TerraCycle is one of my favorite companies. Their motto is someone else’s trash is someone else’s pocketbook, or bag or flower pot or binder OR whatever, this entreprenuerial groups of lads and lasses can dream up…They collect yogurt cups, FritoLay’s potato chips bags, Nabisco wrappers, and assorted other items that we ordinarily just flip into the garbage. (I think the count if up to 18 items they collect. Whew! You need roller skates to keep up with them…)
What do they do with all that “garbage?” Upcycle it into different products. PLUS, the Company pays schools and other nonprofit and religious organization two cents per item. Nice little incentive.
What is one of the newest and greatest additions to the collection bridgades? TerraCycle has partnered with 3M to take back tape dispensers and cores, so 3M can reused them to sell new tape dispensers. Why does this thrill me? According to the Company, there are millions of tape dispensers and cores that end up in landfills every year. If you use tape like a feen, you know what I mean.
Secondly, in my circle, there has been some discord over upcycling products that can not be recycled themselves, Most specifically, anything orginally made of plastic. (Why should products be made out of plastic in the first place? See my article, “Are Recycled Plastic Bottle Products Really Eco-Friendly?”) Now, 3M has taken a bold step to actually take back their product and reuse it in the same form. It is about time. (Did you hear this Avery, who by the way, still won’t return my phone calls about a take back program with regards to their plastic vinyl binders, which countless are thrown out every year… )
Although the tape dispensers are made of plastic and so is tape, I am glad 3M with the help of TerraCycle is taking back their products and reducing their consumption of natural resources. Want to jump onto the Terracycle bridgade to start collecting? I thought you would. So, would I except, there are no longer any more open spots! 3M only alloted 1000 spots to this brigade. It was so popular that I snoozed and lost the opportunity to get my own school into the program. (By the way, we are collecting yogurt cups and Nabisco wrappers.) So, 3M open up more spots!
Darvin @ Recycling Christmas Card says
November 23, 2009 at 11:58 pmExcellent post. A tape dispenser is one of many things I would have no idea as to how to recycle it, so it’s great to hear that someone is taking this on.
.-= Darvin @ Recycling Christmas Card´s last blog ..UPDATE: CardsDirect Recycling and Reuse Program =-.
3M Fan says
December 30, 2009 at 11:08 pmI think it great that 3M is working towards recycling their products. Too bad it’s on such a small scale. Hopefully they make it larger in the future.
Dale says
February 23, 2016 at 9:54 amHello… does anyone know if there are tape recycling programs. My company goes through cases and cases of 3m filament tape and clear packing tape. It is used to secure items during transport and then thrown out
Anna@Green Talk says
February 24, 2016 at 1:59 pmDale, I looked and couldn’t find anything. I wonder if you can contact Terracycle and ask if they have a use for the tape. You might have to pay them to dispose or re-use it.