I recently found out about Terracycle, which is an easy and convenient resource for recycling items that can’t be recycled locally. The company connects users with mail-in recycling programs (some free, some paid) and provides prepaid shipping labels. A few examples are Dunkin’ coffee bags; Gillette and Venus blades, razors, and packaging; and (the one program I’ve used so far), packaging and aerosol spray cans from Amika hair products. Because it’s Earth Month, we thought it would be a great time to tell you about this Tool of the Trade.
Curbside plastic recycling definitely isn’t the success it’s often been made out to be. One complication arises when people mix recyclable No. 1 and No. 2 containers with other types of plastics that can’t be recycled, which happens often. Sorting facilities then end up with contaminated loads that frequently must be sent to the landfill or incinerated, according to Phys.org. Reporting on a 2022 Greenpeace report on recycling, NPR noted that, unfortunately, “The vast majority of plastic that people use, and in many cases put into blue recycling bins, is headed to landfills, or worse.”
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If you want to recycle particular products your local recycling facility won’t accept, use the search box on Terracycle.com to see if there’s a program available for it. (Be aware that when you create a free account and choose a program for a specific product, it may not be immediately available. I’m currently “pending confirmation” for the Brita filter program and waitlisted for the Wellness pet food one, so I’m waiting for an email to notify me that I’m in.)
Terracycle also provides details on retailers that will accept certain recyclables. For example, participating Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores will accept certain beauty product packaging.
{related: how to live a low-waste lifestyle: tips from busy Corporette readers}
Another option is the Zero Waste Box, which provides you large cardboard boxes to send Terracycle certain types of waste not accepted locally — from both households and businesses. A Kitchen Separation Zero Waste Box lets you ship items like water filters, candy wrappers, clothing, etc. The program is pretty pricey; a small box (11″ x 11″ x 20″) costs $86.60 (sale price), although shipping is free.
Terracycle can also enable you to help your community recycle hard-to-recycle items — everything from fast food restaurant sauce packets to VTech and LeapFrog electronic devices. Sign up to place a collection box at a local drop-off point (for example, a library) and the spot will be added to Terracycle’s map. Once you have a bunch of items to send in, the company will, as usual, provide a prepaid shipping label.
I’m curious about the tradeoff between the carbon footprint of shipping recyclables vs. the environmental impact of keeping those items from the landfill or from being incinerated, but shipments are sent via UPS Ground rather than via air, and my Amika bottle shipping labels are marked “UPS carbon neutral shipment” (see details at UPS’s site). (We’ve contacted Terracycle to ask for more info and are waiting to hear back.)
{related: 4 eco-friendly, zero-waste cleaning products}
Readers, have you ever used Terracycle or a program like it? How conscientious are you about recycling at home or at the office — and how much does your company help employees recycle?
Further Reading:
- “You’re probably recycling wrong. This quiz will help you sort it out.” [Washington Post]
- “Recycling Myth of the Month: Those numbered symbols on single-use plastics do not mean ‘you can recycle me’” [Oceana]
- “How to Off-Load Your Old Office Equipment” [Wirecutter]
- “Happy Earth Day From Your Co-Worker Who Is Secretly Sorting the Office Recycling” [The Wall Street Journal]
- Bonus: “Recycle, Compost, or Trash? A Guide” [McSweeney’s]
Stock photo via Stencil.