Solving the Other Side of Recycling: TerraCycle’s 20+ Year Commitment to Eliminate the Idea of Waste

Delivering scalable solutions for the materials traditional recycling leaves behind

TORONTO, Ontario (April 17, 2025) — What do coffee capsules, PPE, and the majority of plastic packaging have in common? They’re part of a growing list of items people want to recycle—but can’t through municipal or local recycling services.

This Earth Month, TerraCycle is underscoring the practical and scalable recycling solutions it has built through decades of innovation to address what traditional recycling leaves behind. From households to industries, TerraCycle is helping close critical gaps in how we keep hard-to-recycle waste out of landfills and incinerators. From free recycling programs for consumers to industry-specific solutions for businesses, TerraCycle is making it easier for people to take action—no matter where they are in their sustainability journey.

“Municipal recycling services are essential—but their business model is not to recycle everything. If the resulting materials can be sold at a profit, the item will likely be recycled,” says Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “At TerraCycle, we complement local recyclers by picking up where they leave off. We create targeted recycling solutions for the items traditional recyclers won’t accept and work closely with brands, retailers, industries, and consumers to bring our solutions to life in practical and scalable ways.”

That work spans a wide range of options—each designed to address different types of waste and user needs. From nationally available free recycling programs sponsored by brands to specialized industry solutions, TerraCycle offers many recycling options:

·        Free Recycling Programs: In collaboration with brands and retailers, TerraCycle operates hundreds of free recycling programs across 21 countries. Consumers can recycle items like cosmetics, snack wrappers, oral care and cleaning supplies—to name just a few.

·        Zero Waste Box: Where brand-sponsored options aren’t available, Zero Waste Box offers a paid, all-in-one recycling solution for nearly any waste stream—from art supplies and fabric scraps to coffee capsules, and plastic utensils. These boxes can be used in virtually every setting—from homes and offices to schools and event spaces and everywhere in between.

·        Industry-Specific Recycling Solutions: TerraCycle has introduced a new suite of sector-specific recycling models in response to evolving needs across industries. These programs are designed to align with the materials and workflows of each environment while providing easy-to-implement options for businesses looking to reduce waste:

o   ClinicCycle for healthcare settings that generate high volumes of single-use items like gloves, masks, and sterilization pouches

o   ScienceCycle for labs and research institutions with specialized materials like pipette tips, vials, and packaging

o   VetCycle for animal care practices that rely on disposable tools, packaging, and hygiene products

o   CafeCycle for food service businesses with waste streams including coffee pods, cups, lids, stirrers, and flexible food wrappers

o   OfficeCycle for workplace environments looking to recycle pens, paper packaging, snack wrappers, and other common office waste

·        TerraCycle Foundation: In regions with limited waste infrastructure, the TerraCycle Foundation partners with local communities to install river waste capture systems and offer localized recycling solutions. Each site combines physical collection with education and outreach to help stop pollution before it reaches the ocean.

TerraCycle operates a recycling process designed to responsibly manage hard-to-recycle waste with transparency and traceability; all compliant waste is guaranteed to be recycled. After waste is received, the collected materials are recycled into plastic pellets or other raw formats that can be used to make new products—like plastic storage bins, shipping pallets, outdoor furniture, and more. Each step of the process is designed to be traceable and transparent to ensure the materials are handled responsibly.

Earth Month is about action—and access. TerraCycle’s growing network of programs is helping individuals and industries move beyond the limits of conventional recycling, offering tools to reduce waste today while building circular systems for the future.

To learn more about TerraCycle’s recycling solutions, visit www.terracycle.com.

About TerraCycle

TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community across a wide range of accessible programs, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and individuals. To learn more about TerraCycle and join them on their journey to move the world from a linear economy to a circular one, please visit www.terracycle.com.