Upcycle It! Turning Trash into Cash

Sustainable Westford’s Upcycle It! program is taking trash to new heights and Westford schools are cashing in.

Upcycle It! collects non-recyclables such as chip bags, granola bar wrappers, cookie wrappers and more to keep them out of the waste stream. These items are sent to a company called TerraCycle. These items are then upcycled into new products.

TerraCycle collects 36 different ‘brigade’ items (types of waste) including chip bags, energy bar wrappers, candy wrappers, coffee bags, dried out pens and yogurt containers and upcycles them into eco-friendly products. The awesome thing is that all of the items are non-recyclable or hard to recycle. Now you are thinking, “Wow, that’s cool. But how do they get this stuff. Are they going through landfills?” Lucky for them, no. Any group or individual can sign up to collect and send items to TerraCycle. The shipping is free and 2 cents per item is donated to the school or charity of your choice. TerraCycle then takes the trash and makes backpacks, tote bags, and flower pots just to name a few of their 243 products. Sustainable Westford donates this money back to the Westford Public Schools.



I had wanted to start a TerraCycle program for a few years. Finally last winter, I signed up, joined a few brigades and started asking friends and others in town to collect these items with me. In April, I approached Gloria Gilbert, Westford Farmers Market founder, with the idea of putting a collection bucket at the market to make it more convenient. Little did I know, the group had recently expanded their mission to bring more “green” programs to the community, calling themselves Sustainable Westford. That conversation was the beginning of Upcycle It! Through the spring and summer, Upcycle It! spread through the town. Each week at the Farmers Market the Upcycle It! tent collected bags and bags of items. This past fall, collections began at most of the Westford schools - the 60+ buckets decorated by Westford Farmers Market volunteers are shown above. Students save items in the cafeterias and classrooms, and many others drop off items at the library, Roudenbush and Starbucks.


Since the program began in May, $1010.42 has been raised, over 50,000 pieces of trash totalling almost 590 lbs have been saved from the waste stream.

What to Collect

To participate, you simply need to save the items we collect and drop them off at one of the many convenient locations throughout Westford. Although TerraCycle collects 36 items, Upcycle It! only accepts the following:

1. Drink Pouches: ANY brand of drink pouch (no juice boxes) and its straw (no juice) – place in separate bag
   
2. Elmer’s Glue: Glue bottle, glue stick or glue pen
3. Energy Bars Wrappers: ANY brand of energy, granola, cereal or protein bar wrappers
4. Chip Bags: ANY chip/snack bag (any size)
5. Cookie Wrappers: ANY brand of cookie wrappers (no plastic trays)
6. Candy Wrappers: ANY brand of candy wrappers or bag (any size)
   
7. Colgate Oral Care: ANY brand toothbrush, plastic toothpaste tubes, and packaging (no cardboard)
8. Coffee Bags: ANY brand of coffee bag As of July 2011, coffee bags are no longer accepted
   
9. Writing Instruments: ANY kind of pen, mechanical pencil or marker (no wooden pencils)

We can only accept wrappers and packaging that once held one of these items. So it matters more what was in the bag or wrapper than the type of material it is made out of. Think this way – if you can buy it in the “Chip” aisle of the grocery store, it’s considered a chip bag. So popcorn, pretzels, tortilla chips, etc… are all chips. Same logic can be applied to Candy, Cookies, and Energy Bars. The other brigades are little more self explanatory.

Quiz for you: Using the information above, would a ramen noodle package or a package that contained croutons be accepted?

Answer – No. Neither of these items are considered a chip, candy, cookie, or any of the brigade categories. Other common misconceptions are Crystal Light packages, frozen food bags and nuts. TerraCycle has corporate sponsors who pay 2 cents per item and for shipping. So, for example, Mars sponsors the Candy Wrappers. Mars is willing to pay for ANY brand of candy wrapper since that is their industry, but they won’t pay for a frozen food bag or cheese wrapper.






We appreciate your support in making this program so strong. Our volunteers must sort through all of the items by hand separating them into the categories we collect. Familiarizing yourself with the do’s and don’t really helps. And yes, that's me in the picture sorting in my garage!


Drop Off Locations
Sustainable Westford has drop off locations at the following:

Westford Farmers Market
Westford Starbucks
J.V. Fletcher Library
Roudenbush Community Center – Main St.
Nabnasset, Abbot, and Miller Elementary – for parents only


If you are participating in Upcycle It! currently, THANK YOU! It is so satifying seeing something so near to my heart succeed. The overwhelming support from Westford residents, students, parents, Girl Scout troops, teachers, and businesses has been amazing. Let's keep it going!

Do Not Put These In The Trash!

I don’t believe that much BELONGS in the trash. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Donate, Compost – our trash is pretty small. Did you know that there are some things that can be dangerous if thrown into the trash? Take a look at the following list and note the safe alternatives for disposal.

Batteries –

Button Type – Many button batteries contain mercury. They are collected at MacKay Hardware, Ace Hardware and Westford Board of Health

Lithium batteries – These batteries are reactive with water and can cause fires. Save for Household Hazardous Waste collection

Rechargeable batteries – Some may contain cadmium, a metal that is toxic to humans when inhaled or ingested. Radio Shack and Best Buy are among the places that accept rechargeables.

Regular alkaline batteries are safe to put into the trash according to Mass DEP. Since 1994, alkaline batteries contain no added mercury. This still seems wrong to me and I can’t bring myself to throw them in the trash. I have a box of them that my husband takes to work to recycle on occasion. I also recently discovered that the Littleton Transfer station will also accept them. You need to be a resident of Littleton, however.

CFLs – Any fluorescent bulbs contain small amounts of mercury. They can be disposed of properly by Ace Hardware, MacKay Hardware or Home Depot. If a CFL breaks, please read this before attempting to clean up. DO NOT USE A VACUUM or BROOM.

Sharps – To ensure proper disposal, take to the Board of Health. They should be placed in a puncture proof container such as a detergent bottle, coffee can or sharps container.

Thermometers and Thermostats – Old thermometers and some thermostats contain mercury. Dispose of at the Board of Health. Please place intact mercury containing devices in a sealed plastic bag.

Motor Oil – Used oil contains heavy metals, which can contaminate water supplies and harm eco-systems. Take the oil back to where you bought it. Whoever sold it to you is required by Massachusetts law to take back up to two gallons of your used oil per day, without charge, provided you still have the sales receipt. No receipt? Westford Fire Station (Center of Town) or Whitney’s Service will take it for a small fee of $1/gallon.

Household hazardous waste items – Westford collects household hazardous waste every other year. If you missed the last collection this past fall, you may take your items to the Minuteman Hazardous Products Regional Facility in Lexington. It is open for 8 weekend days April – Nov, 2011, fees apply.

Please pass this along to anyone you think might not know. At least we can keep really harmful stuff out of the waste stream.