TerraCycle

I had heard of TerraCycle a while back and had meant to post on it then but had forgotten. Basically, TerraCycle

makes affordable, eco-friendly products from a wide range of different non-recyclable waste materials. With over 50 products available at major retailers like Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, OfficeMax, Petco and Whole Foods Market, TerraCycle is one of the fastest growing eco-friendly manufacturers in the world. Our hope is to eliminate the idea of waste by finding innovative, unique uses for materials others deem garbage

They make all kinds of things, but here's a sample:

Juice Pouch Homework Folder

Tostitos Messenger Bag

Perhaps the most exciting part is that we can help and earn money for our "brigade" by doing so.

Here’s how it works:
The team leader signs up online at http://www.terracycle.net/
The team leader creates a collection team
Begin collecting! The team leader is immediately able to access posters and shipping materials through their TerraCycle profiles.
Once you have collected the minimum pieces of waste (it varies by program), download a FREE UPS shipping label and use it to send the waste to TerraCycle via UPS.
You can track your collections and donations online by signing in to your TerraCycle account.

A collection team can be a school, organization, an office, or even a neighborhood

Each location earns a 2¢ donation for every piece of waste collected (sometimes we measure this by weight), and the donations go to a school or charity of that team’s choice. If the team is a school or non-profit, it is able to keep all donations earned through this program.

It may not seem like a lot but it can add up and hey, it's more than you'd get if you threw it away. Plus, you'd know you were helping the planet at the same time at that's a big pay off.