TerraCycle Book is out

The founder of our reuse partner TerraCycle has a book out. Tom Szaky's Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle is Redefining Green Business tells the story of this unique organization. Here is the USA Today story.

As most of you know, T2T accepts 6 and 8 oz yogurt containers, cookie wrappers, juice pouches, and granola bar wrappers for TerraCycle. These items are "upcycled" into various accessories.

If you want to buy the book, use GoodShop and part of the sales price will go to T2T. The price is the same and book outlets like Amazon.com are there. All at the same low prices.

TerraCycle has Worm Poop on Sale

Here is a note we received from our partner TerraCycle:

To the TerraCycle community,

This is a letter of thanks.

Over the last year, you have helped TerraCycle accomplish some amazing things – together we have kept more than 20,000,000 drink pouches and 11,000,000 cookie wrappers from landfills. Because of the success of those programs, we have developed new programs to collect and divert more than a dozen waste streams, now including candy wrappers, chip bags, corks, cereal liners and more. More than 30,000 locations have signed up to collect, which means that more than 4 MILLION people are participating in the TerraCycle revolution.

In the next month TerraCycle will launch our new website, and soon we’ll request that you update your profile so that our new upgraded site can serve you better. To thank you for what you have done to date—and to honor the large garden we have so far created together—I’m making an offer to express my gratitude and to help your garden flourish.

For a limited time, I’m pleased to offer you TerraCycle’s first product, our award winning All Purpose Worm Poop Plant Food, the world’s first product made from waste and packaged in waste, at the lowest price we’ve ever made it available:

· $3.50 each if you order 1-4 bottles (a 30% discount!)

· $2.50 each if you order 6 bottles or more (a 50% discount!)

All you have to do is go to a dedicated TerraCycle website, www.shoponlygreen.com and use the special code GROW. As part of my thanks to you, and the students, friends and family who are collecting, feel free to share the website and password with your colleagues, and I’ll keep it open through July. The product stays good for a few years, so feel free to buy as much as you want. May all of our gardens flourish.

Thanks for being part of TerraCycle.

Cheers,
Tom

Tom Szaky,
Founder and CEO
TerraCycle

Special Hours for Back to School

We are offering extended hours for Back to School. Come out get what you need for the new school year. From art supplies to everyday school needs, Trash to Treasure has it.

We need you to spread the word. We need more members to sustain ourselves. Now is time to share the "Treasure"

Rainbarrel Workshops at Trash to Treasure

Our first rainbarrel workshop is Wendesday, August 5, 6-8pm.

Water conservation is here to stay. We take almost 100% previously used materials and make a great rainbarrel.

For non-members, the cost is $80. Members get half-off. If you have been considering joining Trash to Treasure, this is a great opportunity.

Thank to Burners Without Borders for providing us with a grant to do this program.

Earthbound Farm, Naked Juice to use 100% recycled plastic

Check out this story in USA Today about the announcement that Earthbound Farm will be using 100% post-consumer recycled PET in some of their clamshell packaging. Earthbound claims the program will:

• Save 424,224 million BTUs (MMBTUs) of energy
• Avoid 16,191 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
• Save 68,307 gallons of water
• Keep 1,308,623 pounds of solid waste out of the landfill

Also, Pepsi's Nature Juice division will begin offering what it is calling the reNEWbottle. This is the first nationally distributed 100% post-consumer PET bottle available to the public. Nature Juice make claims that virgin plastic consumption will be reduced by 8.1 million pounds per year, saving 57,000 barrels of oil every year – the equivalent of taking 3,460 cars off of the road.

Any use of recycled content is good. It drives markets which makes recycling more cost efficient. But recyclability is also an issue. Almost all recycling programs accept just plastics 1 and 2 (PET and HDPE) with necks. So while Nature Juice will be able to be recycled again, Earthbound Farms containers are generally not.

Luckily at T2T, we have a partnership with Plastic Pallet Solutions which accepts all plastics EXCEPT for styrofoam and film (bags). They make pallets, crates and other items with the materials.

Unique Perspective on Teacher Layoffs

Check out this blog on the recent teacher layoffs Broward/Palm Beach New Times investigative reporter and parent Bob Norman.

Mr. Norman's daughter attends Plantation Park Elementary. A major part of his job is investigating waste in government. He has written extensively about the school board construction department.

Declining enrollment should mean fewer teachers but should that not also apply to construction? The Business Insider also picked up on this blog and provided its own perspective.

These tough budgetary times show the need more than ever for the services provided by Trash to Treasure. Everyday materials for arts and crafts along with pens, pencils, and folders for everyday use are widely available at our Center. As budgets are being cut, our Center reduces the amount of out of pocket expenses for teachers, who no matter what the circumstances, provide for their students.

Do what you can, spread the word, donate money, or volunteer.