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Terracycle is an amazing company that has taken on the challenge of recycling items that would not otherwise be recyclable. And for the most part it is free to use their services. I use this heavily to help me transition away from plastic products and to help deal with some of the waste from our family’s guilty pleasure items. My kids were crazy about Z-bars for a while and they were such an easy snack so we signed up for the Clif bar brigade and I would send in a box of wrappers every other month. We have since moved on to other snacks that are not packaged in plastic, but sometimes you need that extra step before you leap into a non-plastic alternative. I have used the Colgate oral care, Gillette razor, Go-go squeeze, and Wellness dog food brigades, among others. Additionally, Subaru dealerships have partnered with Terracycle and will accept for drop-off cups, lids, straws, candy and snack wrappers, and coffee and creamer capsules. Other businesses, libraries, or schools may be participating in a collection effort as well and you can search for a drop-off locations near you.
Today’s challenge: Today, I want you to set up an account on Terracycle.com and sign-up for one of the free programs. You may have to be on a waiting list to join, but put your name in anyways if it is something you know you use. Also, check out the Subaru map and other programs that are marked for drop-off to see if there is a participating location near you. What brigade did you sign up for?
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I got on the waitlists for colgate and snack bags. I didn’t necessarily feel like we currently use a lot of any one brand, but that I might be more conscious about picking these brands going forward, knowing that there are recycling opportunities for them. I was a little confused to see the laundry detergent bottle program as I am under impression I can toss them in my recycling bin at home…??? any thoughts?
Yes, just toss those detergent bottles in your regular recycling. They should be plastic #1 or #2. I think that is a way for companies to say they are doing environmental good by putting their name out on a recycling site. For the colgate and snack bags, check the details on Terracyle, they may actually accept all brands. I think the Monona Library collects both dental packaging and snack bags too.
This is AMAZING!!!! Exactly the kind of action items I was hoping for in this challenge! Signed up for Gillette and perusing the others to see what else I want to try. Thank you for this!! 🙂
I have used the Gillette brigade too. I also just found out the Monona Library has a bunch of Terracyle boxes, including razors, so you can drop off there too. About a year ago I switched to a safety razor and ditched disposables forever – this is an advanced level challenge and I didn’t include it in this round, but maybe I’ll do another one in the future.