Lead the change: Help your community recycle more with TerraCycle
With TerraCycle, you can help your community recycle more FOR FREE.
TerraCycle recycles the unrecyclable—items not typically accepted by curbside recycling services. You or your group can become a recycling champion for your community and keep trash out of landfills and incinerators. Plus, when you recycle with us, you earn TerraCycle Recycling Rewards—points that can be redeemed as a cash donation to the school, charity, or nonprofit of your choice (including your own organization).
Sign up now →
To recycle on behalf of your community, be sure to indicate your Organization Type (e.g., 4H Club, Retail Store, Other) and estimate how many people you will be collecting recycling for under “# People Collecting” when you sign up.
How to recycle the “unrecyclable”
TerraCycle has dozens of FREE recycling programs for everything from toys to snack packaging to beauty waste.
Recycle all brands of:
- Cigarette butts & packaging
- Hair tools
- Sauce packets & cups
- Drink pouches
- Snack pouches
- Air care products
- Razors & packaging
- Explore more all-brand programs →
Recycle items from specific brands, like:
- dermalogica skincare packaging
- All valid shipments earn 3x the TerraCycle Recycling Rewards points until January 31, 2025
- Paw Patrol, Rubik’s Cube, and more toys
- BLACK+DECKER small appliances
- Burt’s Bees packaging
- Thomas, Sara Lee, and more bread bags
- Kroger brands flexible plastic packaging
- Explore dozens more programs →
Who can participate
Any individual or group can recycle with TerraCycle on behalf of their community. Many nonprofits, local businesses, Girl and Boy Scout troops, 4H groups, and more recycle with us. Anyone who wants to make a difference in their community is invited to participate! Remember, it’s easy and completely FREE. (Hey, schools, we have special resources and incentives for you here!)
Community TerraCyclers in action
The Bordentown Township Environmental Commission collects snack and candy wrapper plastic packaging as well as oral care products to recycle through TerraCycle. In addition to their public drop-off point at the public works recycling center, the commission hosts regular litter cleanups, with as many as 40 volunteers from local Scout troops, members of the fire department, and more joining. Student representatives of the commission have even expanded collection efforts into classrooms to further reduce waste and get kids involved in recycling!
Keep New Hanover Beautiful collects and recycles cigarette butts from locations across New Hanover County, including the Wilmington International Airport, New Hanover County Government facilities, the Town of Wrightsville Beach, and downtown businesses. They engage student volunteers and interns to service the receptacles on a weekly basis. They’ve collected and recycled over 2.6 million cigarette butts through our Cigarette Waste Free Recycling Program!
Cincinnati Recycling & Reuse Hub is a nonprofit determined to make a positive difference in their community. At the Hub’s facility, volunteers and staff collect and recycle hard-to-recycle waste streams, including for roughly 40 different TerraCycle programs! Since starting in 2021, they have sent in over 18,000 lbs of hard-to-recycle materials to TerraCycle for recycling.
How it works
You’re in charge. Recycle with TerraCycle in the way that makes sense for you, your group, or your organization, whether it’s a one-time collection event, a public drop-off point, a community cigarette cleanup, or something else you come up with. It’s always free to recycle through our free recycling programs.
Host a one-time collection event
Plan a recycling drive for items with a longer lifespan that people typically don’t need to recycle frequently, like haircare tools, toys, and small appliances. Consider hosting these regularly, such as quarterly, at public spaces like farmer’s markets, municipal buildings, or religious institutions.
Organize a community cleanup
Plan cleanup events to motivate your community members to pick up cigarette waste and beautify your neighborhoods, public spaces, and parks. To drum up participation, host cleanups on environmental holidays, like Earth Day and World Oceans Day. Join hundreds of cities in North America that recycle cigarette butts, packaging, and more with TerraCycle through the Cigarette Waste Free Recycling Program.
Start a public drop-off point
Interested in making an ongoing difference? Start a public drop-off point to give your community a longer-term solution for recycling through TerraCycle’s free recycling programs. It’s easy:
- Choose a location
- Set up your drop-off and start collecting
- Send in recycling (using free prepaid labels) to earn rewards
How to earn & redeem TerraCycle Recycling Rewards
You will automatically earn TerraCycle points in your account when you send in qualifying shipments of trash through participating TerraCycle free recycling programs. Redeem your points as a cash donation to the school, nonprofit, or charity of your choice (even your own organization)! Keep an eye on our Contests and Promotions page for chances to win extra points. It pays to help your community recycle more.
Get started today!
Thank you for helping your community eliminate the idea of waste! Get started by creating a free TerraCycle account. To recycle on behalf of your community, be sure to indicate your Organization Type (e.g., 4H Club, Retail Store, Other) and how many people you will be collecting recycling for under # People Collecting.
Resources
Questions? We’re here for you.
We’re here to help make recycling for your community easy and rewarding. Visit our full Frequently Asked Questions page for more information, or reach out to litter@terracycle.com.