TerraCycle

Finding value in waste

There are three elements that make up any object: its composition, form, and purpose.

Take a water bottle. Its composition is plastic, its form is a molded bottle, and its purpose is to hold a cold beverage.

Once a bottle has fulfilled its purpose, it’s often thrown out (or, even worse, littered). This is bad for our planet as the valuable aspects of that item have been wasted.

According to the Waste Hierarchy, a model that demonstrates the preferred order of options for managing waste, disposal should be the last resort. Unfortunately, it’s the main way our society deals with waste today. TerraCycle is working to change that.

Littering/Disposal: Values nothing

Disposal doesn’t value any element of an object. That’s why we work to provide options for recycling, upcycling, and reuse. We also combat litter through the TerraCycle Global Foundation.

Energy recovery (waste to energy): Values the energy

Waste-to-energy only values the embodied energy in the material, which is usually nominal. At TerraCycle, we never use incineration as an end-of-life solution for anything that we guarantee will be recycled.

TerraCycle’s models seek to value as much of an object as possible (which is also better for the planet).

Recycling: Values the composition

Our recycling models have been found to be 45 percent better for the Earth than traditional waste disposal.

Upcycling: Values composition and form

We create upcycled products and art to show the possibilities of waste.

Reuse: Values composition, form, and purpose

To enable reuse, we launched Loop, the world’s first global reuse platform.

Prevention is at the top of the Waste Hierarchy. The best way to deal with waste? Buy less.

Recycling

We’ve developed many innovative ways to turn even the most hard-to-recycle trash into something new. We create everything from consumer products to art to podiums for the world’s foremost sports competition, including winter and summer events.

Raw materials

After we recycle the trash we collect into raw materials, manufacturing companies produce the end product and complete the recycling journey. End-products include

Shopping baskets

Shopping baskets

Raw materials

After we recycle the trash we collect into raw materials, manufacturing companies produce the end product and complete the recycling journey. End-products include

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

P&G:
The first Olympic podiums made entirely of recycled plastic for the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Olympic podiums

P&G:
The first Olympic podiums made entirely of recycled plastic for the Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Olympic podiums

Playgrounds

Henkel and dm-drogerie markt:
A playground made from recycled soap bottles in Austria.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Playgrounds

Colgate and ShopRite:
Playgrounds made from collected oral care waste donated to local schools.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Playgrounds

Garnier:
Australian schools competed to recycle beauty empties and raise awareness about recycling, earning the first playground made of recycled beauty waste.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Playgrounds

Exercise parks

Right Guard:
Several outdoor gyms across the UK—a first in recycling metal for outdoor gyms.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Exercise parks

Gardens

Colgate:
Garden beds and planters, seedlings, bug hotels, gardening books, and more awarded as prizes for schools recycling in Australia.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Gardens

Outdoor furniture

Gillette and CVS:
Outdoor furniture made from recycled shaving care waste donated to The Fisher Houses charity in Vermont.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Outdoor furniture

Children’s bike frames

Unilever and Drogerie-Markt:
Children’s bike frames made out of aerosol bottles. The frames were donated to several children’s charities across Germany.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

Children’s bike frames

School benches

Kiehl's:
We turned their packaging into benches for schools in China.

Community builds

We partner with brands and retailers to collect trash and turn it into products that benefit communities, like playgrounds and gardens.

School benches

Consumer products

We turn recycled content into a wide range of consumer goods, from items on the shelves at Walmart to TerraCycle Made, our own line of products.

Consumer products

We turn recycled content into a wide range of consumer goods, from items on the shelves at Walmart to TerraCycle Made, our own line of products.

Virtu Made partnered with us on a line of products that support the TerraCycle Global Foundation. All proceeds from the TerraCycle Global Foundation Collection support the foundation’s work clearing trash from waterways.

Closed-loop products

We help brands create circular products by recycling items back into themselves or into similar applications.

Pilot pens

Closed-loop products

We help brands create circular products by recycling items back into themselves or into similar applications.

Pilot pens

Storied materials

We create and manage supply chains for materials that carry a unique narrative, like ocean plastic or garbage from the top of Mt. Everest.

The first recycled shampoo bottle made from beach plastic (in partnership with Head & Shoulders).

Upcycling

TerraCycle knows how to turn trash into treasure. Check out some of our favorite upcycled projects.

Postal service bags

Tote bags and more with USPS

Oral care waste

School supplies with Colgate

Pet food packaging

Aprons with Earthborn Holistic

Our offices around the world are also upcycled.

Trenton, USA

Upcycled art

Shampoo bottle sculpture for Monat

Check out our Artist Residency program.

Creative Residency Program

DIY guides

Over the years, we’ve created lots of DIY guides, offering others an easy way to turn trash into treasure.

View all guides

TerraCycle launched Loop, a global platform for reuse, which enables manufacturers to produce their products in reusable prefilled packages and sell them at major retailers.

Reuse