TerraCycle’s original product is a ready-to-use, all-purpose liquid plant food packaged directly in reused soda bottles. The product is all natural, burn-proof, has no smell and is incredibly effective for indoor plants of all kinds. The item is now available to be ordered in bulk online with a new label, packaging and spray head for easy application
If you have a garden this year, you may be searching for eco-friendly, safe and recyclable products to use! I have just the place for you to shop! TerraCycle, a company that collects difficult-to-recycle packaging and products and repurposes the material into affordable, innovative products has your back this summer and you will LOVE their products - I know I do!
Here's a friendly, informative e-mail I recently received: "My name is Joey, an intern at TerraCycle, a company that makes innovative home and garden products from a variety of non-recyclable materials. Our products are all natural, recycled, made right here in the USA and most importantly are very effective. Here's a sampling of what we offer:"
Liquid Worm Poop Plant Food: TerraCycle’s original product is back, new and improved. This ready-to-use and all-purpose liquid plant food is eco-friendly and packaged in reused soda bottles. It is natural, odorless, and extremely effective for plants of all kinds, making it perfect for any garden.
Granular Fertilizers: Our all new, Flower and Garden specific Granular Plant Foods are created from a mixture of our signature Worm Poop and other organic ingredients. These powerful plant foods naturally fertilize and only need to be applied to plants and soil every 8-12 weeks!
Recycled Plastic Garden Tools: In addition to our plant foods, TerraCycle has created a line of new garden tools made from 100 percent of recycled plastic that is made from common materials like drink pouches and granola bags. The TerraStone Plant Caddy and the Eco-Terra Watering Can by Plastec are eco-friendly ways to grow your garden, all for under $16.99!
All plant foods and fertilizers can be purchased online at www.TerraCycleShop.com.
Have you ever thought what happens to your Snickers bar package after you finish eating it. Most probably it will end up in a bin and from there it´s a one way ticket to the trash yard, right? Well there is a company that might take your snickers bar package and turn it into... well why not a backpack. That company is called Terracycle, and snickers bar packaging is only a small piece of their story.
It all started with worm poop
The revolution began in 2001 when two freshmen at Princeton University Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer submitted a business plan to a contest sponsored by the Princeton Enterpreneurship Club. The following summer Szaky and Beyer made arrangements with Princeton Dining Services to take the dining hall waste and process it in their prototype „Worm Gin“. By 2002, the company had created a continuous flow process to take garbage and have it processed by worms into fertilizer. The products then were packaged worm poop used in soda bottles. Since then TerraCycle has grown into one of the fastest-growing green companies in the world.
According to a company´s spokesperson Stacey Krauss TerraCycle believes that trash does not exist in nature and that it is their purpose to eliminate waste. „By collecting and finding ways to reuse traditionally non-recyclable materials, Terracycle is changing the way the world views waste,“ said Krauss. Terra is defined as The planet, Earth or land, whereas Cycle is recognized with recycling and upcycling and defined as any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated. By recycling or upcycling items that would normally be sent to landfills, TerraCycle finds a way to help the environment and create a sustainable solution to waste.
Upcycling is making trash valuable
A backpack made of Snickers packaging has more value than the original packaging, once the product inside is gone. „Once the packaging has served its purpose and the candy has been safely delivered to a hungry consumer, the packaging is usually discarded, because it is not believed to have any value. At TerraCycle we find value in packaging as-is and can reuse it in almost its original state,“ said Stacey Krauss.
Meet-up #3 with Tom Szaky, the founder of TerraCycle
This meet-up was organized by the U.S. Embassy for its Alumni and for some reason I managed to make it this time. There are always a lot of interesting people there and since everyone is rowing in the same boat having returned from the States after working or studying there it is nice to see them from time to time. Just like the previous night’s protagonist, little did I know about the guy. I knew he was Hungarian, he was young and a CEO. I thought he must know something and therefore the meeting was promisingly interesting. I googled again. I wanted to know who he was and what his business was and how did he become so important to have a meeting organized for him.
Well, he is all over Google! He is 29, blogs for New York Times and he runs a company now present in 18 countries, he makes money out of trash and he is kind of good-looking. And a genius! Of course I was late from the meeting – as usual (I should stop being late!). I got lucky and they only started after I got there.
Tom founded TerraCycle as a freshman in uni where he made fertilizer out of wormpoop…and wrapped it in used sodabottles…and sold 100,000 of it to Wal-Mart. He realized trash was not entirely waste and it can be reused, recycled or upcycled meaning that with different technology new products can be made out of it so the level of the ever-growing trash can be reduced or even eliminated. His business is about collecting big corporates’ trash (for which he gets paid by the corporate) and then resells it to another company as raw material for which TerraCycle also gets paid. Smart! They collect pens, candy wrappers, juice pouches, bottles and – here comes the mind blower – used chewing gum and used diapers.
He says he started this because he saw a large gap in the market and now he is so successful cause he doesn’t have an adequate competitor. He thinks it is because people don’t find trash “sexy”. I think environmental consciousness IS sexy! He also adds that mostly women and children are open to such ideas, men only buy hybrid cars because of the cool factor. Is it true?
I was curious if he was collecting waste selectively at home as well but he said the company is not yet set up for private trash. Would be nice though! Tom said that TerraCycle’s mission is to eliminate trash for once and for all. Daring goal and a very respectable one. On the other hand I have one concern because in some respect I feel like that this activity legitimates the current production of stuff and wrappers instead of eliminating them. I still appreciate what TerraCycle is doing and at least they are doing something, looking for solutions is far more than most other companies are doing and I dig that.
How to Create a Worm Bin So Your Flowers Stay Beautiful All Year Long:
For those organic gardeners and divas who don't have the time, space or guts to build and maintain your own worm bin, products like TerraCycle Worm Poop can become your new best friend. It's all natural, eco-friendly plant food made from organic garbage.
For those organic gardeners and divas who don't have the time, space or guts to build and maintain your own worm bin, products like TerraCycle Worm Poop can become your new best friend. It's all natural, eco-friendly plant food made from organic garbage.
Fertilize your yard with worm poop each season and I guarantee your flowers will stay healthy all year long. Try it! It's fun.
About the Author: Master gardener and author Annie Spiegelman, attracts a whole new generation of women, girlfriends & moms to the joy of working in nature. For more tips on how you can keep your flowers healthy all year long while building a better future, go to http://www.dirtdiva.com
TerraCycle <http://www.terracycle.net/> has an extensive, far-reaching recycle-able materials collection system running nationwide. These collected bottles, lids, wrappers, bags and more are brought together and recycled into so many cool (and once again useful) products: From purses to shower curtains to flower pots. As their “Terracycle” saying goes, “Send us your trash, and we’ll make it into cool products!”
Opt for greener ways to plant your seedlings.
Photos: Green Nation Gardens <http://www.greennationgardens.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=T3900> and TerraCycle <http://www.dwellsmart.com/Products/Gardening-Tools-and-Supplies/TerraCycle-Natural-Fiber-Pot-Natural-10in>
When you start those seedlings, there's a greener way to sow your seeds. Instead of using plastic pots, create easily biodegradable seedling pots out of newspaper with this Paper Pot Maker ($15) from Green Nation Gardens. If you aren't planting directly into the ground, the greenest option would be to reuse a container you already have. If you're in the market for a new vessel, we like TerraCycle's Biodegradable Fiber Pots and Saucers made from rice husks, and bamboo and coconut fibers. (We're also big fans of the company's organic Garden Fertilizer – it's made from worm poop!)
