Tool of Trade: Terracycle

I recently learned Terracycleis an easy and affordable resource for recycling items that cannot be recycled locally. The company connects users with mail-in recycling programs (some free, some paid) and provides prepaid shipping labels. a few examples Dunkin’ coffee bags; Gillette and Venus blades, razors and their packaging; and (the only program I’ve ever used), packaging And aerosol spray cans from amika hair products. Since it’s Earth Month, we thought it would be time to tell you about this Trading Tool.

Curbside plastic recycling is certainly not as successful as it seems. A complication arises when people mix recyclable containers 1 and 2 with other types of non-recyclable plastics, which often happens. Sorting plants then often end up with contaminated cargoes that must be sent to landfill or incinerated. Phys.org. Reporting 2022 Greenpeace report on recycling, NPR unfortunately, “The vast majority of the plastic that people use and in many cases end up in the blue recycling bins ends up in landfills or worse.”

{relating to: where can you recycle, donate and sell your work clothes?}

If you want to recycle certain products that your local recycling facility will not accept, use the search box at: terracycle.com To see if there is a suitable program for it. (Once you create a free account and choose a program for a particular product, that product may not be immediately available. I’m currently “pending approval” for the Brita filter program and I’m on the waiting list for Wellness pet food, so I’m waiting for an email announcing I’ve joined.)

Terracycle also provides details on retailers that will accept certain recyclables. For example, participating Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores will accept specific beauty product packaging.

{relating to: How to live a low-waste lifestyle: tips from busy Corporette readers}

Another option is Zero Waste Binprovides you with large cardboard boxes for sending certain types of non-locally accepted waste to Terracycle, both from homes and businesses. A Kitchen Separation Zero Waste Bin water filters, candy wrappers, clothes, etc. allows you to send items. The program is quite expensive; a small box (11″ x 11″ x 20″) costs $86.60 (sale price), but shipping is free.

Terracycle can also help you help your community recycle hard-to-recycle items – above all fast food restaurant sauce packs with VTech and LeapFrog electronics. Register to place a collection box at a local delivery point (for example, a library) and it will be added to: Terracycle’s map. When you have loads of items to ship, the company will provide a prepaid shipping label as usual.

I’m curious about the tradeoff between the carbon footprint of recyclable shipping materials and the environmental impact of keeping these items from landfilling or incineration, but shipments are shipped via UPS Ground rather than air, and my Amika bottle shipping labels are marked “UPS carbon neutral shipment” (see details on UPS’s site). (We have contacted Terracycle to request more information and are awaiting a response.)

{relating to: 4 eco-friendly, zero-waste cleaning products}

Readers, have you ever used Terracycle or something similar? How careful are you about recycling at home or in the office, and how much does your company help with employee recycling?

Further reading:

• “You’re probably recycling the wrong way. This test will help you solve it.” [Washington Post]
• “Recycling Myth of the Month: These numbered symbols on single-use plastics don’t mean ‘you can recycle me’” [Oceana]
• “How to Empty Your Old Office Equipment” [Wirecutter]
• “Happy Earth Day From Your Colleague Who Secretly Segregates Office Recycling” [The Wall Street Journal]
• Bonus: “Recycle, Compost or Trash? a guide” [McSweeney’s]

Stock photo via stencil.