TerraCycle recycles 10 millionth packaging item

London-based recycling company, TerraCycle, is celebrating a new milestone after the company’s recycling and fundraising 'Brigade' programmes diverted their 10 millionth piece of waste packaging from UK landfill today (23 October).

The Brigades have to date raised over £133,000 from the general public to go towards a variety of schools, charities and non-profit organisations.

Launched in the UK in 2009, TerraCycle Brigades offer nationwide collection programmes for waste streams that are not currently widely available from local authority kerbside collections.

Working in partnership with UK brands such as Activia, McVitie’s and Kenco, the Brigades have collected hard-to-recycle products including used yoghurt pots, biscuit wrappers and coffee packaging, as well as products such as pens, toothbrushes and laptops.

Consumers can send their waste packaging to the company using freepost labels available to download from free from TerraCycle’s website, in return for a monetary donation (typically 2 pence per item) to a school, charity or non-profit organisation of their choice. 

To date all post consumer waste collected in the UK has been processed in the country and turned into everyday products such as benches, watering cans and waste bins. Pre consumer waste being upcycled into shopping bags and baby bibs, amongst other things. 

Over 475,000 people collect with TerraCycle in the UK either as individuals or households, or via the five thousand community collection groups currently running.

Chris Baker, General Manager of TerraCycle UK, welcomed the milestone today, saying: “TerraCycle UK is delighted to hit this significant milestone and would like to say a big thank you to our dedicated Brigade participants nationwide that have all helped us to hit this 10 million figure. 

“This is just the beginning though and we encourage as many people as possible to join a Brigade or tell their friends, family and colleagues about the TerraCycle recycling fundraising schemes so that we can save even greater amounts of waste packaging and products from needlessly ending up in UK landfill. In the process we can help redefine what both the public and big corporate brands view as being waste.” 

Baker went on to encourage consumers who frequently throw away one type of waste to contact the brands that make the packaging directly, to suggest they partner with TerraCycle.

“We would love to be able to offer a recycling solution for as many of these types of waste as possible”, Baker added.

Read more about TerraCycle’s recycling Brigades.