TerraCycle introduces Zero Waste Bags

New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle has released its Zero Waste Bags, which are designed to make recycling more accessible for Americans. In partnership with more than 20 collection service providers across 12 states, TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Bags are said to offer a doorstep recycling solution for hard-to-recycle waste.

“Our goal is to work with compost companies, or any business that offers in-home or pickup services, nationwide to help residents conveniently recycle more of their household products, particularly items that aren’t generally accepted by local recycling services,” TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky says.

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TerraCycle aims to increase access for recycling hard-to-recycle materials by partnering with compost pickup companies across the country that will incorporate TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Bags into their business models. The company says the bags are designed to recycle 24 categories of hard-to-recycle materials that local recycling programs often do not accept. This includes keeping coffee capsules, toothpaste tubes, expanded polystyrene, all types of plastic wrappers and packaging and more out of landfills and incinerators.

When using Zero Waste Bags, TerraCycle says to:

• select the size bag that corresponds with the waste stream you plan to recycle;
• fill the Zero Waste Bag with recycled items and seal it when full;
• place the full Zero Waste Bag at your doorstep to be collected by a service provider; and then
• the Zero Waste Bags are returned to TerraCycle where the waste is sorted, cleaned and recycled into raw materials to be used by manufacturers to make new products.

“Curbside recycling services typically only accept items that they can profit from recycling,” Szaky says. “If the cost of collecting and processing the trash is less than the value of the resulting raw materials, curbside services will likely accept it. However, if the cost is higher, the trash likely won’t be accepted, even if it can technically be recycled. With Zero Waste Bags, TerraCycle provides consumers a responsible way to dispose of hard-to-recycle items, ensuring they stay out of landfills and incinerators.”

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TerraCycle says it has created recycling solutions for hundreds of types of hard-to-recycle trash, such as cosmetic packaging, snack wrappers, pet food packaging and other materials.

Zero Waste Bag services already have launched, or are launching soon, in select zip codes throughout New York, Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina.

TerraCycle plans to expand the service to other cities and neighborhoods across the United States throughout 2025.