Trying to recycle everything—including hard-to-recycle items like coffee pods and cigarette butts—can come at a high cost... Businesses like TerraCycle act like a go-between, approaching companies making hard-to-recycle products and asking them to pay the cost of recycling. In return consumers can send the products off to a private recycling plant for free, and they feel good about it.
Some recycling programs facilitated by private companies — including the manufacturers of products that aren't easily recyclable — are filling the gap in order to divert some of that waste away from the landfill... "Everything technically has a recycling solution," said Jessica Panetta, marketing manager for the Canadian branch for the New Jersey-based TerraCycle.
If you're feeling guilty about all the coffee pods or squeeze pouches you're tossing in the trash, here's some good news: There are ways to recycle these and many other "unrecyclable" items... TerraCycle is one company aiming to "recycle everything."
Chemistry majors go through a lot of synthetic rubber gloves. On any given day at the College of Charleston that could mean hundreds of pairs of the tight-fitting blue or purple nitrile gloves. Until recently, those gloves were simply discarded into the local waste stream (the ones contaminated with toxic solutions are neutralized first). But now, a new program will ensure that the majority of them are recycled.
My apartment is rife with black holes. There’s the space between my hamper and dresser, where garments that need mending go — never to re-emerge. There’s the smallest drawer in my kitchen, jam-packed with plastic utensils and forgotten coupons. And then, of course, there’s the second drawer down in my desk: the tech drawer.
My tech drawer is a repository for all the tech accessories I’ve ever acquired in my adult life. It’s full of things I don’t have any use for, but have never bothered to get rid of. That’s because it’s easier to stick obsolete wires and digital cameras in object purgatory than it is to figure out how to get rid of them.
These Groups Will Help You Celebrate Earth Day Everyday
Every year, Earth Day reminds us all to do our part to keep our planet healthy. But there are plenty of ways to celebrate Earth Day that go beyond a single day on the calendar. We talked to three innovative organizations working for environmental good to show you simple - but powerful - ways to celebrate Earth Day all year long.
