The Beauséjour Dental Health Center in Rouyn-Noranda has recently made it possible for the population to contribute to the protection of the environment by recycling objects that usually could not be recycled.

  On January 13, a tall green and beige box stamped "Recycle - Oral Care Waste" appeared in the center. People who wish can deposit the tubes and the toothpaste plugs, the toothbrushes, their outer packaging as well as the floss containers.   Do it differently   “The box comes from Terracycle. This private company focuses on recycling products that can be, but are not because of too high costs. As you have to pay a certain amount of money to get the box, the funds collected by Terracycle are devoted to recycling methods different from what is commonly used for, for example, cardboard, aluminum and plastic ”, explained France Beauséjour, owner of the Beauséjour dental health center.   The handles of toothbrushes or nylon bristles, for example, can thus be recycled to create other products. "There are notably reusable containers or other dental care products," said Beauséjour.   First out of conviction   "The idea came to us from an Ontario clinic that we knew and that had started to do," said France Beauséjour. So we got informed. Yes, we have to pay to get the box, but there is a label to return it to Terracycle when it is filled. We do this out of conviction. ”   Moreover, the collection box is not reserved only for customers of the Beauséjour Dental Health Center. "Anyone can come and bring us their used oral care items," said Ms. Beauséjour. It's our way of doing our part for the environment. ”

Even if you’re diligent about cleaning your empty salad containers and rinsing out metal cans before you plunk them in a paper grocery bag (aka your recycling bin), chances are there are plenty of could-be recyclables that make it into your trash regardless. It’s not that you’re being thoughtless; it’s that, if we’re being honest, knowing what can be reused (and what can’t) is kind of confusing. But it turns out that you can recycle way more than just newspapers and bottles.   No, that doesn’t mean you can just leave your empty makeup bottles and old CDs curbside—that’s because recycling policies vary depending on where you live. Thankfully, there are a few nationwide organizations that will accept the things you can’t just leave in that blue bin, either via mail or at drop-off locations. Here are some of the surprising items that they’ll take:  

Plastic Bags

You try to always remember your reusable grocery bags, but sometimes, you still end up collecting a plastic bag here or there—it happens. The good news is that you can easily dispose of them (and other “plastic film” products like Bubble Wrap, shipping bubbles, and produce bags) in recycling receptacles around your neighborhood. Just search for your zip code at PlasticFilmRecycling.org to find a grocery store or major retailer that accepts them. (For example, Target and Whole Foods both participate). But no matter what, don’t put them in with your other recyclables because they can damage recycling equipment.  

Contact Lenses

Even it’s 1 a.m., resist tossing your contact lenses in the sink or toilet—when you do, they can end up polluting the ocean. The trash is okay, but it still brings them to the landfill. Luckily, there’s an even better solution: Send them over to TerraCycle, an organization that collects recyclable waste (all you have to do is bring it to a drop-off location or, for some items, pop it in the mail). Through its partnership with Bausch + Lomb, the company collects both contacts and blister cases from any brand to properly clean and recycle them.  

Makeup Packaging

Save your mascara wands, and you’ll be saving animals—amazing, right? You can send used, cleaned wands to Wands for Wildlife, an organization that uses them to remove fly eggs and larva from the fur and feathers of animals in wildlife rehabilitation. One thing, though: The group only collects wands during February and October. (Your remaining mascara tubes—and lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and pretty much any other beauty product packaging—can be recycled through TerraCycle.)  

Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

One billion toothbrushes are thrown away in the U.S. each year—that’s a whole lot of nonbiodegradable plastic. Making the switch to bamboo might be a good thing to consider, but for now, you can send worn-down toothbrushes (and empty toothpaste tubes and empty floss containers) to TerraCycle, which, thanks to a partnership with Colgate, ensures they’re recycled.  

All Kinds of Electronics

You probably already know to trade in or donate old phones and computers, but that’s not all the tech that can be repurposed. Google has its own recycling program for its devices, and Apple will also accept tools like printers, speakers, and keyboards. You can also save those scratched-up CDs and DVDs from the landfill through CD Recycling Center of America. And guess what? Those stacks of VHS tapes in your childhood bedroom can go to Green Disk, too.  

Snack Bags

Can’t knock that afternoon snack habit? Don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, make a habit of collecting chip bags until you have a good amount to recycle through TerraCycle’s partnership with Sensible Portions, which accepts clean family-size and individual-size bags from any snack brand. See, your Flaming Hot Cheetos obsession can be turned into a good thing after all.

Many of us wear our blue denim until it is completely worn out with holes in the knees beyond repair and likely are destined for the trash. Fortunately, during the winter months of January and February, Teton Valley Community Recycling (TVCR) partners with Habitat of Jackson Hole to collect used blue denim no longer suitable for wearing or resale at the Thrift Store. Through the “Blue Jeans Go Green” program, your old blue denim will be upcycled into Ultratouch Denim House Insulation, some of which will be used in local affordable homes.   The TVCR Denim Drive will take place from January through February 15. Please bring your clean blue denim to a collection point at the Geo Center in Driggs (open 5am-11pm) or at the General Laundry in Victor (open 7am-10pm). This is an annual recycling program that we offer each winter, so if you miss it this year, please save your blue jeans for next winter. For more information about the recycling process, check out bluejeansgogreen.org. You can also turn your old cotton clothes into household rags, or compost them when they are really worn out.   While you are dropping off old denim, take advantage of these same locations which are also TerraCycle collection sites to drop off your dental waste (old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers), contact lens & blister packs, deodorant or mouthwash containers, beauty product packaging, health & wellness product packaging, and any sort of foil energy bar wrapper. Thank you for recycling!!   If you have any questions or comments about recycling in Teton Valley, don’t hesitate to contact Iris Saxer at 208-557-1193 or email tetonrecycling@gmail.com.

A St. Catharines small business is helping Niagara up its recycling game with the hopes of ultimately enticing people to embrace a more low-waste lifestyle.   Garden City Essentials, a wellness and lifestyle boutique, is collecting packaging from health and beauty-related products to be recycled through TerraCycle.   “I feel like there’s an evolution that has to happen where people become more mindful of what they’re using, what they’re purchasing and I just really want to support that in my business,” said founder Jolene Antle.   “If I’m going to sell products, I also want to be a place where people can take things that aren’t recyclable.”   With waste overflowing in landfills and oceans, negatively impacting animals and contributing to climate change, Antle said it’s important to take responsibility of an issue we all contributed to creating.   “There’s thousands of ways we can all make changes in our daily lives.”   Even if it’s simply refusing single-use plastics or bringing reusable cups or containers to cafés or restaurants, Antle said those seemingly small changes add up to make a meaningful difference.   Four Zero Waste Boxes now sit in the front window of her James Street shop — one a free, Gillette-sponsored box collecting razor blades (of any brand), the other three she is paying for out of pocket to collect the remnants of products related to oral hygiene, beauty, personal care and cosmetics.   “I’d love to see other businesses and different institutions having boxes that relate to their products.”   It’s the smaller products — like razors, plastic tubes and caps, dental floss containers, lipstick tubes, empty makeup pallets and deodorant sticks — that aren’t accepted by some municipalities because they are small or sharp or inconvenient, said Antle. While these items are technically made of recyclable material, they can still end up in oceans or landfills.   The intention isn’t to be the place people put their packaging waste forever, she said, neither is it to judge anybody for their waste. But it was important to her to offer an alternative and hopefully incite a more thoughtful lifestyle approach.   Lifestyle changes don’t have to be instantaneous, they can happen incrementally, she said.   “I think people become more mindful and they will switch to more sustainable options when it’s time for them, when it’s accessible or when they can afford it.”   In the meantime, she said having a place to recycle those trickier items will at least keep them out of landfills.   Collected items are shipped to one of TerraCycle’s warehouses, located in 21 countries around the globe, where they are cleaned and weighed, said Sue Kauffman, the North American public relations manager.   Treatment depends on the type of material, but generally, she said it is shredded and broken down to its core elements then re-melted into pellets.   These pellets are then sold to other manufacturers to make new products like plastic decking, shipping pallets, outdoor furniture, basically any non-food grade plastic products.   “Walk through Home Depot and anything that’s plastic can be made out of this type of plastic material.”   There’s so much plastic material out there and all of it can be recycled, she said, but it often comes down to economics. Some items are just too expensive to recycle.   “Local recycling industries are trying their best, but they don’t collect everything … What we do is we pick up where local recycling facilities leave off.”   The company offers more than 150 different waste streams and both free (product-sponsored) and paid recycling programs.   In the short time since introducing the Zero Waste Boxes to her shop, Antle said she’s already seen a ton of interest and participation.   Yes, it’s a service that’s costing the shop money, but she said it’s completely worth it.   “If I can reduce my waste but also help people in my community do it, then why wouldn’t I? It seems like a small price to pay.”   For more information, or to purchase a Zero Waste Box of your own, go to terracycle.com.  

outh Philadelphia based soap company, Hand in Hand has recently announced a new incentive to address the waste crisis in the City of Brotherly Love. Hand in Hand to partner with TerraCycle to help the city's growing recycling problem Hand in Hand is used to the philanthropic world: According to the release, the brand is guided by the principles of sanitation, sustainability and philanthropy, and has donated nearly 3 million bars of soap to Haitian and Cambodian children threatened by water-related illnesses. Through partnerships with non-profits in both countries and by creating products that are palm oil-free, cruelty-free, paraben-free and petrochemical-free as well as vegan, Hand in Hand prides itself on environmental and ethical responsibility. The Philly-based company has even worked with Eco-Soap Bank, which diverts leftover hotel soaps from landfills and donates them to schools, hospitals and villages--- just to name another charitable accolade. Now, Hand in Hand has teamed up with TerraCycle to amp up, even more, their existing sustainability initiatives. In partnership with TerraCycle, Hand in Hand will recycle their leftover flexible plastic tubes diverting additional waste from landfills while adding to their sustainability repertoire. The collected plastic waste will be recycled into a variety of new products such as park benches, bike racks, shipping pallets and recycling bins, according to the release. "Hand in Hand is always looking for ways to sustainably improve our packaging while still remaining economical for our active customers," said Holly La Porte, Director of Brand Development in in the release. "With our products, we pride ourselves in supply chain transparency, sourcing our ingredients without palm oil or any palm derivatives. We're thrilled to partner with TerraCycle as a next step in our path to long term packaging sustainability." This new initiative for the company comes after the city incinerated half of its recyclables in 2019 and is set to spend a record amount in 2020 to have recycling hauled. In all, taxpayers will pay up to $9 million this fiscal year for Waste Management to haul their throwaway plastics, glass bottles, and paper — almost double what the city was paying just a few years ago according to inquirer.com. Hand in Hand is looking to help this issue with its partnership with TerraCycle, who according to the release, specializes in collecting and repurposing hard-to-recycle waste through a variety of platforms, including large-scale recycling, which helps manufacturing facilities like Hand in Hand's recycle large volumes of waste. "Partnering with socially-aware and environmentally-conscious businesses like Hand in Hand dovetail well with TerraCycle's philosophy of minimizing the impact of humans while maximizing our ability to do-good," said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO in the release. The new initiative will be huge for the city's growing waste crisis in 2020.

A zero waste grocery store in Sherbrooke Avrac A'davrac provides its customers with a recovery box for non-recycled packaging such as bags of chips. These plastics are supported by TerraCycle. Réjean Blais discusses it with Mourad Ben Amor, professor at the Faculty of Engineering and specialist in Environmental Life Cycle Analysis.   The TerraCycle company manages the "non-recyclable" like coffee pods, used pens, factory plastic gloves and certain types of packaging. The company works with private collectors, large firms, SMEs, local businesses, cities in more than 21 countries. It can divert billions of waste from landfill and incineration.

After the success of l’initiative d’une Sherbrookoise who organized last year's Halloween candy packaging collections, François Vincent, owner of the Avrac A'davrac grocery store in Sherbrooke, decided to take over.   Last October, the Sherbrooke trader participated in Hélène Boissonneault's campaign, which wished to divert the packaging of treats from the landfill.   A one-off initiative that did not continue due to the costs associated with transporting the packaging to Terracycle's facilities in Toronto.   Mr. Vincent decides to maintain the link with Terracycle. He set up a box on the premises of his bulk grocery store that cost him $ 250. To finance the service, he asked customers to pay $ 20 a year.   Candy, potato chip, soft bar or chocolate packaging… François Vincent makes sure to do a final sorting before shipping the packaging to Toronto.

A St. Catharines small business is helping Niagara up its recycling game with the hopes of ultimately enticing people to embrace a more low-waste lifestyle.   Garden City Essentials, a wellness and lifestyle boutique, is collecting packaging from health and beauty-related products to be recycled through TerraCycle.   “I feel like there’s an evolution that has to happen where people become more mindful of what they’re using, what they’re purchasing and I just really want to support that in my business,” said founder Jolene Antle.   “If I’m going to sell products, I also want to be a place where people can take things that aren’t recyclable.”   With waste overflowing in landfills and oceans, negatively impacting animals and contributing to climate change, Antle said it’s important to take responsibility of an issue we all contributed to creating.   “There’s thousands of ways we can all make changes in our daily lives.”   Even if it’s simply refusing single-use plastics or bringing reusable cups or containers to cafés or restaurants, Antle said those seemingly small changes add up to make a meaningful difference.   Four Zero Waste Boxes now sit in the front window of her James Street shop — one a free, Gillette-sponsored box collecting razor blades (of any brand), the other three she is paying for out of pocket to collect the remnants of products related to oral hygiene, beauty, personal care and cosmetics.   “I’d love to see other businesses and different institutions having boxes that relate to their products.”   It’s the smaller products — like razors, plastic tubes and caps, dental floss containers, lipstick tubes, empty makeup pallets and deodorant sticks — that aren’t accepted by some municipalities because they are small or sharp or inconvenient, said Antle. While these items are technically made of recyclable material, they can still end up in oceans or landfills.   The intention isn’t to be the place people put their packaging waste forever, she said, neither is it to judge anybody for their waste. But it was important to her to offer an alternative and hopefully incite a more thoughtful lifestyle approach.   Lifestyle changes don’t have to be instantaneous, they can happen incrementally, she said.   “I think people become more mindful and they will switch to more sustainable options when it’s time for them, when it’s accessible or when they can afford it.”   In the meantime, she said having a place to recycle those trickier items will at least keep them out of landfills.   Collected items are shipped to one of TerraCycle’s warehouses, located in 21 countries around the globe, where they are cleaned and weighed, said Sue Kauffman, the North American public relations manager.   Treatment depends on the type of material, but generally, she said it is shredded and broken down to its core elements then re-melted into pellets.   These pellets are then sold to other manufacturers to make new products like plastic decking, shipping pallets, outdoor furniture, basically any non-food grade plastic products.   “Walk through Home Depot and anything that’s plastic can be made out of this type of plastic material.”   There’s so much plastic material out there and all of it can be recycled, she said, but it often comes down to economics. Some items are just too expensive to recycle.   “Local recycling industries are trying their best, but they don’t collect everything … What we do is we pick up where local recycling facilities leave off.”   The company offers more than 150 different waste streams and both free (product-sponsored) and paid recycling programs.   In the short time since introducing the Zero Waste Boxes to her shop, Antle said she’s already seen a ton of interest and participation.   Yes, it’s a service that’s costing the shop money, but she said it’s completely worth it.   “If I can reduce my waste but also help people in my community do it, then why wouldn’t I? It seems like a small price to pay.”   For more information, or to purchase a Zero Waste Box of your own, go to terracycle.com.

A St. Catharines small business is helping Niagara up its recycling game with the hopes of ultimately enticing people to embrace a more low-waste lifestyle.   Garden City Essentials, a wellness and lifestyle boutique, is collecting packaging from health and beauty-related products to be recycled through TerraCycle.   “I feel like there’s an evolution that has to happen where people become more mindful of what they’re using, what they’re purchasing and I just really want to support that in my business,” said founder Jolene Antle.   “If I’m going to sell products, I also want to be a place where people can take things that aren’t recyclable.”   With waste overflowing in landfills and oceans, negatively impacting animals and contributing to climate change, Antle said it’s important to take responsibility of an issue we all contributed to creating.   “There’s thousands of ways we can all make changes in our daily lives.”   Even if it’s simply refusing single-use plastics or bringing reusable cups or containers to cafés or restaurants, Antle said those seemingly small changes add up to make a meaningful difference.   Four Zero Waste Boxes now sit in the front window of her James Street shop — one a free, Gillette-sponsored box collecting razor blades (of any brand), the other three she is paying for out of pocket to collect the remnants of products related to oral hygiene, beauty, personal care and cosmetics.   “I’d love to see other businesses and different institutions having boxes that relate to their products.”   It’s the smaller products — like razors, plastic tubes and caps, dental floss containers, lipstick tubes, empty makeup pallets and deodorant sticks — that aren’t accepted by some municipalities because they are small or sharp or inconvenient, said Antle. While these items are technically made of recyclable material, they can still end up in oceans or landfills.   The intention isn’t to be the place people put their packaging waste forever, she said, neither is it to judge anybody for their waste. But it was important to her to offer an alternative and hopefully incite a more thoughtful lifestyle approach.   Lifestyle changes don’t have to be instantaneous, they can happen incrementally, she said.   “I think people become more mindful and they will switch to more sustainable options when it’s time for them, when it’s accessible or when they can afford it.”   In the meantime, she said having a place to recycle those trickier items will at least keep them out of landfills.   Collected items are shipped to one of TerraCycle’s warehouses, located in 21 countries around the globe, where they are cleaned and weighed, said Sue Kauffman, the North American public relations manager.   Treatment depends on the type of material, but generally, she said it is shredded and broken down to its core elements then re-melted into pellets.   These pellets are then sold to other manufacturers to make new products like plastic decking, shipping pallets, outdoor furniture, basically any non-food grade plastic products.   “Walk through Home Depot and anything that’s plastic can be made out of this type of plastic material.”   There’s so much plastic material out there and all of it can be recycled, she said, but it often comes down to economics. Some items are just too expensive to recycle.   “Local recycling industries are trying their best, but they don’t collect everything … What we do is we pick up where local recycling facilities leave off.”   The company offers more than 150 different waste streams and both free (product-sponsored) and paid recycling programs.   In the short time since introducing the Zero Waste Boxes to her shop, Antle said she’s already seen a ton of interest and participation.   Yes, it’s a service that’s costing the shop money, but she said it’s completely worth it.   “If I can reduce my waste but also help people in my community do it, then why wouldn’t I? It seems like a small price to pay.”   For more information, or to purchase a Zero Waste Box of your own, go to terracycle.com.

The Pen Centre is challenging local artistic talent to build a team to create a masterpiece using recycled gift cards with a chance to win big money.   Artists in Niagara schools are invited to get creative to plan and design a one of a kind art piece using mostly recycled gift cards and a few recycled items. This is the first time The Pen Centre (TPC) has offered this exciting opportunity called The Pen Centre Gift Card Cycle Challenge for students in hopes of raising awareness around recycling and sustainability. According to Helen Edwards, marketing director for TPC, the idea began a few years ago when a Fonthill group called the Fonthill Nurdles approached the administration about the number of gift cards that end up in landfills. As they inquired further into the issue they found out that even though the card may be made of recycled materials not all municipalities can recycle the gift cards.   “[The gift cards] were still just being tossed out. If you think about how many billions of gift cards are out there, it broke our hearts. Shopping centres, as a whole, are a big producer of those so we thought we are going to turn this around and find a way they can be recycled properly,” said Edwards.   This started the gift card collection program. The community can bring old gift cards to customer service at TPC where they are then sent to a third party.   “We ensure they go to a company called Terracycle. They turn them into things like lawn furniture and other outdoor products and they are repurposed,” said Edwards.   Now with this challenge they are hoping to recycle and reuse even more gift cards. The participants are encouraged to start their own gift cards collection from family and friends to make their artwork.   “We really figured if we could inspire them to go out and get a collection as well, whether it be in their school or from their friends and family, we figure everybody benefits from that,” said Edwards.   To participate in the challenge, classrooms and/or school teams will fill out an application and provide a design sketch when the site goes live on Thursday January 16, 2020. The applications and design sketches are due by March 1, 2020. The Pen Centre will then notify the design teams that they can start to create their art using their collected gift cards from the community and observing the rules of the challenge. Then they will go on display at TPC to be judged and voted on by the community.   There will be three categories: elementary, secondary and post-secondary. The final judging will be done in May. The team that wins in each category will receive $1,000 for the team and $1,000 for their school.   This challenge is a great opportunity for classrooms or groups of artists to create something spectacular.   “We are hoping that teachers use it as an opportunity that if they know they have some students that are really strong when it comes to arts, they can inspire them to pull a team together.  This is a great way for a classroom to do a project to unite everybody for a common goal,” said Edwards.   Not only is this challenge keeping gift cards out of landfills, it is promoting creativity and bringing the community together through art and environmental awareness.   “For the community really the biggest hope is that it is going to highlight the amazing talent we have in the community ranging from a six year old to a university student that could be 40 to 50 years old because I think that is a strong part of who we are in St. Catharines,” said Edwards. “For the mall it is really getting the message across that we are trying to do our part to help the planet and the environment to get these gift cards out of [landfills] and if it inspires other people to think that way as well that’s the icing on the cake for us.”   Edwards and TPC have issued the challenge. Now it is time for Niagara students to put their best artistic skills to the test.