TerraCycle is a company that specializes in recycling non-conventional materials, like chewing gum. It partners with businesses to reduce their waste and offers many different recycling options. There's also an option for individuals to partner with TerraCycle to recycle things like diapers. This article is part of a series called "Partners for a Sustainable Future," profiling innovative alliances that are driving real progress in sustainability. Casey Dworkin, founder of Sylven New York. Courtesy of Casey Dworkin Then in 2019, she partnered with TerraCycle, a business that specializes in recycling non-conventional materials. TerraCycle melts down waste, pelletizes it, and shapes it to be repurposed into anything from shipping pallets to park benches. "While the vast majority of recycling companies tend to concentrate on traditional waste streams like aluminum, paper, or specific types of plastic, TerraCycle has made a name for itself in recycling 'the unrecyclable,'" Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, told Insider. "This type of hard-to-recycle waste takes the form of virtually anything from cigarette butts to plastic snack packaging to used chewing gum." Here's a look at how TerraCycle helps companies like Sylven recycle their products. Recycling for businesses and products of all shapes and sizes The TerraCycle building exterior, made with recycled material. Courtesy of Terracycle TerraCycle offers different options to its partners, depending on the size and needs of the brand: Zero waste box: This is what Dworkin and many other small-business owners use. Szaky calls it a "turnkey, all-inclusive recycling solution for hundreds of typically non-recycled items, from coffee capsules to the entire contents of your bathroom."  Mail-in envelope recycling programs: These are typically for mid-sized brands with products that can fit in mailable envelope pouches. Brand-sponsored national recycling programs: This option is for large-scale businesses that have a substantial amount of products to recycle. Companies that opt for this program also receive assistance from TerraCycle with social-media engagement and press outreach designed to drive consumer awareness of the policies.  Brands interested in integrating TerraCycle into their operations work with their business development team to develop a custom program and learn what their product may be turned into. "I'm sending them one of my shoes so that they can actually analyze the different components within it and give me a breakdown of exactly how each item and how each material can be recycled," Dworkin, who used to create shoes with Italian leather but recently switched to apple leather, said. Sylven shoes are made with apple leather. TerraCycle's Tom Szaky says their recycled materials could work for playgrounds. Courtesy of Casey Dworkin Her products are likely to be converted into material placed under playgrounds. "I don't have shoes that are at the end of their product life, but my goal was to set a system in place so that when that time comes, we can be as responsible about their end life as possible," Dworkin added. TerraCycle works with third-party subcontracting facilities for processing and conversion work and a network of end users who implement the recycled material into their end-products, Skazy said. In one instance, TerraCycle partnered with Head & Shoulders to create the first recyclable shampoo bottle out of beach plastic. Individuals can recycle almost anything, from diapers to 3D materials Plastic recyclables in the TerraCycle office. Courtest of TerraCycle While TerraCycle focuses on helping businesses, they also have options for individuals looking to recycle beyond paper and plastic products. Once a person makes a TerraCycle account, they have the opportunity to send in waste by purchasing specific product boxes to ship in or utilize a local drop-off location. "I'm almost doing it on a consumer level," Dworkin said. "I'm essentially purchasing their boxes that you use for footwear specifically, and I'll be filling it and sending it to them." Pricing for these boxes range based on what a person wants to recycle. For example, boxes for 3D printing materials start at $149. Alternatively, a box for diaper and waste packaging begins at $72 for the same size. These price variations account for the cost of shipping and recycling the specific item. Individuals shopping from brands who partner with TerraCycle can return their ready-to-be-recycled products to the company they purchased from. The brand then adds it to their pre-purchased containers to send to TerraCycle.  "During the lockdown, individuals also became more conscious of the volume of waste generated by themselves and their families. People had more time to think about the products they used, the amount of waste they were producing, and viable solutions for the packaging," Szaky said. Keeping the environment top of mind In August, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change released a report stating that human influence has "unequivocally" warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land.  "Now more than ever, consumers expect the brands they support to be as committed to their mission as they are to their actual products and are demanding that companies be transparent about their sustainability efforts," Szaky said. He believes that a brand partnering with TerraCycle shows its customers that they're taking actionable steps to fight climate change.  As Dworkin scales up her business, she hopes to create custom systems with TerraCycle. "Before recycling, we always promote care and repair," she said. She speaks with admiration for the steps in place for bigger shoe and apparel brands TerraCycle's partnered with, especially the analysis of each product to determine the most energy and cost-efficient methods of recycling each material. "There's a lot of opportunities for us to make custom solutions further down the road," Dworkin said. "It's super dependent on the specific materials that they're looking at. So because my materials are so specific, it'll be really cool to see exactly what solutions are possible."     

According to industry data, Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy for Halloween. But when the parties are over and trick or treating is done, pesky piles of candy wrappers can be found at curbs all over the neighbourhood - and all across the country. Most candy wrappers are tricky to recycle because they are made from a mix of materials, including polypropylene, aluminum foil, and paper. To avoid being haunted by the remnants of these bite-sized, individually-wrapped treats, TerraCycle's Zero Waste Boxes provide a recycling solution for all brands of flexible plastic-based candy packaging and wrappers, which are not recyclable through conventional recycling facilities. When placed in public spaces such as schools, community centres, local businesses, and neighbourhood parks, Candy and Snack Wrappers Zero Waste Boxes encourage people to responsibly dispose of their wrappers instead of tossing items on the ground. When full, the boxes, pouches and pallets can be returned to TerraCycle for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. "Here at TerraCycle, we are happy to provide a few tricks to help you enjoy your treats guilt-free through our Zero Waste Box program," said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle. "Our solutions make it easy to go green this Halloween by reducing the impact of candy and snack wrappers on the environment."

• Making your office more eco-friendly can be achieved through simple adjustments.
• For example, updating antiquated HVAC systems that don't allow for seasonal fluctuations can save energy.
• Using digital files in lieu of paper memos is also generally safer and more secure.

Can your team make more sustainable choices without giving up in-office necessities? Can sustainable habits actually save you time and money, or is it all a hassle no matter how you slice it? These tips can go beyond simple waste reduction and eco-friendly practices to actually save your company money on recycling costs, simplify waste management, mitigate HVAC costs and so much more.

Tip #1: Go the digital route

Switch from paper documents to electronic and cloud management systems whenever possible. These options can often be more secure, easier to search through and access for remote and off-site workers, and they help reduce the need for physical filing cabinets and archival storage. Additionally, digital file exchange puts less of a burden on recycling and waste disposal efforts, none of which are free in a commercial setting. You can also order 100% recycled paper that is FSC-certified for remaining print-media needs.

Tip #2: Curb plastic promotional items

Limit the amount of cheap plastic promotional items distributed at events. You can also switch to paper-based and biodegradable alternatives for branded swag items like pens, binders and lip balms.

Tip #3: Switch to non-toxic cleaning products

There are now many greener commercial alternatives that you can ask your cleaning company to use instead of traditional chemicals that have been proven to taint water systems and reduce air quality.

Tip #4: Increase your organization's recycling efforts

You can start by providing plenty of clearly labeled bins throughout office spaces. One vendor called TerraCycle offers Zero Waste collection boxes for many standard office items such as batteries, ink cartridges, and presentation materials.

Tip #5: Revamp your HVAC systems

Update heating, cooling, and ventilation systems to optimize energy efficiency. Install timers and motion sensors to limit unnecessary lighting and energy use during low occupancy periods, like the weekends or statutory holidays. Between installing advanced HVAC technology and using it as intended, you can reduce your office's power grid usage as well as its emissions, all while saving the company money in a very real way.

As the United States turns a corner with the pandemic, workers are being asked to abandon their quarantine bubbles and return to the workplaces they left well over a year ago. However, many are returning to very different office environments as companies trash now unnecessary office equipment in response to either economic-related personnel cuts or employees’ widespread adoption of remote or hybrid schedules, as 44 percent of total U.S. workers are, according to Statista. Just as TerraCycle provided innovative recycling solutions for the surplus of otherwise unrecyclable personal protective equipment (PPE) produced during the pandemic, the international recycling leader is back again with convenient solutions to address this new influx of unwanted office supplies. TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Boxes provide a convenient recycling solution for nearly every conceivable piece of office waste, which generally is not recyclable through most towns’ conventional recycling facilities. When placed in high-traffic areas like breakrooms or kitchens, Zero Waste Boxes provide psychic income to eco-minded employees and deliver an environmentally-friendly alternative to landfilling in the form of recycling—all while discouraging clutter throughout any newly renovated office. To recycle common forms of unwanted office supplies, TerraCycle offers the following Zero Waste Boxes:

• Office Supplies Zero Waste Box – to recycle tape dispensers, desk organizers, card and document filers, binders, calendars, labels, staplers, hole punchers, dividers, paper cutters, correction supplies, pens/pencils/markers, fasteners, paper clips, staples, binder clips and sticker and label sheet backing. Not a solution for e-waste like electronic staplers and label making machines.
• Office Separation Zero Waste Box – to recycle art supplies, books and magazines, eye wear, cleaning accessories, fabrics and clothing, interior home furnishings, media storage, office supplies, paper packaging, pet products (non-food), plastic packaging, plastic cards and shipping materials.
• Media Storage Zero Waste Box – To recycle any object or device capable of storing data (ie. audio, video) in analog or digital format including records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs, Blu Ray discs, floppy disks, memory sticks and external hard drives.
• E-Waste Zero Waste Box – To recycle any household or office e-waste including home phones, cell phones, computer cables and accessories, keyboards, VCR/DVD players, hand-held computers, digital music players, pagers, radios, cameras, video recorders, TVs, laptops, desktop computers and monitors, printers and scanners, digital cameras, copiers, typewriters, fax machines, stereos, tuners and turntables and receivers and speakers.

When full, the boxes can be returned to TerraCycle for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, created the Zero Waste Box program to provide solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste that cannot be recycled through TerraCycle’s brand-sponsored, national recycling programs or via standard municipal recycling. “No matter if you’re implementing a hybrid schedule or if you’re planning to return to the office in full-force this fall, our workplaces will likely begin to look a lot different compared to how we left them,” says Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “TerraCycle’s goal is to make this transition as easy and as environmentally-friendly as possible by giving your business the power to divert waste from landfills through our turn-key Zero Waste recycling solutions.” TerraCycle works with major manufacturers and retailers to recycle products and packaging that would normally be thrown away. Learn more about TerraCycle and its innovative recycling solutions.

TerraCycle’s zero-waste boxes offer recycling solutions for common office waste or unwanted supplies as more employees return to the office or adopt hybrid schedules TRENTON, NJ, August 3 2021 – As the United States turns a corner with the pandemic, workers are being asked to abandon their quarantine bubbles and return to the workplaces they left well over a year ago. However, many are returning to very different office environments as companies trash now unnecessary office equipment in response to either economic-related personnel cuts or employees’ widespread adoption of remote or hybrid schedules, as 44% of total U.S. workers are, according to Statista. Just as TerraCycle® provided innovative recycling solutions for the surplus of otherwise unrecyclable personal protective equipment (PPE) produced during the pandemic, the international recycling leader is back again with convenient solutions to address this new influx of unwanted office supplies. TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Boxes provide a convenient recycling solution for nearly every conceivable piece of office waste which are generally not recyclable through most towns’ conventional recycling facilities. When placed in high-traffic areas like breakrooms or kitchens, Zero Waste Boxes provide psychic income to eco-minded employees and deliver an environmentally-friendly alternative to landfilling in the form of recycling — all while discouraging clutter throughout any newly renovated office. To recycle common forms of unwanted office supplies, TerraCycle offers the following Zero Waste Boxes:

• Office Supplies Zero Waste Box – to recycle tape dispensers, desk organizers, card and document filers, binders, calendars, labels, staplers, hole punchers, dividers, paper cutters, correction supplies, pens/pencils/markers, fasteners, paper clips, staples, binder clips and sticker and label sheet backing. Not a solution for e-waste like electronic staplers and label making machines.
• Office Separation Zero Waste Box – to recycle art supplies, books and magazines, eye wear, cleaning accessories, fabrics and clothing, interior home furnishings, media storage, office supplies, paper packaging, pet products (non-food), plastic packaging, plastic cards and shipping materials.
• Media Storage Zero Waste Box – To recycle any object or device capable of storing data (ie. audio, video) in analog or digital format including records, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CDs and DVDs, Blu Ray discs, floppy disks, memory sticks and external hard drives.
• E-Waste Zero Waste Box – To recycle any household or office e-waste including home phones, cell phones, computer cables and accessories, keyboards, VCR/DVD players, hand-held computers, digital music players, pagers, radios, cameras, video recorders, TVs, laptops, desktop computers and monitors, printers and scanners, digital cameras, copiers, typewriters, fax machines, stereos, tuners and turntables and receivers and speakers.

When full, the boxes can be returned to TerraCycle for processing and the collected waste will be cleaned, melted and remolded to make new products. TerraCycle, the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, created the Zero Waste Box program to provide solutions for difficult-to-recycle waste that cannot be recycled through TerraCycle’s brand-sponsored, national recycling programs or via standard municipal recycling. “No matter if you’re implementing a hybrid schedule or if you’re planning to return to the office in full-force this fall, our workplaces will likely begin to look a lot different compared to how we left them,” says Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “TerraCycle’s goal is to make this transition as easy and as environmentally-friendly as possible by giving your business the power to divert waste from landfills through our turn-key Zero Waste recycling solutions.” TerraCycle works with major manufacturers and retailers to recycle products and packaging that would normally be thrown away. To learn more about TerraCycle and its innovative recycling solutions, visit www.terracycle.com. About TerraCycle TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine’s list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.com.

• By Recycling Product News Staff
• August 03, 2021

By Tom Szaky, TerraCycle

In college, one of my professors taught a popular theory of economics that a company’s sole purpose is to deliver profit to shareholders. Since then I’ve found that, yes, of course you want a company to be profitable so it can continue to exist. But the purpose of business to me is what it does — what service it provides, what product it makes, and how it helps people, society, and the planet. In the pursuit of purpose, I resolved to create businesses that put those things first. Twenty years later, I stand at the helm of companies that do just that. Today operating in 22 countries, TerraCycle® is known for creating first-of-its-kind recycling solutions for nearly everything the world would consider trash: empty writing utensils, plastic litter collected off beaches, even dirty diapers, cigarette butts, and used chewing gum.

Companies work with us to sponsor collection programs for their own products, as well as entire categories of waste, to bring solutions at no cost to customers. To fill in the gaps, the Zero Waste corner of our business allows anyone to recycle everything else through turnkey, pay-as-you-go solutions that can be used to reduce waste at home, the office, in public and community spaces, and at events. Corporations, municipalities, small businesses, and individuals bring TerraCycle’s programs to life, while manufacturers use our collection infrastructure to source unique materials for new production, driving value through this story. So far this model has diverted nearly 8 billion pieces of traditionally non-recyclable material away from landfills and towards a new supply chain of recycled content. We also offer large-scale recycling and compliance services for facilities across the United States through our Regulated Waste division. Handling items such as batteries, fluorescent lamps, and e-waste as regulated by the EPA, we’re able to help businesses remain compliant while saving money on storage and labor costs and improving workplace safety for their employees and staff. Simply put, the main function of our business is to solve problems related to waste. For example, it was estimated global waste increased 30% in the first year of the global pandemic. As part of our efforts, TerraCycle scaled and adapted its existing solutions for PPE (personal protective equipment, such as disposable masks, gloves, and face shields) to address the flurry of these discarded items. The actions of individual consumers and citizens of course have an impact, but our main target is businesses: retailers, manufacturers, and service facilities providing a product. It is through partnership that we are able to help companies offer a better alternative to their customers, the individuals that collectively steer the market through their choices. A couple years ago TerraCycle launched Loop, a reuse engine for brands and manufacturers to reimagine their single-use packages as durable, refillable containers. Similar to TerraCycle, companies big and small partner with us to offer a way for customers to enjoy their products without the packaging waste. Ulta Beauty, the leading beauty chain, is one brand in partnership with Loop to bring its personal care shelf into the no-waste space. Loop is today in an exciting growth phase as it launches in new markets around the world (most recently Japan), and building upon the success of in-store space at Carrefour in Europe, will soon pilot at retail locations across the United States. Guests will soon be able to purchase products and drop off their empty containers at participating stores. The spirit of where TerraCycle started twenty years ago — in my college dorm room as a submission to a business competition, feeding food waste to worms to make fertilizer — carries through in our work today. We saw the value and opportunity in the things people throw away, and today use our business to change perspectives about waste, allowing businesses to drive change. As we continue to grow, we’re launching new models and are fortunate to have the world’s biggest brands and retailers as clients, all the while staying true to a mission to eliminate the idea of waste, which in turn furthers a circular economy. Aligning human consumption with nature’s activities, the circular economy keeps resources in use and cycling around as long as possible, reducing the strain on the Earth’s finite cradle of resources and impacts on the environment. Recycling, reduction, and reuse are elements of a circular economy. This is in contrast to the linear economy; simply put, it’s a take-make-waste model that extracts new resources for production and sends them in one direction: the trash. The linear economy has long done well to drive profits, create jobs, and inspire innovation, but not only this is not sustainable from an environmental perspective, there is a real business case for being the ones to change the paradigm towards one that is regenerative and keeps responsibility for products and their impacts with the companies that produce them. Consumers are looking to the brands they buy to make it easy for them to lighten their footprint while still enjoying the products they’ve come to know. They want it to be convenient, cost-effective, and socially valuable for them to make that switch. They already report being willing to pay more or switch brands for ones doing this work for them. We help brands do this work. This is our purpose, to drive this change, and we cannot do it alone. Our ability to be profitable has allowed us to seek out new partnerships, strengthen the core revenue streams of our business, and incubate entirely new lines of business. Our profitability is what supports and frees us in our initiative to address the changing needs of our customers. The world is waking up to the great problems with waste and the companies that produce it, and we’re here to help them all be a part of the solution.   Article by Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a global leader in collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. TerraCycle operates in over 20 countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers and manufacturers to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that currently go to landfill or incineration. Through TerraCycle, Tom creates circular solutions for hundreds of difficult waste streams such as cigarette butts, dirty diapers and used chewing gum. TerraCycle operates the largest supply chain for ocean plastic in the world, partnering with companies to integrate this material into their packaging. In May 2019 TerraCycle launched Loop, a circular reuse platform that enables consumers to purchase products in durable, reusable packaging. Loop is available in Paris, France, Canada, the UK, Japan and the 48 contiguous U.S. states, and is a key step in helping to end the epidemic of waste that is caused by ‘single- use’ consumption. In 2022, Loop will become available in Australia. Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of social, environmental and business awards and recognition from a range of organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Fortune and Time Magazines, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tom is the author of four books, “Revolution in a Bottle,” “Outsmart Waste,” “Make Garbage Great” and “The Future of Packaging” and created, produced and starred in TerraCycle’s reality show, “Human Resources” which aired from 2014-2016 and is syndicated in more than 20 foreign markets on Amazon and iTunes.