Terracycle Recycling Programs
The Madeleine’s Laudato Si’ Circle and Care for Creation Ministry have joined with a U. S. based recycler, Terracycle, to offer our parish and school community (and our community at large), the opportunity to responsibly recycle some specific items not generally handled at curbside. Since launching this program in September 2019, we have added more items available for recycling. Please begin collecting these items immediately, and you can bring them to the designated location once we are able to safely gather on our campus once again.
Click here to download our Terracycle Recycling flyer to hang on your refrigerator or bulletin board.
Terracycle is working with a number of manufacturers to offer free programs to businesses, organizations, and schools who wish to recycle products that would normally go into the waste stream. As evidenced by the additional programs we are currently participating in, Terracycle is continuing to expand their offerings.
These programs provide rewards for participation, with rewards redeemable for donations to a non-profit of our choosing. This recycling program is open to our broader community. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to participate. Current programs include:
New: Fabric Care Products and Packaging 
From Tide, Gain, Downy, NBD and Dreft, including plastic components (dispensing cup, bag, nozzle, nozzle clip), and plastic packaging wrap, flexible plastic bags, rigid plastic tubs and lids, and Tide To Go pen.
Do:
- Include only Tide, Gain, Downy, NBD and Draft brand items.
Don’t:
- Include any other packaging you may have used for collecting and transporting.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
New: Used Socks (all brands)
Used clean socks only; pairs and singles are accepted. Not meant for new sock donations. 
Don’t:
- Include anything other than the listed acceptable items. No stockings, tights or pantyhose.
- Include any other packaging you may have used for collecting and transporting.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
New: Air Care Products and Packaging and Mr. Clean Deep Cleaning Mist
All brands of air and home cartridges, care plugs, care trigger heads, and plastic and film packaging. 
Don’t:
- Include anything other than the listed acceptable items. No aerosol containers.
- No hazardous waste.
- Remove as much of the remaining product as possible.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
Hair Care Tools and Appliances
All types and brands of hair care tools and appliances, including hair dryers, straightening irons, curling irons, thermal brushes and mini tools.
Don’t:
- Include anything other than listed acceptable items.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? Once collected, all brands of hair tools and appliances are cleaned and separated by material type. The materials are recycled into raw formats that manufacturers use to make new products.
Kroger Brand Flexible Plastic Packaging
Terracycle and Kroger® have partnered to create a national recycling program for all of Kroger® brand flexible plastic packaging, including Simple Truth™, Private Selection®, Kroger® Brand, Comforts®, HemisFares®, Luvsome®, Abound® and more!
Do:
- Include only Kroger food packaging.
- Remove excess food product.
Don’t:
- Wash out packaging; if you do, be sure packaging is completely dry.
- Include any other packaging you may have used for collecting and transporting.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? The materials are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products, such as park benches and picnic tables.
Oral Care Products
All brands of of used or empty oral care products, including toothpaste tubes, tooth brushes, and dental floss containers.
Do:
- Remove as much of the remaining product as possible and ensure container is dry.
Don’t: No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? The waste is broken down and separated by material. Plastics are cleaned and pelletized.
Late July® Snacks
All Late July® snack packaging as seen in these examples. Limited to Late July brand only.
Do: Remove all excess food product.
Don’t:
- Wash out packaging; if you do, be sure packaging is completely dry.
- Include any other packaging you may have used for collecting and transporting.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? The materials are separated by composition, shredded and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.
Gillette® and Venus Razors and Razor Blades
All brands of blades and razors (systems and disposable units, and replaceable-blade cartridge units), rigid plastic packaging, and flexible plastic bag packaging.
Do: For safety, place only in specially-marked receptacle located in Parish Rectory.
Don’t:
- Rinse the products before depositing in the receptacle.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? The waste is broken down and separated by material. Plastics are cleaned and pelletized to be recycled into new products, such as picnic tables and park benches. Metal materials are sent for smelting and conversion to new alloys.
Swiffer Refills
Swiffer only brands of Sweeper™ Dry, Wet, and XL Refills, WetJet Refills™, and Duster™ Refills.
Do: Ensure products are dry
Don’t:
- Include any brand other than Swiffer.
- Include any Swiffer liquid solution containers.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? The waste is broken down and separated by material. Plastics are cleaned and pelletized.
Cigarette Butts, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company
All brands of FULLY EXTINGUISHED cigarettes (and ashes) and tobacco products, including filters, outer plastic packaging, inner foil packaging, rolling paper, and loose tobacco pouches.
Do: Ensure products are dry and cigarettes are fully extinguished and securely contained in a sturdy plastic container or bag.
Don’t:
- Use paper bags for collecting.
- No garbage! This could adversely affect the ability to recycle the products.
What happens to the waste? The cigarettes and packaging are separated by composition and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled industrial products, such as plastic pallets. The ash and tobacco are separated out and composted in a specialized process For every pound of cigarette waste collected, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company donates $1.00 towards the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program.
Effective January 2022, we have regrettably discontinued the collection of Styrofoam, Polystyrene, and #6 Clear Clamshells and here’s why …
According to a 2020 independent investigation by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), Agilyx, Oregon’s sole recycler of Styrofoam and Polystyrene (endorsed and promoted by Metro and the State of Oregon), is cited for significant violations involving improper handling of these materials. In GAIA’s report, “All Talk and No Recycling: An Investigation of the U.S. ‘Chemical Recycling’ Industry”, companies such as Agilyx use a Plastic-to-Fuel (PTF) chemical process in their recycling of these highly toxic materials. PTF reportedly adds to the “cumulative burden of toxic exposures on environmental justice communities.” One such community is St. James Parish, Louisiana, home to a petrochemical industrialized zone known as “Cancer Alley,” and where 41.6% people of color and low-income live. GAIA’s report reveals Agilyx is transporting materials we have collected to St. James Parish, Louisiana.
GAIA concludes that PTF “is not a form of recycling because it does not replace virgin plastic, does not contribute to a circular economy in plastic, and does not avoid the environmental harms of plastic production. … PTF might be better described as a plastic to hazardous waste operation. The only thing PTF recycles is toxic chemicals” (P. 14). Read the full report for additional findings.
Our Call to Action
What actions can we immediately take to protect our environment from this toxic waste and show solidarity with our brothers and sisters residing in Cancer Alley? Here are some suggestions:
Contact Metro, DEQ, EPA, and/or your state representative(s) and ask them to review the GAIA report and respond to why Oregon is listed as having one of the “Top 100 Polluting Chemical Manufacturing Facilities in the U. S.”
Read the GAIA report in its entirety, discuss it with others, and continue to actively learn about issues affecting our environment. Question, question, question.
Attend the Catholic Climate Covenant webinar on April 11, 2022, 4:30 P.M. with keynote speaker, Sharon Lavigne. Ms. Lavigne is a passionate Catholic and founder of RISE St. James, a faith-based environmental justice organization located in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Register Here.
Avoid Styrofoam packaging whenever possible. If you cannot avoid buying products packaged in Styrofoam, use your consumer buying power and apply pressure on product manufacturers to find a more environmentally-friendly alternative.
Other Recycling Opportunities
Redyper Disposable Diapers
(subscription service for purchasing and recycling Redyper brand disposable diapers through Terracycle)
Redirect your disposable diapers away from landfills with an easy-to-use solution powered by TerraCycle.
For more information or to sign up, visit their website.
Loop
Offers zero-waste packaging of everyday essentials (beauty, health and personal care, grocery, and household essentials) from leading brands (including Haagen-Dazs!). Temporarily pay a 100% refundable deposit to borrow the packaging, and Loop professionally cleans and reuses it once you’re finished. Loop delivers waste-free to your doorstep in a reusable tote. When you’re done with a Loop product, place it in the tote and schedule a free pick up. No monthly membership fees or subscriptions; available nationwide. For more information or to sign up, visit www.loopstore.com