It’s all too easy to get discouraged by the vast amount, and devastating reach, of plastic waste. But rather than doing nothing because there’s so much to do, or because (like us), you’ll never be perfect, we can choose to make strides in the right direction. Clean up and Laundry: All-in-one Zero Waste Box

Karen Neder wants your squeezed-out toothpaste tubes, your used-up glue sticks, and your old water filters. By pick-up, drive-by or drop off, she’ll take it all. The magic in Neder’s alchemy is TerraCycle, a company that collects, reuses, upcycles and recycles hard-to-recycle waste. Founded in 2001, the company's website says it operates in more than 20 countries to recycle billions of pieces of waste through various means.

Gifts are not one of my love languages. I’ve taken the quiz, and I know this for a fact. It’s dead last. I’m not sure to what extent this is nurture, or if it’s written into my astrological or actual DNA, but I do know that most of my friends who are non-Christians or didn’t celebrate Christmas, are similarly ambivalent about holiday shopping.

Despite a growing emphasis on recycling, most of what we throw away still winds up in landfills or polluting the ocean. NBC News’ Anne Thompson reports how Terracycle is trying to change that.

Since 2001, TerraCycle founder Tom Szaky has been working hard to eliminate the idea of “waste.” The idea behind the company is to figure out how to repurpose waste, especially hard to recycle waste. They have literally repurposed billions of pieces of waste through innovative programs and partnering with conscientious companies, organizations and individuals. In their own words, “TerraCycle offers free recycling programs funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help you collect and recycle your hard-to-recycle waste.”

Karen Neder wants your squeezed-out toothpaste tubes, your used-up glue sticks, and your old water filters. By pick-up, drive-by or drop off, she’ll take it all. Neder, of Rock Island, has been collecting what most would consider to be garbage from the bathroom, office and kitchen, and turning it into cash to support Blessed Beginnings Preschool at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1330 13th St., Moline. Neder says that with help from the Trinity Lutheran congregation, the collection efforts have raised more than $800 for the preschool and diverted 1,000 pounds of potential waste from landfills since 2014.

The fourth rule for living the wasteless life is to recycle. Recycling is not a solution to mass over-consumption, but where possible, it is preferable to use things that can be recycled effectively than not.

Blue Thunder Technologies has announced the availability of ZeroWaste boxes for recycling various cleanroom consumable items. Offered in three sizes, Blue Thunder ZeroWaste recycling boxes give customers a way to dispose of their waste sustainably and recycle disposable items such as cleanroom wipes, gloves, and various Personal protective equipment (PPE) items.

Here you’ll find ways to reduce waste in your daily life that are fun & sustainable! We have made a list of where you can shop to help you live a zero-waste lifestyle. Let us know your favourite zero-waste shopping tips in the comments!

One of the main things we have found in our garbage bins that are the most common are blue nitrile gloves that we use for farm safety practices. Unfortunately, there is no way around using them in certain areas on the farm for food safety purposes, and they are a significant source of waste.