When I came across the news that pianist Soyeon Lee’s new cd is made of reused potato chip bags, it reminded me of the cool things that the company TerraCycle is doing. TerraCycle has found ways to reuse a number of items that would normally become garbage (because they can’t be recycled) and turn them into bags, school supplies, office items and now, cds!
TerraCycle started out as a worm composting company, but has evolved into much more. While they still make their worm poop fertilizer, they also sell cleaners, bird feeders, rain barrels and fire logs, all of which are in reused bottles and boxes.
They also involve the public in their eco-capitalist efforts through several projects. TerraCycle invites groups to sign-up for a “brigade” to donate wrappers and in exchange receive money (usually about $.02 per wrapper) to donate to a school or non-profit organization. The packaging is then “upcycled” into a variety of fun items like backpacks and notebooks. There’s a Cookie Brigade, Energy Bar Brigade, Drink Pouch Brigade, and even a Cork Brigade (I need to look into that one because I’ve been saving corks for months without knowing what to do with them). It looks like TerraCycle has partnered with several companies like Clif Bar, Kashi and Frito-Lay for the collection and upcycling efforts. Just about anyone can sign up and once approved, they send free shipping supplies to help get you started.
Now of course I have to interject that the goal should be to not have any of this non-recyclable stuff around at all. But, it appears that drink pouches and chip bags are here for the indefinite future so why not do something creative and useful with them? I have a drink pouch lunch box and it’s quite the conversation piece. These upcycled products may help open people’s eyes to the possibilities of using our resources creatively and wisely. And maybe we’ll change the perception of what “waste” really is.
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