Wk+2

="Up cycling, Down cycling and Terracycle"=

Definitions:

 * 1. Up cycling** - the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value. (Wikipedia).


 * 2.** **Down cycling** - the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of lesser quality and reduced functionality. The purpose of downcycling is to prevent wasting potentially useful materials, reduce consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution, and lower greenhouse gas emissions (though re-use of tainted toxic chemicals for other purposes can have the opposite effect) as compared to virgin production. A clear example is plastic recycling, which turns the material into lower grade plastics (Wikipedia).
 * **Post-consumer** waste materials are those that are obtained from used containers, packaging or other user-discarded items that may have been used in drinks, food items, equipment or any other packaged merchandise.
 * **Pre-consumer** waste materials are those obtained from manufacturing excesses or overruns from factories.
 * By reclaiming waste materials to use for our green products, we help reduce the amount of trash that would otherwise go into our landfill.
 * We also help minimize the depletion of natural resources by eliminating the need to use virgin raw materials.


 * 3.** TerraCycle created a national recycling program for previously non-recyclable or hard to recycle waste. With more than 20 million people collecting waste in 14 countries, Terracycle diverts millions of units of waste and has re-manufactured products available at major retailers such as Wal Mart and Whole Foods.


 * Reduce
 * Reuse
 * Recycle


 * 4.** Terra Cycle was founded by Tom Szaky and Jon Beyer, alumni of employing Princeton University – responsible for creating a continuous flow process by employing worms to process garbage. But the most striking fact about TerraCycle is the age of its co-founder and CEO, Tom Szaky (pronounced zack-y). He is now 24. A Hungarian by birth and a Canadian by upbringing, he was 19 years old and in his freshman year at Princeton University when he launched the company with one of his classmates, Jon Beyer. TerraCycle can offer retailers such margins because its own margins are so high. Worms, after all, do not charge for their labor, never take a day off, produce their body weight in waste every 24 hours, and--since they copulate while they eat--double their numbers every three months.

TerraCycle makes all of its products entirely from waste. TerraCycle is paid to take waste product, which they feed to worms, and then sell the worm poop as plant fertilizer. TerraCycle runs school and community recycling programs to collect recycled soft drink bottles, and uses these to package the plant food. The operation is run from a previously abandoned warehouse in New Jersey and uses misprinted boxes from other companies to ship product. TerraCycle up cycles and recycles traditionally non-recyclable waste (including drink pouches, chip bags, tooth brushes and many more) into a large variety of consumer products. These products keep waste out of our landfills and contribute to a cleaner world. TerraCycle products are available at a wide range of major retailers from Wal Mart to Target as well as online.
 * 5.** TerraCycles's business model:


 * 6.** Alchemy Goods - Eli Reich is the founder of this Seattle business where old bicycle inner tubes are stitched together into messenger bags. According to Business Week, he made his first bike inner tube bag after his messenger bag was stolen. The mechanical engineer soon received requests for his sturdy inner tube bag and launched Alchemy Goods. Now he has a few employees and a whole line of products made out of old inner tubes, seat-belts, and outdoor ad banners. Website: http://alchemygoods.com/