America Recycles Day 11/15/12

America Recycles Day is coming on 11/15/12! The City of Bellevue placed a recycling collection site at Walmart for America Recycles Day 2011. To date we have collected approximately 17 tons of glass and 26 tons of co-mingled recycling at that site! The glass is taken to Metro Recycling on 61st Street where Ripple Glass collects the glass to be recycled into fiber glass. The recycle is taken to First Star Fiber. The rebates collected from the co-mingled recycling help pay for the hauling fees!This year we are promoting the recycling company, Terracycle. We are regularly asked by youth groups and schools for projects they can undertake that would make an impact on the environment and starting a recycling program with Teracycle is perfect. The company was started in 2001 by a 19 year old freshman at Princeton University with a worm composting business idea. Today they have locations throughout the U.S. and in many other countries. They accept previously non-recyclable or hard-to-recycle waste. Anyone can sign up for these programs, called the Brigades, and start sending them the waste. And Terracycle pays rebates out. Green Bellevue has three Brigades going: Paired shoes, health bar wrappers and personal care/beauty items.

We have a collection site at the Bellevue Public Library - groups that are doing large collections are encouraged to let us know so we can print off shipping labels for you to ship the items directly to Terracycle at no charge.

Groups can also set up your own account with Terrcycle and sign up for any number of Brigades. Click here for the list of what you can collect, once you find what you'd like to collect, go to the website at terracycle.com to be sure there are open slots available to be a collector of certain items as not all Brigades are open to new collections.

For information on Green Bellevue's Brigades, contact Ruth Richter or Ashley Totman. Keep us updated on new Brigands you start so we can help you with the collection!