Caring Causes - Snack Packaging to School Funds

 As the new school year begins, parents find themselves navigating busy daily routines, from school drop-offs to rehearsals, extracurricular activities, and sports events. Between packed lunches and afternoon snacks, hard-to-recycle waste such as snack packaging can pile up quickly. However, the convenience of on-the-go snacks doesn’t have to be wasteful. International recycling leader TerraCycle is helping K-12 schools nationwide turn hard-to-recycle snack packaging into cold, hard cash with a simple, kid-friendly recycling fundraiser.

 

Schools earn money by collecting and recycling a wide array of “unrecyclable,” items that are not typically accepted in curbside recycling services— everything from empty chip bags to squeezable plastic pouches and caps.

 

“At TerraCycle, we see the inherent value in waste,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “This recycling fundraiser is more than just a practical way for schools to raise money— it’s a community-driven program that engages and empowers young people to help the environment by keeping waste out of landfills and incinerators.”

 

Here’s how the TerraCycle school recycling fundraiser works:

 

1. Create a free TerraCycle account for your school –  there’s no cost to participate.
2. Sign up for as many free recycling programs as desired.
3. Set up a recycling station with collection bins to collect the accepted waste.
4. When the bins are full, download a free shipping label for each program and send the packaging to TerraCycle to be recycled for free.
5. Earn TerraCycle Recycling Rewards for each shipment, which you can redeem for cash for your school. The more packaging you recycle, the more money raised.

 

To simplify participation, TerraCycle has launched a free online School Recycling Resource Hub, offering tailored content, including step-by-step guides for community outreach and recycling best practices, a downloadable recycling station decoration kit, and more.

 

TerraCycle’s school recycling program is open to any interested school community. For more information, visit www.terracycle.com/schools.

 

 

 

About TerraCycle

TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to rethink waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community across a wide range of accessible programs, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and individuals. To learn more about TerraCycle and join them on their journey to move the world from a linear economy to a circular one, please visit www.terracycle.com.