Summer is the season for outdoor parties and picnics, and it’s important to take care of the outdoors as you are enjoying it. Instead of filling up your trash can with empty food wrappers and plastic cups after guests leave, you can reuse the packaging yourself or send the waste to TerraCycle, where you can earn money for your favorite charity and keep things out of the local landfill at the same time. TerraCycle, an innovative upcycling and recycling company, partners with brands such as Frito-Lay, Nabisco, Kraft Cheese, Solo, and Scott to reduce the amount of waste being thrown away. Some of the wrappers can also be used for do-it-yourself projects. An easy, crafty summer project is the do-it-yourself chip bowl, which can be made from a Frito-Lay chip bag, and then used for your next party! Or, you can turn your used Solo cups into herb planters for the porch or kitchen. For those who’d prefer to send their waste back to TerraCycle, they’ll earn two cents per item for a charity of their choice.

L'Oreal-owned brand Garnier is launching a new shampoo and conditioner by giving free samples at two El Paso Walmarts this weekend. Garnier Fructis Pure Clean shampoo and conditioner will be given to anyone who drops drop off their beauty/personal products. The events will be Saturday at the Walmart at 4530 Woodrow Bean, and Saturday and Sunday at the Walmart at 9441 Alameda Ave. Fashion, beauty and image expert Patricia Sturla will make a special appearance from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Alameda Walmart. Sturla is part of Garnier's new mobile marketing program called The Cleaner Greener Tour, in partnership with TerraCycle, which educates consumers to think differently about waste, and to learn simple ways to make a positive impact on the environment. The new shampoo and conditioner are biodegradable.

L'Oreal-owned brand Garnier is launching a new shampoo and conditioner by giving free samples at two El Paso Walmarts this weekend. Garnier Fructis Pure Clean shampoo and conditioner will be given to anyone who drops drop off their beauty/personal products. The events will be Saturday at the Walmart at 4530 Woodrow Bean, and Saturday and Sunday at the Walmart at 9441 Alameda Ave. Fashion, beauty and image expert Patricia Sturla will make a special appearance from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Alameda Walmart. Sturla is part of Garnier's new mobile marketing program called The Cleaner Greener Tour, in partnership with TerraCycle, which educates consumers to think differently about waste, and to learn simple ways to make a positive impact on the environment. The new shampoo and conditioner are biodegradable.

I am completely inspired by Tom Szaky’s approach to changing, and changing, and changing his business model to ultimately achieve his organization’s mission. Tom is the CEO of TerraCycle, a recycling company, who described in this New York Times boss blog how he kept adapting his business model until he got it right:

Hate grocery shopping after work and on weekends? Try home delivery. You don’t have to wait for Walmart or Amazon Fresh to expand service in order to get groceries dropped at your door right now. Several services already are available to Snohomish County residents. Perhaps most notable in recent upgrade and expansion is SPUD.com <http://SPUD.com> . SPUD absorbed Seattle competitor Pioneer Organics in 2008. Last year, Jones Soda founder and SPUD customer Peter van Stolk took over.

 have been interested in recycling since I took an Environmental Studies class in college. The problem was in our area there were no recycling facilities. I saved whatever I could--aluminum, cardboard, and paper products--but otherwise I had to trash everything else.  Finally, a few months ago, our community started their own recycling program. I immediately informed my hubby we were saving plastic, tin, and glass. My husband was a bit daunted by this and asked where I was going to store these items.

TerraCycle is teaming up with Garnier’s Cleaner Greener tour as part of their Personal Care and Beauty Brigade program. Get free samples of Garneir's new biodegradable Pure Clean haircare line at the Walmart at 1521 North Cockrell Hill Road in Dallas, May 25-27 from 10am to 6pm. Also take the opportunity to drop off any haircare, skincare or cosmetic packaging to be recycled by TerraCycle and register for their Personal Care and Beauty Brigade program. Learn about how personal care products affect the environment and how to make a positive difference in your daily routine.

Where other people see trash, Tom Szaky sees raw materials. An empty yogurt cup is a plant pot for a nursery. A juice pouch is fabric for a backpack. Disposable plastic cups? Park benches, naturally.

TerraCycle offers collection programs that regularly collect waste from more than 14 million people in 11 countries and convert it into more than 1500 new products and materials. Many of the collection programs are free and focus on waste that is not recyclable via traditional methods. The items are then sold at a variety of retailers, including Walmart and Whole Foods Market. The program was founded in 2011 and aims to eliminate the entire concept of ''waste'' by proving that everything we throw away is actually reusable. Tom Szaky began TerraCycle when he was just a 20-year old college freshman attending Princeton University and started by producing organic fertilizer that was packaged in used soda pop bottles.

TerraCycle is a company I know Mamas will get behind.  We're all doing our part to become a bit greener.  as much as we can I think.  Whether it's packing our kids lunches in more earth friendly packaging or handing down our kids clothes.  We're doing what we can.