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Trenton, NJ — TerraCycle is deviating from its standard business model of collecting waste and turning it into something new with its new partnership with 3M.
Instead, TerraCycle has started collecting empty Scotch tape dispensers and will send them to 3M to be used as tape dispensers again. TerraCycle CEO and founder Tom Szaky plans for the program to initially collect 25,000 dispensers, but hopes for it to grow even larger.
And as TerraCycle continues to expand its waste-collecting partnerships with companies (milk bottles and Malt-O-Meal bags are just a couple of latest garbage it has found uses for), it is also expanding throughout the world.
Earlier this month, TerraCycle announced a partnership with Kraft UK that will collect waste coffee refill packs and packaging from the company's Kenco and Tassimo brands as well as unusable packaging from Kraft's factories.
TerraCycle has now chosen London to be its launching pad into the U.K. and Europe. The company was brought to the city with the help of Think London, the city's foreign direct investment agency, which has been working to build up London as a center for sustainable business.
Scotch tape dispenser - CC license by jepoirrier
Business
TerraCycle rolls on
TerraCycle kicks butt. They continue to redefine what business and manufacturing should be. Please keep reporting their activities. Thanks,
Why not just sell refills vs asking for mail back?
Scotch should sell refills if the plastic is not easily recyclable through local avenues. Mailing dispensers back adds materials and fuel waste, and emissions. TerraCycle is great but this program seems a bit of a wash, more for PR than real improvement.
Also, why can't consumers mail direct to 3M to reduce the length of the mailing chain? Yes, TC offers a charitable contrib (which manufs pay) but is that worth the added eco-impact?