“Ours mission is to delete the concept of rubbish/trash. We recycle or suprarreciclamos wastes that up to now did not have possibility to be recycled”
Interview to Tom Szaky, founder and president of TerraCycle
BIC And TerraCycle have initiated a pioneering campaign of collected and recycling of instruments of writing in Spain, can describe how arises and of what treats the campaign?
TerraCycle Was founded in United States 10 years ago by Tom Szaky. After having reached a high level of consciousness in North America where TerraCycle works with big marks like the company of foods Kraft, the company has extended internationally to offer his services to marks and consumers of other markets. TerraCycle Europe began in 2009 in Great Britain. This first step was continued in other European countries of the hand of marks so important like BIC.
What will do with the products collected?
TerraCycle Has like mission delete the concept of rubbish/trash. We recycle or suprarreciclamos wastes that up to now did not have possibility to be recycled. BIC Has been very engaged in the development of sustainable solutions for his products since the famous mark discovered the possibility to recycle his products post-consumer, by what has opened beside us numerous brigades of instruments writing in Europe. Thanks to the dedication of BIC, TerraCycle has been able to arrive to numerous European countries for the first time.
Forming part of the brigade of instruments of writing, schools, companies and organisations/organizations can send us now his material of writing spent free. We will recycle or suprarreciclaremos the rubbish/trash received warning that these finish in dumps or incineradoras.
Besides, by each unit of rubbish/trash received TerraCycle will give two points to the team of collected. These points can be turned into effective for the non-profit association that the team choose or can be changed by gifts solidarios.
How much quantity of plastic estimate that they will collect?
The instruments of writing collected will be recycled to create new useful and affordable products. Of this way, the Brigade also has an impact in the quantity of prime matter that extracts to create new products. The majority of the products can be created with at least a part of our wastes.
What objective have marked ?
To the beginning of the Brigade is really complicated to estimate how of successful will be the program. On a long-term basis it would like us participate in the awareness of the citizens increasing like this the pattern of recycling and recolecta of waste. For now in Spain expect to reach, at least, 2% of recolección of the instruments of writing produced after a year of existence.
The schools, in addition to being one of the places where logically more collects this type of products, is also the form of concienciar to the smallest?
Definitively. The new generations are those that adopt faster all type of changes and teaching them now same the process of recycling is crucial since we ensure us that they will be engaged in the future and besides will be able of inculcar to his own parents this awareness.
The program of Brigades in a fun form to learn on recycling and the important that is to respect our planet. This project offers infinity of opportunities to the professors to organise games or participate in our contests. The boys involucrarán in a positive program where will check that each one of his actions has an impact on a large scale. Besides, as they will receive the points TerraCycle to help to associations and afterwards will see the products done from the waste that collected in supermarkets, the result of his efforts is even more visible for them.
donarán Two cents of euro by each instrument recolectado…
By each element of writing that receive give two points TerraCycle to the team recolector. These points will be then changed by money (2 points = 2 cents of euro) for the non-profit association that they choose or by one of the gifts that propose in our page web.
TerraCycle And his marks associated think that each team participant would have to be rewarded by his form part in the program. Have the opportunity to do something positive by the environment is well, but if besides you help socially, is even better.
It can describe the cycle that realises/realizes a pen since this collects until it reconverts in, for example, part of a case or regadera?
When we receive a pen, is the moment to store it in our ship near of Barcelona. At the same time, our team of Investigation and Development elaborates new processes of recycling and look for companies recicladoras in Spain and in Europe that they are able to adapt the process. BIC Has right of approval on the products that decide do from the wastes, by what need always the approval of the company.
In United States have working now same a brigade of Instruments of writing and the operation there is the following: the metallic parts of the pen separate of the rest of the product; these are treated by recicladoras skilled in metal; the plastic and the ink are triturados together and add to other plastics recycled to create a new product using the moldeo by injection or the process of extrusion.
It can be a problem the fact that the pen, like residue, go together with the ink, so that the ink contaminate the rest of the residue?
The ink is not a problem because it acts like pigmentación, by what simply colorea the resultant product. This material can be easily tintado with colours/colors darker.
It has to to be gratificante have a giant of the writing like BIC, a form that the big marks are engaged with the environment… what thinks?
Work with big marks like BIC is very important for us. These marks are the sufficiently big as to create a big impact in the vision that have of the rubbish/trash. It is really hopeful when we see that marks like BIC are prepared to invest time and money in catering sustainable solutions for the rubbish/trash port-consumer.
With all the marks with which work, always know us people that really involucra in the project and that engages , to his way, to find solutions increasingly sustainable.
TerraCycle Is known all over the world, can that something less in Spain, What is TerraCycle, and which field of performance has?
TerraCycle Was founded 10 years ago. We begin creating a fertilizante called Worm Poop. To sell this fertilizante TerraCycle needed containers, but did not have of the money to buy them. Like resource, arose the idea to use bottles of soda like container. In this moment, Tom Szaky gave account that the business was not in the fertilizante but in the reuse of waste. The company changed many times his model but the aim was always the same: delete the concept of rubbish/trash.
Believe, and more than believing is a reality in the actuality, that the majority of the waste are recyclable and the majority of the products can be created from wastes.
For recolectar the rubbish/trash organise/organize brigades, that are teams recolectores of a type of waste. Each brigade is promocionada by a mark. This system of recolección allows us receive big quantities of the same type of rubbish/trash, doing the process of recycling much easier. On the other hand, the marks that sponsor us allow that the program of brigades was free and besides can give donations to different associations.
After the recolecta of waste, the second part of our process is to create new products. In Spain have to expect still until we collect sufficient waste to be able to begin a process of recycling. However, in United States for example, our products are sold in chains like Wall Marts or Home Depot.
The Brigades of TerraCycle are national networks of collected of a type of residue. By the moment, in Spain Bic and TerraCycle have launched the Brigade of Instruments of Writing. Companies, schools and non-profit organisations can register in
How much will last the campaign and which volume carry collected for the moment?
The brigade of instruments of writing is new in Spain by what the participants are still in the process of recolección. Already we have received the first packages and carry recolectados near of 5.000 instruments of writing. The program has like aim last at least three years.
