By Emily Kao. July 31, 2015. Paper coffee cups, sandwich bags, cigarette butts, chip bags, and toothbrushes. We’ve all had that moment holding an item trying to figure out how to dispose of it. Throwing it away doesn’t seem right, you can’t recycle it, 
and it’s too worn out or not worth sending to Goodwill. That’s where TerraCycle wants to be the answer. They gather hard to recycle packaging and product and recycle or ‘upcycle’ them into new products with the goal of ‘Eliminating the Idea of Waste.’
TerraCycle’s collection programs (or brigades) range from specific items like cigarette butts or cereal box liners to their Zero Waste program that allows you to put all your non-recycleable items in one box then send it in to be sorted and dealt with. Many of the brigades are free, even paying for shipping allowing collectors to earn points based on how much/what they send back in. These points can be redeemed for payment to non-profit organizations or schools of your choice.
If you’re interested in recycling but don’t feel like having a TerraCycle box all to yourself there are a few Brigade Collections in Hood River:
- Subi collects beauty product containers at her salon.
- During the school year Westside elementary collects a wide range of products. Contact Marianne Brevard at 541-400-0135 or mariannebrevard@yahoo.com
To learn more check out the TerraCycle website or contact them at customersupport@terracycle.com or call 609.393.4252.
If you know of any other TerraCycle collectors in the Gorge let us know in the comments below!
