Recycling the Unrecyclable
When disposing of trash, we often separate it into recyclable and non-recyclable. While it's fairly obvious why some items, such as organic and biodegradable waste, belong in the trash, some items have recyclable components but may be too complicated to go through a sorting facility. That's where TerraCycle comes in.
TerraCycle’s core purpose is to combat the global waste crisis, and we’ve been working for two decades as a mission-driven recycling company to address it. We’re different from your local curbside recycling service. TerraCycle recycles the unrecyclable—items not typically accepted by traditional recyclers, like toys and so much more (TerraCycle, n.d.).
Local recycling services accept items that they can profit from recycling. If the cost of collecting and processing the trash is of lower value than the resulting raw materials, it will likely be accepted by curbside services (TerraCycle, n.d.).
Toys and many other hard-to-recycle waste streams cost more to collect and process than the resulting recycled materials are worth, so they are typically not accepted by local curbside recycling services (TerraCycle, n.d.).
TerraCycle can recycle hard-to-recycle trash because we work with brands, retailers, and other stakeholders who fund the recycling process. We offer proven, first-of-their-kind recycling solutions for hundreds of waste streams, like beauty empties, snack packaging, cigarette butts, and so much more. Our supply chains are audited and accredited yearly, backing up our guarantee to recycle all the accepted waste sent to us (TerraCycle, n.d.).
TerraCycle is working to ensure that paper and plastic items make their way into the circular economy, even if it takes the extra effort to do so. This business model not only allows TerraCycle to become an outlet for this particular type of waste, but also puts the onus on large recycling companies to innovate new ways and processes to accept a larger breadth of products. TerraCycle also creates an internal circular economy by creating specific products with the material that they collect, TerraCycle Made. TerraCycle does a great job of identifying an issue within the recycling industry and inserting itself as a possible solution to that issue.
References
As seen on Good Morning America: Recycle toys & more with TerraCycle. (n.d.). TerraCycle.
https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/pages/terracycle-gma?srsltid=AU7gw4VgTFZr-lcridui6s1XpDQJB30EmiF_2FaYMXhtznvdY2Sss5Le
