Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the three-bin waste disposal system in the pub, struggling to decide what goes where and wondering why you can’t recycle your chip bag or granola bar wrapper? Do you use shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and/or toothbrushes? If you answered yes to any of these questions (I would be concerned if you didn’t), read on!
The Environmental Action Organization, better known as EAO, is a student-run club that strives to create a more environmentally- friendly campus. One of their latest projects involves recycling “non-recyclable” items like your empty chip bags, shampoo bottles or old toothbrushes.
This effort is made possible by a private recycling business called TerraCycle. According to their website, “TerraCycle offers a range of free programs that are funded by conscientious companies, as well as recycling solutions available for purchase for almost every form of waste.”
Since its founding in 2001, TerraCycle boasts over 202 million people contributing to their recycling program, over 7 billion pounds of waste recycled, and over $44 million contributed to charity. TerraCycle takes the waste collected and either reuses, upcycles or recycles the waste instead of sending it to a landfill or to be incinerated. Pretty cool, huh?
The free programs available include quite the range of items. Some options are brand based, while others are a general category of products.
Burt’s Bees, for example, partnered with TerraCycle to create free recycling for Burt’s Bees beauty, personal care and lip care packaging. Everything from chapstick, makeup and face wash containers can be collected, shipped to TerraCycle and recycled.
TerraCycle’s snack bag recycling program is sponsored by Sensible Portions, but it is set up to accept any brand of snack bag. Once collected and shipped, the snack bags are cleaned and melted into hard plastic. This plastic then goes towards the production of new recycled products.
So how can you help? Located around campus are designated boxes for collecting different materials. As you enter the pub, you will find a cardboard box labeled “Snack Bags” to the right of the entrance. In a variety of dorm bathrooms including on the third floor of Dean, the first floor of Lee, the second floor of Whitman North and the first floor of Rebert North, you can find a spot to recycle your toothbrush, empty bottle of shampoo or used up Burt’s Bees chapstick.
If you don’t frequent the third floor of Dean or any first-year dorms, EAO is happy to provide you with a container for your dorm. Or just make the trek! It’s worth it!
If you want to see something recycled on campus, let EAO know! Meetings are Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Crandell Room. New ideas and faces are always welcome.