Trenton-based company TerraCycle has launched a school recycling challenge with Colgate and ShopRite. Participating schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and four other states can compete for prizes that include new desks, chairs, backpacks, pencil cases and pens, all made from oral hygiene waste and packaging. recycled.
By June 30, school representatives can register online for the Colgate and ShopRite School Challenge. Participants are encouraged to collect and recycle used oral hygiene waste and packaging, including empty toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes and dental floss containers, as part of the Oral Care Recycling Program. dental clinics from Colgate. With each shipment sent for recycling, participants earn “supply credits”. Schools can earn additional credits by voting online on the contest page for the entered school of their choice.
“In a year of quarantine, virtual school schedules and missing family and friends, TerraCycle, ShopRite and Colgate have come together to give students, teachers and all communities affected by COVID-19 something to look forward to when we get back. the classroom for the 2021-2022 school year, ”said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “So while we wait and do our part to end the pandemic, this challenge is about giving the communities we serve a chance to start the year off right with new school supplies that aren’t just made from oral care waste, but is something to smile about. “
Until June 30, each 0.02 pound unit of post-consumer oral hygiene products and packaging that is sent to TerraCycle for recycling earns participating schools a school supply credit to win the grand prize of school supplies made from recycled oral hygiene waste that has been cleaned, processed and remodeled. The school with the most credits at the end of the contest period will be named the winner and the prize awarded in the fall. The first and second finalist schools will also receive sets of similar recycled school supplies at the grand prize.
Individuals, families, schools and community groups can also participate in Colgate Oral Care Recycling Program. For every oral hygiene waste and packaging sent to TerraCycle using a prepaid shipping label, participants can earn money for the school or charity of their choice.
Founded over 15 years ago, TerraCycle’s mission is to eliminate waste. Present in 20 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packaging, from dirty diapers and juice packaging to cigarette butts. , which would otherwise end up being incinerated or landfilled. The company is also working with leading consumer product companies to incorporate hard-to-recycle waste streams such as ocean plastic into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that offers consumers a way to buy their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 sustainability awards and has donated over $ 44 million to schools and charities since its founding.