TRENTON, N.J. -- In an effort to divert more waste from landfills and help businesses engage in their local community, TerraCycle Inc., the leading upcycler and recycler of difficult-to-recycle waste, is encouraging supermarkets and convenience stores to sign up to recycle empty chip bags, candy wrappers and other packaging that accumulates on a daily basis.
Each year, millions of these wrappers and bags are needlessly discarded and end up in landfills. The stores can join several programs to collect previously nonrecyclable items and give their customers a way to recycle and earn extra funding for a local charity.
TerraCycle collects more than 40 kinds of products and packaging. Collection programs or "brigades" that may make sense for a grocery or convenience store include:
- The Chip Bag Brigade sponsored by Frito-Lay.
- The Candy Wrapper Brigade sponsored by Mars.
- The Lunch Kit Brigade sponsored by Lunchables.
- The Cheese Packaging Brigade sponsored by Kraft Cheese.
An employee or manager can go to www.terracycle.com to view brigades, create an account and access free shipping labels. To be eligible for marketing support, the office must email press@terracycle.net.
Through the brigade programs, a supermarket or c-store can become a community collection location and strengthen its ties to and support of the local community. By acting as the central collection point, any type of these stores has the opportunity to engage local residents and attract new customers. For every item of waste a supermarket or c-store sends in, regardless of name brand, it will earn points that can be put towards charity gifts and monetary donations to local schools or nonprofit organizations, furthering community support and involvement.
"TerraCycle stands not only for recycling, but also community engagement," said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle founder and CEO. "It makes sense for us to support local businesses as they support us in keeping as much waste out of the landfill as possible."
TerraCycle has already kept almost 2.5 billion pieces of trash from going to the landfill, and with its partners, paid almost $4 million to charity.
Founded in 2001, TerraCycle is an international upcycling and recycling company that takes difficult-to recycle-packaging and turns it into affordable, innovative products. TerraCycle works with more than 30 major brands in the United States and around the world to collect used packaging and products that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new materials and products that are available online and through major retailers. The waste is collected through TerraCycle's brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay for every piece of waste collected and returned.
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