Compostable and Reusable Snack Bags, Finally!

TerraCycle Partners with PepsiCo's Frito-Lay to Upcycle Packaging

May 28, 2009

TerraCycle, a company that started out making worm poop, a nutritious plant fertilizer for the garden, is branching out in many innovative directions to save the planet.

TerraCycle was founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky, a gutsy 25-year old entrepreneur and Princeton University dropout. TerraCycle Plant Food™ was the first consumer product to earn the right to carry the Zerofootprint™ seal. The seal signifies that the materials and manufacturing process used to produce its products have virtually no negative environmental repercussions. The plant food is brilliantly packaged in recycled soda and water bottles.

Frito-Lay North America, a division of PepsiCo, recently announced a new partnership with this eco-friendly company. Through this joint program, consumers and local community groups can earn money by collecting the used packaging, and at the same time redirect packaging from landfills. The packaging from all the company’s popular brands, such as Lay’s potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and Cheetos cheese flavored snacks, will be used to make quality, affordable products such as purses, pencil cases and tote bags, which will be available at major retailers like Wal-Mart by late 2009.

The Chip Bag Brigade

The company is asking consumers to form Chip Bag Brigades; for every bag a brigade collects and sends to TerraCycle, Frito-Lay will donate two cents to their charity of choice. Initially, there will be 1,000 collection sites and more are expected to be added during the year. The goal of the program is to engage at least 150,000 people and divert more than 5 million bags from landfills.

Consumers can learn more about forming Chip Bag Brigades at www.fritolay.com/terracycle

“Consumers interact everyday with our company and our brands through packaging,” said Gannon Jones, vice president, portfolio marketing, Frito-Lay North America. “The TerraCycle program builds on our existing efforts to minimize the impact of packaging, while also engaging and rewarding our consumers for being part of the solution.” This packaging innovation is in line with the commitment by PepsiCo, Frito-Lay’s parent, to reduce the company's impact on the environment through water, energy and packaging initiatives.This month, Frito-Lay also announced that in 2010 it will be introducing a fully compostable bag made from plant-based renewable material.

Curious about the brave eco-warriors at TerraCycle? In April 2009, National Geographic launched a new series called Garbage Moguls. It follows Szaky and his colleagues, documentary style, as they approach multinational corporations such as Wal-Mart with kites made of cookie wrappers or OfficeMax with computer bags made from billboards, striving to keep hundreds of tons of non-recyclable materials from ending up in landfills. Check local listings for times or visit www.TerraCycle.net

The copyright of the article Compostable and Reusable Snack Bags, Finally! in Reducing Waste is owned by Annie Spiegelman. Permission to republish Compostable and Reusable Snack Bags, Finally! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.