Out with the old and in with the eco-capitalism

BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

TerraCycle Inc. makes plant food from worm castings and sells it in recycled plastic bottles. ALLENTOWN - TerraCycle Inc. is trying to turn consumerism on its head by revolutionizing the way people view waste.

Starting this week, residents of Allentown and the surrounding area will aid the Trenton-based company in its quest to build the world's most eco-friendly product, according to Jennifer Wilkie, of TerraCycle Inc.

"TerraCycle's goal is to save thousands of bottles that would otherwise go to landfills by reusing them as packaging," Wilkie said. "Reusing the bottles is even better than recycling them since it eliminates the shredding, melting and reforming needed in the recycling process."

TerraCycle Inc. was founded a couple of years ago by two Princeton University students. The concept behind the company is to use environmentally friendly components in every aspect of production to create an Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)-certified organic product, according to Wilkie.

The TerraCycle product, which compares favorably to synthetic chemicals used by the majority of gardeners, is a plant food actually made from waste as well, according to Wilkie.

The product is manufactured by feeding organic waste to millions of worms. Then, according to Wilkie, the worms' castings, which is worm poop, is brewed into a ready-to-use liquid food for plants.

The product is stored in the recycled bottles.

"To date, TerraCycle has saved over a million bottles from going to the landfill," Wilkie said.

Students at Allentown High School (AHS) and other area schools have already pledged to help TerraCycle in its recycling goals. Other local student and adult organizations, families and individuals are encouraged to help.

Consumers can drop off used 20-ounce (591 ml) plastic soda bottles at the Home Depot in Robbinsville, located at 750 Route 130. The bottles will be reused to package the all-natural plant food.

The Home Depot in Robbinsville has a TerraCycle Eco-Pallet, or a cardboard receptacle, where people can deposit their used soda bottles.

For each bottle returned, TerraCycle will donate 5 cents to AHS and other participating schools, according to Wilkie.

The company will also donate 5 cents for each bottle returned to Zerofootprint, which provides information, products and services to consumers and businesses around the world that want to reduce their environmental impact, according to Wilkie.

"Zerofootprint will use the donated funds to offset the environmental impact of driving to and from Home Depot to drop off empty bottles," Wilkie said.

Zerofootprint anticipates that roughly four bottles will help offset the average shopper's trip to and from Home Depot, according to Wilkie.

TerraCycle encourages community members to participate in this recycling program.

"This will not only help raise money for some local schools and Zerofootprint," Wilkie said, "but will [also] aid TerraCycle's mission of creating a product made entirely from waste and helping save our environment."

Because TerraCycle has become America's fastest growing fertilizer company, in July, Inc. magazine named it "The Coolest Little Start-Up in America." The company is the first in the world to use nothing but garbage in both the manufacturing and packaging of its products, according to Wilkie.

Many of the used soda bottles are collected through the TerraCycle Bottle Brigade, which is a fundraising effort by schoolchildren and nonprofit groups throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to Wilkie.

TerraCycle Plant Food debuted at Home Depot in Canada in 2005 and was honored with Home Depot Canada's 2005 Environmental Stewardship Award.

This year, Home Depot USA and other large chains began featuring TerraCycle products across the country.

For more information about TerraCycle, contact Tom Szaky at (609) 365-7557 or visit www.terracycle.net

For more information about Zerofootprint, visit www.zerofootprint.net.