Got Bottles? Terra Cycle Wants ‘Em
I wrote about my class visit to the landfill (oh yes, I've been to TWO different landfills in the last six months) and about how that has impacted both my students and our school. Along with kicking butt in paper recycling (our Abitibi dumpster was filled to the brim today in our first post-spring-break recycling collection), we've slowly but surely started plastic bottle recycling.
Even our small school (320 students) generates a ton (figuratively) of plastic beverage bottles every day. I also mentioned that were were recycling our 20 ounce bottles through Terra Cycle's Bottle Brigade.
Terra Cycle, in short, rocks. Founded by Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer in 2001 while students at Princeton, Terra Cycle started as a way to spread the benefits of vermicomposting (that is, composting with worms) to a larger audience. For those out of the loop, worm poop is awesome fertilizer for your garden. Brown gold, if you will. Szaky and Beyer were eventually able to earn startup funds, and by 2004, Home Depot was carrying Terra Cycle Plant Food on their website.
Not only is their actual product eco-friendly, but their packaging is, as well. That's what happens to my kids' 20 ounce soda bottles: we send them back to Terra Cycle (sans label and cap), who pays us for the bottles. A nickle each. Anyone can do this, although you don't really get paid: the charity of your choice gets the money. This works for us, since technically, our school is a charity, so we can get paid. Terra Cycle takes those bottles, washes them, and relabels them. They add a trigger spray (a leftover from another corporation that produced too many) and the product is ready to ship.
Nowadays, you can still find Terra Cycle Plant Food at Home Depot, along with multiple other outlets. You can also join the Bottle Brigade, and Terra Cycle will send you prepaid shipping boxes to send them your 20 ounce bottles, which you can send back to them and donate your contribution to your favorite charity. More information on both the worm poop and the Bottle Brigade at Terra Cycle's website.
March 29th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Thank you so much Kelli for sharing this story and this product with me! What an inspired idea! I went to the Terracycle page and the movie clips made it easy and fun to learn more! I am definitly going to keep an eye out for this product when shopping in the future.
April 22nd, 2007 at 2:09 am
I collect bottles for our local girl scouts. I’ve collected thousands of bottles for them (probably at least 5000+ so far)and a friend of mine is helping also and many other people are saving for them too. I believe they are leading the nation in that program because I’ve collected so many! I used to get them at our high school when I was still in school last year, now I’m getting them by the hundreds at the magazine plant that I work at. I think Terracycle is one of the best companies around and everyone should buy Terracycle products for their plant food.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Hello,
I was going to get my Org to collect they said it was a good idea but waited to long because they shut down the program to all but 4,000 locations. Please read the following that was in their newsletter:
Bottle Brigade Sponsorship:
TerraCycle’s Bottle Brigade collection program for used 20 oz bottles is growing
faster then we ever expected. Too fast in fact! Due to rising number of
participants, as well as, the rising price of gas and shipping costs we have
been forced to cap the program at 4,000 locations. We need your help before we
can open the Brigade back up for sign ups. We are looking for a corporate
sponsor who is interested in funding this environmental program in return for
priceless exposure on a national and local level. For more details on the
sponsorship program and all its advantages visit: http://www.terracycle.net/bb.
So yeah great program and good job collecting 5000+ thats good!
Thanks!