Hey, New Orleans: instead of filling up your trash can with empty food wrappers and plastic Hurricane cups after guests leave, you can reuse the packaging yourself or send the detritus to TerraCycle. In so doing, earn some summer cash for your favorite charity and also keep trash out of landfills. A win-win. TerraCycle, a recycling and so-called upcycling company -- meaning they not only help melt old cans but also turn formerly useless products into useable stuff -- partners with brands such as Frito-Lay and Nabisco to reduce the amount of waste being tossed out. The company's goal is to eliminate "the idea of waste" by creating collection and solution systems for anything that ends up in a landfill. According to TerraCycle intern David Smith, the company has inspired New Orleans school kids to go truly green: "TerraCycle, in partnership with brands such as Lunchables and Kraft, will be working to keep waste out of the lunch room. As school is revving up and lesson plans are being laid out, TerraCycle will be working with schools in New Orleans and elsewhere to set up brigade programs and collect all the waste possible, while at the same time giving financial rewards for the hard work of these kids. In turn, they are learning about how their efforts impact the environment." Continue reading on Examiner.com Turn old Hurricane cups and Frito bags into upcycled products - New Orleans Green Living | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/green-living-in-new-orleans/turn-old-hurricane-cups-and-frito-bags-into-upcycled-products#ixzz1TyRql9PY

Have you heard of Terracycle? I have heard the blogosphere buzzing about it, so I had to check it out! Terracycle is just the coolest! Besides making cool products, they are helping the environment! Let me try and summarize Terracycle up for you. From their website: TerraCycle upcycles and recycles traditionally non-recycable waste (including drink pouches, chip bags, tooth brushes and many more) into a large variety of consumer products. These products keep waste out of our landfills and contribute to a cleaner world.TerraCycle products are available at a wide range of major retailers from Wal*Mart to Target as well as online. They are eliminating waste in the landfill and make really neat products! Win-Win situation!

Albe Zakes is constantly surrounded by a shrine to garbage. The desks in his office are made from old doors, the walls from soda bottles, and the front showroom covered in recycled Astroturf. The desk dividers are made from vinyl records, and graffiti covers every wall. But considering his job, the workplace makes sense: he’s in charge of media relations for TerraCycle Inc., which sells consumer products made from recycled waste. The company launched in 2001, selling worm poop as fertilizer to retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart. Now, TerraCycle recycles items like Frito-Lay chip bags, Clif Bar wrappers, and Capri Sun pouches to create tote bags, iPhone cases, and MP3 speakers.

Ozark Trail coolers, a line at Walmart stores, have a hard plastic line made entirely from snack packaging that has been recycled by a company called TerraCycle. The coolers range in size from 6-can to 42-can (on wheels) and range in price from $5.88 to $29.88. Anyone can send in their used wrappers to the company for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant's choice For more information, look at http://www.terracycle.net.

Ozark Trail coolers, a line at Walmart stores, have a hard plastic line made entirely from snack packaging that has been recycled by a company called TerraCycle. The coolers range in size from 6-can to 42-can (on wheels) and range in price from $5.88 to $29.88. Anyone can send in their used wrappers to the company for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant's choice For more information, look at http://www.terracycle.net.

Ozark Trail coolers, a line at Walmart stores, have a hard plastic line made entirely from snack packaging that has been recycled by a company called TerraCycle. The coolers range in size from 6-can to 42-can (on wheels) and range in price from $5.88 to $29.88. Anyone can send in their used wrappers to the company for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant's choice For more information, look at http://www.terracycle.net.

Ozark Trail coolers, a line at Walmart stores, have a hard plastic line made entirely from snack packaging that has been recycled by a company called TerraCycle. The coolers range in size from 6-can to 42-can (on wheels) and range in price from $5.88 to $29.88. Anyone can send in their used wrappers to the company for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant's choice For more information, look at http://www.terracycle.net.

Ozark Trail coolers, a line at Walmart stores, have a hard plastic line made entirely from snack packaging that has been recycled by a company called TerraCycle. The coolers range in size from 6-can to 42-can (on wheels) and range in price from $5.88 to $29.88. Anyone can send in their used wrappers to the company for free and for every piece of packaging that TerraCycle receives, participants are awarded with two points, which can be put toward buying a specific charity gift, or converted to money and donated to a charity of the participant's choice For more information, look at http://www.terracycle.net.