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TerraCycle review and giveaway

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juicebagI first heard of TerraCycle about a year ago or so, when I opened an issue of Newsweek to see an offer from Target for a free Retote in exchange for mailing in plastic Target shopping bags to TerraCycle. I happened to have several plastic Target bags in my cabinet, so I stuffed them in the makeshift envelope and sent it away. Just a few weeks later I received a coupon in the mail for my free Retote and picked one up at Target soon thereafter. That a was big turning point for me, because it was the very first reusable shopping bag I ever owned. Thanks to that little nudge from TerraCycle I now rarely use plastic bags and have changed some of my family’s other habits in an effort to go green. If you’ve never heard of TerraCycle, I’m thrilled to introduce you to this wonderful company! If you are already familiar, then hopefully you’ll learn a little something about their new product lines.

TerraCycle makes unique, eco-friendly, affordable products from a variety of waste and non-recyclable materials – drink pouches, yogurt cups, candy wrappers, plastic bags, and more. Since most of this trash cannot be recycled, it ends up taking up precious space in our landfills. TerraCycle collects these waste materials directly from the companies that produce it, including juice pouches from Kraft, bags from Bear Naked, and yogurt cups from Stonyfield Farm, just to name a few. To reward people just like you for collecting unrecyclable items, TerraCycle has another program where they donate money to your chosen charity or school, usually 2 cents per each approved product. It’s a great fundraising activity for schools and non-profits, and inspires kids nationwide to make a difference locally and globally. There are tons of spots open!

“Upcycling”, or turning waste materials into new products, is a fairly new concept, but should be considered a great reinvestment in the environment. Last year Kraft sent TerraCycle over 10 million Capri Sun juice pouches that Kraft couldn’t use because they were either misprinted or discontinued, and TerraCycle turned those pouches into amazing new products, keeping all that trash out of a landfill. And that’s only one company! Upcycled products are fairly expensive and hard to produce, so until now they’ve been thought of as “boutique” items. TerraCycle has changed that, making it easy for everyone to own environmentally friendly items.

TerraCycle has recently launched four new product lines and I had the opportunity to see some of the items.

Drink Pouch School Products
This has got to be my favorite product line, all made from 100% juice pouches! TerraCycle cleans and sorts the juice pouches by brand and color, then sews them together and reconfigures them into backpacks, pencil cases, tote bags, messenger bags, and homework folders.

Product review: TerraCycleProduct review: TerraCycleMaya proudly shows off her backpack to anyone that gives it a second look. Not only that – she also explains to them what it’s made of and informs them that juice pouches aren’t recyclable. It’s amazing to me how many people don’t know that! The straps on the bag are easily adjustable, the inside is lined, and it has a spacious front pocket. Ours is all covered in Wild Cherry Capri Sun juice pouches that have a soccer player design on them, so I imagine it could easily work for a girl or a boy. It’s a little big for my 4-year old, but would be perfect for a child in elementary school. If she lets it out of her sight for a minute, I might just stash it away for when she starts Kindergarten!

homework_folderThe homework folder is geared towards kids, obviously, but Maya’s not in school, so it’s officially mine! Think of it like an eco-friendly Trapper Keeper… without the rings. It’s roomy; I can fit tons of papers in its two pockets. You can tell by how many juice pouches it’s made of just how big it is! If I spill my coffee on my desk, it’s no problem because I can just wipe the folder clean. It doesn’t use magnets, velcro, or zippers; it’s a very simple design, but it works! A similar item is the pencil case, which has a zipper closure.

Product review: TerraCycleLastly, the tote bag… I love it. I’ve been carrying it non-stop since I received it a few weeks back. My neighbor saw my tote bag and commented that she “saw something like that at the beach last year” for $95! When I told her how much it costs at Target she was floored. Made of a variety of different Capri Sun juice pouches, the tote is the perfect size to hold just what I need and is super-sturdy and deep. The inside is all shiny silver, because it’s the inside of the juice pouches themselves. My only complaint about the bag is that the corners at the top are a little sharp. I’m not sure how that could be fixed, unless it’s given a border like the homework folder. It’s not a big deal, though, but just something to think about.

The Drink Pouch products are very well made and are as stylish as they are eco-friendly! I like the fact that they’re easy to clean, and because of the stiffness of the juice pouches, the bags don’t collapse when there’s nothing in them. All these items are extremely affordable, at $1.99 for the pencil case, $9.99 for the tote bag, and $17.99 for the backpack. You can find them at Target, Office Max, Walgreens, and other retailers nationwide, as well as on Target.com.

Vinyl Record and Circuit Board Line
It’s no secret that technology progresses at an astounding rate. As prices for computers, TVs, and other electronics plummet, it makes it easier for consumers to upgrade on a regular basis. This leads to tons of electronic waste, much of which isn’t even disposed of properly! TerraCycle has taken vinyl records and used circuit boards that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill and turned them into useful and unique home decor. I’ve seen products like these at fairs and on Etsy, but never from a well-known retailer – until now! This is the first nationally distributed product line made from upcycled vinyl records and circuit boards. Three unique product lines, in varying sizes, created using actual circuit boards and vinyl records, including:circuit_board_picture_frames

  • Clocks: A 6″ circuit board clock, and 7″ and 12″ vinyl record clocks, made from 45 RPM singles and 33 RPM LP’s respectively.
  • Coasters: Cut from circuit boards or the center label from vinyl records, they come in 4 packs.
  • Picture frames: Made of vinyl records and circuit boards, they are sized to hold 4″x6″ or 4″x4″ photos.

Product review: TerraCycleI have a 12″ vinyl record wall clock, and there’s not much for me to say other than that it rocks!
The numbers are molded perfectly into the plastic, giving it a retro, yet really modern look. The photo doesn’t do it justice, as it looks much neater in person! It requires one AA battery (not included) and functions like any ordinary wall clock. It’s the perfect addition to our jazz-themed media room and would be such a great gift for any music-lover! My husband didn’t believe that it was a real vinyl record at first, he thought it was only designed to look like one. After turning it over a few times, examining it up close, and looking up the artist online to see if he was real, he finally gave in! The amazing thing is that this clock, and everything else in the vinyl and circuit board lines, sells for only $12.99!

I haven’t tried anything in the following product lines, as I have no pets and it’s not quite warm enough to start gardening just yet! They look great, though, and considering the quality of the other TerraCycle products, I’m sure they are!

Pet Products
Sold exclusively at Petco, TerraCycle’s first line of pet products features nine different natural, non-toxic products that are packaged in repurposed 1-liter soda bottles. Ranging in price from $2.99 – $19.99, they are competitive with traditional alternatives. A few of the new products:

  • Natural Stain and Odor Remover, made from naturally occurring microbes that is strong enough to get rid of stains and odors, but safe enough to spray directly on your pet.
  • Natural Dig Stop, made from a mixture of essential oils that is harmless, but unpleasant to animal’s sensitive olfactory glands.
  • Skunk Odor Remover, a probiotic solution that digests the microbiotic matter in skunk spray that causes the foul smell, eliminating, not masking, skunk odor.
  • Eco-Friendly Bird Feeder made from repurposed bottle – first of its kind!

Spring Garden Line
Spring is just around the corner (thank goodness!), and TerraCycle wants to help you start your garden with their eco-friendly, affordable garden products that range in price from $4.99 to $19.99. I’ve seen some of these products at Home Depot, and they can also be found online at Gardener’s Supply Company, True Value, and Clean Air Gardening

  • Lawn and Garden Fertilizers: Made from worm poop! The Lawn Fertilizer is formulated to keep your lawn growing thick and green all summer. The Garden Fertilizer comes with a balanced formula for flowering plants. Certified non-toxic, these fertilizers do not cause plant burn, pollute groundwater and are safe for use around kids and pets.
  • Rain Barrel: Made from used oak wine barrels once used to ferment Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, these are the only mass market rain barrels that are just as green in their design as they are in function. The treated oak adds a classy rustic look to any landscape – perfect gift for a wine lover!
  • Seed Starter: With a tray made from 100% post-consumer paper, there’s no need to yank your fragile, young plants to transfer them any longer! The cells can be planted directly in the ground and will biodegrade naturally.
  • Granular Fertilizer: The first solid variety of Worm Poop fertilizers, this feeds plants for 8-12 weeks so you only need to fertilize 2-3 times a summer!

What I’ve mentioned above is only a selection of all the products TerraCycle offers!
Use the TerraCycle Store Locator to find a retailer near you!
__________________________

oreobag

Giveaway is closed.

To introduce my readers to these great products, TerraCycle is kindly letting me give away messenger bags to five of you! You will win either the bag made from drink pouches (like the photo above) or the bag made from Oreo cookie wrappers. Bag choice will be up to TerraCycle, depending on what is in stock at time of shipping. To enter, please visit TerraCycle, then come back to this post and leave a comment telling me what product line or recycling program interests you the most.

For extra entries:

  • Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post and to TerraCycle.
  • Subscribe to my feed (or let me know if you already do).
  • Grab my button and link to me in your sidebar or blog roll.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and leave a valid email address or blog URL in your comment. US entries only. This contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on March 8th, 2009. Winners will be chosen at random, and have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I like the recycling program Cellphone Brigade, we get tons of phones in our lost and found at work we don’t know what to do with, what a great website!

    Lt’s last blog post..Quotable Sunday

  3. “Upcycling,” is an outstanding opportunity for us and our earth. TerraCycle has come up with so many stylish and useful products. I wish the items were available at more retailers.

  4. Terracycle is amazing.
    I love how you and your team use upcycled things to make awesome things.
    ITS AMAZING ! (:
    i love the bags.
    how would i get one.
    my friend told me about this site and said i should comment and ask.
    haha, reply back please.
    (:

  8. I really like the recycled portfolios and dividers. Secondly, I like the producst and bags made form the wrappers of energy bars… really cool… and thirdly, I love the program they offer to collect these wrappers… I signed up!!

    cathy b
    project hope 7 at g mail dot com

  12. I like the Kashi recycle program, it really opened my eyes to the amount of waste generated!

    “Kashi Brigade
    Each year hundreds of millions of packages are needlessly discarded and end up in landfills. Kashi has joined with innovative eco-capitalist company TerraCycle to provide a second life for used packages.

    Every time you enjoy any Kashi product you can save the package and send it in to TerraCycle – they’ll upcycle the packages into cool new products. For each approved package received $.02 will be donated to the non-profit organization or school of your choice. If you don’t have an organization in mind, you can choose from our list!”

  22. I’d be very interested to try their TerraCycle Cleaners.

    Dina’s last blog post..The Giveaway: Rachel Park Designs Giveaway

  28. I wish I could learn how to make these bags! What a great use for these items that would just end up in a landfill!

    Abby’s last blog post..Fun new contest at . . .

  29. What I found the most interesting is the corks! I never thought about recycling corks before.

  31. TerraCycle Winter Products;TerraCycle Firelogs how interesting,Im glad to know someone is doing this,thanks for the chance to win a bag

  40. I love the wild bird feeder from Terracycle. Gorgeous! I’d proudly hang it in my backyard.

  43. What a great idea to pay people to send in their wrappers. I love that they have natural lawn and garden products. Worm poop fertilizer…it’s gotta be good.

  44. Wow, I could never choose just one, but I love all the office supplies! Thanks for turning me on to this wonderful company!

  47. I adore the drink pouch messenger bag!!! I also really like their line of cleaners, especially the multi purpose cleaner.

  61. I would love to try their All-Purpose Cleaner! All their cleaning products look gentle and safe!

    Thanks for the giveaway! foxsquirrelrabbit at gmail dot com

  68. great site!!!
    I like both bags, but prefer the oreos.
    They’ve also got some great looking household cleaning products

    Valerie M’s last blog post..GreenEarthJourney Dinner Time Chimes Giveaway 3/4/09

  73. I just had an AHA moment. It never occurred to me how places like these who make these adorable bags get the juice packets, cookie packets and things. i just never thought about it. It is wonderful that they are reusing the packaging. Good for them.
    Great bags.
    Thanks for the awesome giveaway.
    auntrene.blogspot.com

  76. I personaly am into anything energy so the energy bars would be my thing.

    amberleigh’s last blog post..Cool Giveaway

  77. I’m signing up for the Cookie Wrapper Recycling program! Why not?? My kids eat the cookies, if someone can make good use out of the wrappers…and they can! I love these bags!…it’s a win-win situation!

    Thanks for this awesome giveaway!!

    seeryusfam@msn.com

    Sky’s last blog post..Peek-A-Boo!

  84. The Seed Starter made by worms is such a cool idea. Love it!

    I think the Collect Waste For $ programs are a great idea and great way to teach kids to recycle AND earn money. 🙂

  85. I love all the bags. I saw a show on that company a while back. Thanks for the reminder to check them out!! Great stuff. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

    Elizabeth’s last blog post..Loving my stamps…

  87. I am interested in the recycling program- used cell phones, candy wrappers, drink puches etc. What a great idea- not only does it go green but you can choose a cahrity to help out at the same time!
    jill.watkins@gmail.com

  93. The cleaning products look really cool. Sending in wrappers from Oreos looks interesting. My son (16 yrs) and his friends eat enuf Oreos to save the planet!

    These are the coolest looking products. I actually have a TeraCycle bird feeder made from a 2liter pop bottle. It comes filled with birdseed and then, once used up, you can refill it with whatever seed you want.

    Thanks for having the giveaway!

  95. I like the drink pouch backpack. I think its an awesome way to get kids interested and excited about recycling!

  96. I love the tote bags! I’ve shown them to my students and now they want me to make one so I’m having them bring in capri sun containers and I’m going to give it a try! I’d love to win one to see the sample, though. Thanks for the info!!!

  100. What a cool idea. I really like the newspaper pencils and the fire logs. Great alternatives to wood. Thanks for the giveaway.

  101. Wow! They have so many great products. Who knew there were so many uses for waste?! I love the Waste Cork Corkboard…what a fabulous idea and it looks wonderful & is functional!

  104. I love that you can earn money by recycling these. I have given our school the information to collect the juice pouches as a way to recycle and raise funds.

  105. I am interested in the All Purpose Cleaner.

    Dina’s last blog post..$25 CVS Gift Card Giveaway: Ends Today

  107. Fav in Technorati (aitmama).

    Dina’s last blog post..$25 CVS Gift Card Giveaway: Ends Today

  110. I like the send in your corks. I have so many corks I could send in from my mom’s wine bottles!

  112. I love the Oreo bag…there all so cute and creative! I don’t know any kid who wouldn’t be proud to take any of these great totes to school!

  113. Their cleaning products sound great…the all purpose cleaner would be my first to try. Their bags are fabulous! Thanks for the give-away.

  114. Thanks for entering me:) Such great ideas for recycling. I love the bags, notebooks and cork board 🙂

  115. I love the “I used to be a plastic bag bag”! I also love the oreo messenger (double stuff)! Thanks for the chance.

  120. I like the way they get their packages from schools. It definately saves the waste. I also like it that they take things like vinyl records and make clocks out of them. Also, you can get money just by sending them your things that can be recycled. I think its great they pay for the wrappers. All around its a great company.

  122. love the used cork corkboard, it looks a lot better than an ordinary corkboard

  125. I like the cookie wrapper brigade! Love thier products too. I had fun looking around thier site.

  127. Those could be made out of my juice pouches. I’ve been recycling pouches for about a year now.

    I am interested in cork recycling.

  129. How clever! There is some really cool stuff there. I like the waste cork corkboard and newspaper pencils. There are things in every area that I like but right now I am looking for these kinds of things.

  130. The bags interest me the most out of the all the products, because it it something I would have
    never have thought of. Its such a cute and clever idea!

  131. i love the lawn and garden fertilizer in the 2 liter bottle and also the drink pouch bags.

  133. I like the Oreo Messenger Bag,I really like the way they recycle!
    alaskabound2008[at]gmail[dot]com

  138. TerraCycle Bags = these are so cool! I am actually making my own plastic bag tote for my mom right now. I cut the bags into strips and knit them according to a pattern for a bag and ta-da! I hope:)

  139. I love this idea! I really love the Terra Cycle Bags the best. I also love the school suppies, because my kids would also be thrilled with this idea. I love how TerraCycle is helping our world.
    Thanks so much for this giveaway.

  145. I like the “I used to be a plastic bag bag” – a while back I read a tutorial on how to make something similar, but just never tried it.

    sararachelle’s last blog post..Goodie of the day: Coldmate Smart Mug

  146. Subscribed to your feed… although I got here this time from your tweet! Thanks for offering this giveaway 🙂

  147. I love the wide array of products that they are taking donations for. I wanted to sign up, but they did not have any products that I use often enough to be beneficial. I absolutely love the entire concept. Thank you

  149. Wow! I wonder if the companies like that you are offering free advertising. lol I like the Oreo Messenger Bag. Cool!

    I found you from Contests for Mamas. 🙂

    gahome2mom’s last blog post..We All Need Direction in Our Lives! Contest!

  150. Wow! What great products, and a great blog! I think of anything, I mostly liked the office supplies. All the paper pencils and biodegradable pens looked intriguing. Thanks so much for this offer!

    Justin M. Howe’s last blog post..…And They All Lived Happily Ever After…

  151. subscribed by rss ty

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  152. button on blog – abc listing (See Loving Heart Designs Blog) TY

    gahome2mom’s last blog post..We All Need Direction in Our Lives! Contest!

  154. Button grabbed and technorati favorite added. Thanks again!

    Justin M. Howe’s last blog post..So You Have Stuff Laying Around That Can’t Be Recycled? Upcycle it! (Plus, Riding With No Hands Giveaway!)

  161. We’re also interested in the garden products, such as the All Purpose Plant Food. We are careful about what goes into the soil, especially since we typically have a vegetable garden and ‘we reap what we sow.’ 🙂

  165. I have four kids so I would love the recycling program for the juice pouches.

  168. The Stonyfield Farm seemed most interesting to me although they were all praiseworthy.

    Thank you for the contest.

  170. What an interesting recycling idea! I always liked the texture of the energy bar wrappers….

  171. I have a sweet tooth esp during lent–no sweets for me 🙁 Therefore I love the cookie wrapper bags.

  172. Oreo Messenger Bag is actually my favorite – my daughter would LOVE this. I saw a woven bag on their site but could not find it in the store.

  173. I really liked the Wild Bird feeder, but I was also intrigued by the recycling opportunities for the juice bags, cookie bags, yogurt cups and more! What a great way to work on saving the environment and helping out our favorite non profits! Thank you for the giveaway!

    Kelly B’s last blog post..Can You Believe These Giveaways?!!!

  174. I really like The Juice box pencil cases, my kids would love them too. Thanks for a great giveaway!

  183. My kids love Capri Sun, and I think the tote bag is a great way to reuse these wasteful bags. I do wish the company would make a recyclable pouch, but at least Terracycle is trying to do something with them!

  187. I am interested in the Lawn and Garden Products..would like to purchase the rain barrel.

  188. All the product lines are interesting, but I think the rain barrel has the most potential to really have an immediate impact on individual home budgets and local environments, and it’s such a small change to make. I wish we had gutters on our house, I’d be buying a barrel tomorrow if we did.

    eeohlin at gmail dot com

  189. Winter & Holiday interest me the most but it’s all just Great and Kudos on this concept. Help Save Our Planet!skyxsky27(at)gmail.com

  193. I like the Lawn & Garden section. The bird feeders and rain barrels are really nice.

  194. Love the bags and I love the TerraCycle Inc. site. What innovative recycling ideas. I think my favorite is the TerraCycle’s Graffiti Jam. I have a 16 yo son who loves graffiti art, and it looks like TerraCycle has found a way to put a very positive spin on it 🙂
    Thanks for sharing this!

  195. I think the “cork brigade” is cool and, since there’s a waiting list, I guess I’m not the only one who thinks so!

  197. I found their composter the most interesting. I have been wanting to start my own for years and have decided that this summer I am finally going to do this!

  199. I like the energy bar wrapper recycling program. Imagine what could be done at a road or bicycle race!

  200. Hi, I am in love with this site. I see I can even buy some of these great products at my local Kroger store. I will be looking for them on my next shopping trip.
    One of my favorite things on the site is the I used to be a bag, bag. Wonderful. Those “Thankyou” bags are always in excess, I am glad to see them being reused. I try to only use my own Totes for shopping, sometimes I forget them. Thanks

    Maureen’s last blog post..Clean out the Fridge Day!!!

  202. They all interest me because it interests me very much how different things can be reused and recycled…and some things can be turned into things you never even imagined….like these bags…my daughter (7 yrs old) is a huge “green” freak and would love mommy to win one of these bags…she would prolly steal it from me but that would be kool.

    Jo’s last blog post..Current By Discover Card

  204. I like the bag line. So many cute things to choose from, but I think the most unique is the “I used to be a plastic bag bag.” Funny!

  208. In addition to all the bags, I love the whole plant food concept. What a great company, thanks for the chance.

  209. Oh my goodness! I love these things! I can never find one that fits my personaliy, but this is the one! I love, love, love it!

  210. I think it’s really neat how they fused together over 20 plastic bags to make the I used to be a plastic bag bag. What a great recycling idea!

  213. my daughter would love too use this bag for her dance bag what a great idea

  216. I Love the office/school line – especially the waste cork corkboard! Thank you!

  217. I love these, I’ve always wanted one. I love the homework folder and cork board! And the corn pens!

  219. I like the The “I used to be a plastic bag bag”

    Natalie’s last blog post..Do you have 15 Minutes to Save a Child’s Life?

  222. The bags are so creative, but the Waste Cork Corkboard in the office line is a terrific use of old corks.

  223. OMG! I would love to try the firelogs. They sound so much more appealing than the name-brand logs I spent loads of money on all winter long.

  231. We’re big yogurt eaters and we like stoneyfield farms. It would be really cool to recycle them!

  232. I just found this site am and currently reviewing all the items you have to offer. Thank you for all your hard work.

  233. I am impressed with all they recycle. I like the TerraCycle Firelogs,out of recycled cardboard.
    The totes are fabulous!
    Thanks

  234. Great recycling effort; I am most concerned about the recycling of electronics (i.e. cell phones, VDT’s, etc.), there should be a national program to recycle.

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  1. Howefitz Blog » Blog Archive » So You Have Stuff Laying Around That Can’t Be Recycled? Upcycle it! (Plus, Riding With No Hands Giveaway!) says:

    […] With No Hands is giving you a chance to win a TerraCycle product. Please see the blog post ‘Mama’s Got A Brand New (Used) Bag… *Giveaway*‘ for […]