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Five Walmart Stores to Collect 28 Types of Trash for TerraCycle

<p>Five Walmart stores on the East Coast will be the first to test a new collection system for 28 types of trash that TerraCycle turns into new products.</p>

Five Walmart stores on the East Coast will be the first to test a new collection system for 28 types of trash that TerraCycle turns into new products.

TerraCycle takes waste like candy wrappers, yogurt tubs, glue tubes, pens and coffee bags, which would otherwise be landfilled, and upcycles them into products like tote bags, plant pots, backpacks, pencil cases and portable speakers.

The waste comes in from collection Brigades, schools that sign up to collect specific types of waste, and TerraCycle donates 2 cents per item collected to the school or charity of the Brigade's choice.

Brigades currently have to mail in trash they collect. The collection system at the five Walmart's, going into place Oct. 1, will allow anyone to drop off any waste that New Jersey-based TerraCycle accepts in converted 20-foot trailers (below) at Walmart stores in Secaucus, Vineland, Deptford East and Lanoka Harbor, all in New Jersey, and Tullytown, Penn. 

Earlier this year, TerraCycle and Walmart worked together on a special Earth Month promotion. During April, all Walmart stores carried numerous TerraCycle products. Walmart still carries a line of coolers that TerraCycle and Olivet make out of chip bags.

"We have been discussing the in-store collection model with Walmart for some time. Even before the Earth Day program," said Albe Zakes, TerraCycle's VP of media relations. "That said, the success of the Earth Day program definitely helped to supercharge our relationship with Walmart."

TerraCycle has previously trialed collection systems for multiple waste streams at Home Depot, Petco, OfficeMax and Best Buy stores. 

In addition to working together on the collection system, TerraCycle and Walmart teamed up on the new Trash for Cash Collection Contest, which will give five grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to the New Jersey public schools that collect the most waste through TerraCycle collection Brigades until Dec. 15.

TerraCycle products - CC license by Flickr user lolololori

[Editor's Note: This article has been updated with addition information on TerraCycle's work with Walmart.]

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