to the core mission of our company <http://news.softpedia.com/news/Trash-Tycoon-Upcycling-Game-Launches-on-Facebook-222002.shtml#>  by presenting a fun yet innovative solution <http://news.softpedia.com/news/Trash-Tycoon-Upcycling-Game-Launches-on-Facebook-222002.shtml#>  that aids in educating others on the importance behind environmental responsibility,” said Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle.

There’s a new game at Facebook called Trash Tycoon that gamifies trash and recycling. It combines most of my key hot buttons – technology, education, and environmental responsibility – into a game. It’s made by social gaming startup Guerillapps <http://www.guerillapps.com/>  and sponsored by upcycling company TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/> .

From Guerillapps comes Trash Tycoon (www.trashtycoon.com), a free, green-themed social game for Facebook. The game incorporates awareness for environmental issues and sustainability. In Trash Tycoon, players take on the role of recycling entrepreneurs who collect virtual litter in a trash strewn city and upcycle the trash into higher quality, environmentally-friendly products. Upcycling, a process in which discarded waste is repurposed for valuable use, can range from building a house of abandoned material to finding innovative uses for discarded plastic bags. After completing missions, users collect virtual cash and points to ultimately earn the Trash Tycoon title. The game’s trash-tackling premise directly mirrors the activities of its sponsor, TerraCycle, a real-world company that collects and reuses non-recyclable post-consumer waste.

Packaging science is vital to recycling and upcycling, and protecting the environment from our waste and overuse of natural resources. We both now how important packaging is, the question is how to keep it evolving. TerraCycle is out to reach people of all ages — not just those interested in packaging — and that means reaching kids as well and raising their interest in the importance of packaging. This is where our latest venture, Trash Tycoon, comes in to the picture. Trash Tycoon is the brain-child of the Social Game start-up GuerillApps, who designed the cutting edge game with TerraCycle’s real life upcycling and recycling programs in mind. Through the game, and in the privacy our their own homes, kids (and parents) can learn about how TerraCycle’s Brigade programs work, and what happens to trash after it’s collected and sent to TerraCycle.

Do you like Facebook games? I used to be a Farmville junkie but stopped playing and then I heard about the TerraCycle game! I was so excited, now I love the game and the company!

Do you like Facebook games? I used to be a Farmville junkie but stopped playing and then I heard about the TerraCycle game! I was so excited, now I love the game and the company!

The Guerillapps team quickly realized that in order to maintain Trash Tycoon’s fun, social landscape but ultimately change consumers’ environmental outlook, they would have to take the game outside of the virtual and into the real world. The first step? Teaming up with some of the biggest players in the green space. Guerillapps quickly acquired sponsorship from upcycling company TerraCycle and carbon offset provider Carbonfund.org to further opportunities for real world impact. Trash Tycoon’s garbage-tackling premise directly mirrors the real-world goals of TerraCycle, a collection and solution program for typically non-recyclable waste. TerraCycle’s sponsorship also provides players the opportunity to earn game points by engaging in sustainable, real-world practices outside of the game. By simply buying TerraCycle’s green products online, players can redeem game points. Through Carbonfund.org’s contribution, players can also vote for their favorite carbon offset project within the game. Guerillapps then donates 10% of this revenue to the chosen project to help fight climate change.

A new social game for Facebook is putting the fun into cleaning up trash and recycling. The green themed social game challenges players to find and recycle trash that can be turned into new products. The ‘Trash Tycoon’ game was released by Terracycle and resembles the company’s business model. Terracycle collects post-consumer waste like drink pouches and chip bags and upcycles them into new products including bags, placemats and frames. In the ‘Trash Tycoon’ game, players collect and recycle trash like glass, plastic and paper that can be turned into eco-friendly products. Players earn game money and points for the amount of waste that they upcycle into products.