Problem solving and solution finding is exactly what’s needed in the muddled mess that is the dos and don’ts of our recycling world. “Do I take the lid off?”, “Do I recycle this plastic, or don’t I recycle this one?” are prime examples of how confuzzling the whole process is. It sends us straight for the bin. Whilst we'd encourage creating less waste in the first place... TerraCycle is here to save the day on everything already in circulation. As a global leader in recycling typically hard-to-recycle waste, their goal is to move towards a more circular economy which keeps resources in use for longer. We think they’re VERY cool, read on to find out why...
Think contact lenses, toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, confectionary wrappers, cigarette butts, crisp packets, pet food packets, biscuit packets and stationary (full list here). All items that would normally end up en route to landfill or in our beautiful oceans. In the UK alone there are 500 landfill sites and as a small (but mighty) island, we can’t afford any more space being filled with our crap. The US has 3,091 active landfills and over 10,000 old municipal landfills. So, it’s safe to say, we don’t need any more items in our landfills.
TerraCycle recycling programmes are completely free and easy = NO EXCUSE!!!
Head to the TerraCycle page (Click here)
Choose which programme you want to recycle with that day - for example, if I had lots of toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes I’d saved and collected from my flatmates, I would click on ‘The Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme’
Become a member of this programme (free and quick to sign up)
Then establish your public drop-off location using their interactive map and your postcode. It could well be your local dental practice where you're due a checkup anyway!!
No drop off location nearby, no problem, you can post a shipment for free via UPS (they’ve built their own electric delivery trucks from scratch, *round of applause*)
SAVE THE PLANET
There's no catch!!! You in fact get rewarded for the good you’re doing by accumulating TerraCycle points. These can be redeemed for a variety of charitable gifts or payments to a non-profit organisation of your choice. So by doing good, you’re doing even more good. Upcycling never felt soooo good. WIN WIN!!
The wonderful University of Edinburgh Sustainability department have already placed boxes for your crisp and biscuit packets around campus. Click here to find out where.
Shout out to The Body shop who have 230 of their UK stores now covered by a new partnership scheme with TerraCycle. The Body Shop offers shoppers £5 worth of store credit when they return five items of its own-brand packaging in one transaction. They will also collect empty packaging from any brand, in a bid to maximise its impact!!
When TerraCycle receive the items, they are processed and the material is shredded, cleaned, and converted into a format where it can be used for new product manufacturing. Plastic pieces can also be heated / melted and converted into tiny pellets to be moulded into fun new things as well.
I know I still get normal recycling wrong sometimes, so it may seem a lot to jump on the Terra train, but with a gentle reminder we can all make a real difference and it starts with you! It’s important to get it right, as otherwise contamination of your recycling bag means everything will be incinerated instead of being recycled.
What keeps the recycling men and women happy:
clean and dry card, cardboard, unshredded paper, newspaper, magazines, junk mail, telephone directories and envelopes, old love letters etc.
clean and empty glass containers, glass bottles and jars (take metal lids off and put them loose in your recycling)
clean and empty food and drink cartons including Tetra Pak type food and drink cartons (please squash and keep plastic lids on)
clean and empty metal containers, tins and cans
clean and empty plastic containers, plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays (please squash and keep plastic lids on)
you can also recycle at the supermarket take recyclable plastic film and leftover carrier bags back to recycling points at big supermarkets
References
https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/packaging/plastic-recycling-interview-with-terracycle - Interview with CEO OF TerraCycle: Tom Szaky