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BIC Launches U.S. Program To Recycle Used Pens, Pencils & More The “WRITE” Way

BIC, a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle® to offer consumers a free and easy way to recycle their fully-used pens, mechanical pencils, markers and other stationery products and parts of packaging nationwide. As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.

“As families spend more time writing, drawing and coloring together, we want to provide them with a responsible way to dispose of their products once they are used. Our collection program with TerraCycle gives consumers a simple way to recycle their writing instruments and art supplies to make a difference in the world,” said Mary Fox, North American General Manager for BIC. “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core. We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”

Through the BIC® Stationery Recycling Program, consumers can now send in all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets to be recycled for free. The program is also collecting the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page https://www.terracycle.com/bic and mail in the used items using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that is remolded to make new recycled products. The BIC® Stationery Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization.

“Through this free recycling program, BIC offers consumers the unique opportunity to learn about the value of recycling products they use every day while learning, playing or working that would otherwise end up in landfill,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “We are proud to partner with BIC to offer consumers an easy solution for these typically unrecyclable items.”

This is the latest step BIC has taken on its journey to further enhance the sustainability of its long-lasting products, which are made with the least amount of material, and to minimize its impact on the environment, one of the goals in its 2025 “Writing the Future, Together” program.

BIC and TerraCycle began partnering in 2011 to collect and recycle used stationery products in Europe. A similar program was launched in Australia and New Zealand last year.

The two organizations have also partnered to promote the circular economy by offering BIC products through LOOP, an e-commerce circular economy platform created by TerraCycle aimed at eliminating waste and reducing dependence on packaging.

For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit www.terracycle.com.

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PopSockets Launches National Recycling Program

Do you have any old PopSockets or phone cases sitting around that you no longer use? PopSockets, maker of expandable phone grips, has partnered with recycling leader TerraCycle® to create a FREE recycling program for PopSockets products and packaging, as well as ANY brand of cellular phone case.

Through the PopSockets Recycling Program, consumers can now send in the following products and packaging to be recycled for free:

●           PopGrips®

●           PopMinis®

●           PopGrip® Slide

●           PopWallet® & PopWallet+

●           PopChains®

●           PopSockets® PopMounts®

●           PopSockets® packaging

●           Otter + Pop Phone Cases

●           PopThirst®

●           PopGrip® Lips, PopGrip® Mirror & PopGrip® AirPods Holder

●           PopStation®

●           Any brand of cellular phone case

Participation in the program is easy: simply sign up on the TerraCycle program page at https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/popsockets and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is broken down, separated by material and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.

Be sure to search around the TerraCycle site, because you would be amazed to find out the things you can have recycled instead of throwing them out. 

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Tips for Recycling the Right Way

While recycling is a great way to be environmentally friendly, you should know there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about recycling materials you use every day. The reason it’s best everyone knows how to go about recycling is so you don’t end up doing more harm than good. Here are a few tips to level up your Earth-saving endeavors.

Throw Away Disposable Coffee Cups

Before you toss the coffee cup from your favorite coffee shop into the recycling bin, know that those cups often cannot be recycled. This is due to the polyethylene film lining the cup, which is what makes it liquid proof. That said, you may live in an area that can now recycle such cups. Be sure you check with your local recycling program to know whether to toss these cups in the recycling bin or in the trash.

Plastic Bags Cannot Be Added to Recycling Bins

It may crush you to learn that all those thin plastic bags you get from the grocery store cannot be mixed in with other recyclable materials, but it’s true. It’s not that these plastic bags are impossible to recycle, just that it’s more trouble than it’s worth trying to run the bags through recycling equipment. It’s not unusual for them to jam equipment.

Rather than put plastic grocery bags with the rest of your recyclables, check to see if your city has a special recycling program for plastic bags. Your local grocery store may even collect plastic bags that are otherwise destined for the trash.

Be Careful With Pizza Boxes

After you finish devouring your pizza, think twice before tossing it into the recycling bin. Any grease that soaks into the cardboard essentially contaminates the material and makes is less viable than grease-free cardboard. That said, it’s okay to add the box to the recycle pile if it just has a few crumbs on it. You can also tear off the top of the box if it’s clean to put in the bin and toss the greasy bottom half into the trash.

Plastic Bottle Caps Are Okay

In the past, it was advised that you not try to recycle plastic bottle caps. This was mainly because caps and their bottles are made of two different types of plastic that don’t melt at the same temperature. Recent technology has changed that for the better. You’re now free to leave plastic caps screwed onto their bottles.

You May Not Be Able To Recycle Yogurt Caps

At one point, China took care of roughly half the world’s recycling, but they’ve dramatically scaled back their efforts. This has left a vacuum and resulted in more than a bit of confusion about what to do with certain plastics, like those used for yogurt cups. Plastics numbered three to seven may not qualify for your area’s recycling program. Before tossing butter tubs, yogurt cups and bottles of vegetable oil into your recyclables pile, look to see what number is in the triangle on the bottom. Do some digging to see what plastic numbers can be recycled. There may also be a renewable resource company like the Cadiz Water Project in your area making an effort to recycle yogurt cups and other plastics.  

Styrofoam Is Still Out of the Question

Frustrating as it may be to learn, but Styrofoam is still considered non-recyclable. The main reason is the material is easily contaminated. While it may be clean when you add it to the recycling bin, it can pick up contaminants on the way to the facility. Those contaminants don’t come out easily, and Styrofoam isn’t very marketable.

Do an occasional check so you always know whether you’re doing as good with recycling as you think. The right information goes a long way in saving resources and time. Hopefully, these tips can aid you in your quest to be more environmentally conscious.
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Trash to Toys: 10 Recycled Educational Toys #earthday

Earth Day is a yearly reminder to consider our role in protecting the
environment.    Parents can make a positive impact by creating fun, educational
toys from everyday items that may initially seem like trash, but can be
repurposed into teaching tools.

"Children are natural learners, and often see educational opportunities that
adults can miss," says Richard Peterson, vice president of education for Kiddie
Academy® Child Care Learning Centers.  "Anyone who’s given a child a new toy and
then found him playing with the box can appreciate a child’s gift for creative
play."

Want to feed your child’s imagination, while helping the environment?  Kiddie
Academy (www.KiddieAcademy.com) offers the following ideas for creating recycled
educational toys:

Computer Keyboard:  An outdated keyboard is a perfect teaching toy, as it
includes the entire alphabet to assist in early literacy exercises.  Challenge
your child to sing the ABC song while locating each letter on the keyboard.

Shoebox to Mailbox:  Children love getting mail.  Reinforce both reading and
writing skills by creating a family mailbox from an old shoebox.  Encourage your
child to write notes to family members, and leave notes for them as well.

Water Bottle Instrument:   Fill a clean, dry plastic water or soda bottle with
rice, bells, beans or coins and shake them to hear a variety of new sounds.
Glue the top on to secure the contents.

Junk Mail:  Instead of immediately sending your unwanted mail to the landfill,
allow your child to play with the envelopes and letters.  She can pretend to be
a postal carrier while getting additional exposure to printed words.

Magazines:  Glossy photos in magazines are perfect for creating collage art that
provides fine motor skill practice with scissors and glue.

TV remote:  Children love pushing buttons.  An unused television remote control
can be used for number and math play.  Simply remove the batteries and ask him
to find the numbers as you call them out.

Clothing:  Dramatic play is an essential teaching tool that allows children to
explore social roles, practice problem solving and language skills.  Add no
longer needed pieces of your own wardrobe to the toy chest to encourage your
child’s imagination.  She can literally “try on” a different role by wearing
your skirt, hat or shoes.

Linens:  Your child can use a worn out sheet or towel as a cape, picnic blanket
or as the roof to a play fort.

Toilet Paper Tube:  Empty TP tubes are a favorite art tool in classrooms.  Save
a box of them, and give them to your child along with a few craft supplies to
see what he can create.  Binoculars, stamps and creatures are popular choices.

Boxes:  While it’s tempting to immediately recycle a box, your child can have
hours of fun using an empty box for creative play.  What seems like trash to you
could become a school bus, secret hideout or magic castle.

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