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Bottle Brigade FAQ

Where can I buy TerraCycle Plant Food?
Who can sign up for the Bottle Brigade program?
What do I need to sign up for the Bottle Brigade program?
How long does it take to get Bottle Brigade boxes?
I signed up for the Bottle Brigade program, but I haven't received a confirmation email. What do I do?
How many boxes do you send?
Do I have to pay for shipping?
How do I get more Bottle Brigade boxes? Can I get more than 4?
Why do some of the Bottle Brigade boxes I received seem used?
How can I check the status of my account?
Do I have to remove the caps from the bottles?
How many bottles should I put in each Bottle Brigade box?
How much do you pay per bottle?
How often do I get paid for my bottles?
Is there a limit to how many bottles I can redeem?
What kind of bottles do you accept?
How should I send the Bottle Brigade boxes back to TerraCycle?
Our organization is done collecting bottles, can I unsubscribe?
How does it work if I sign up for the program through IRA?

General Information

Where can I buy TerraCycle Plant Food?

TerraCycle Plant Food is available at most Home Depots and Walmarts around the country as well as many others. To find a store, simply enter your zip code at the store locator here. For more information on our products, visit here.

Who can sign up for the Bottle Brigade program?

We welcome anyone from almost any organization to join in our recycling efforts! There are some practical considerations your organizations should keep in mind. For example, our program is not designed to accommodate recycling centers or individual residential households. We currently only collect 20oz. soda bottles.

What do I need to sign up for the Bottle Brigade program?

Signing up for TerraCycle's Bottle Brigade program is easy! All you need is a 501c3 charity (and their Tax ID #) to donate to, and of course, 20 soda oz. bottles! We have a list of many noble organizations to donate to if you do not currently have one in mind, including the option to save 10 square feet of rainforest through the Nature Conservancy. You will also need a valid email address and a non-residential address for us to mail boxes to you.

How long does it take to get Bottle Brigade boxes?

Once you sign up, you should receive a confirmation email from bb@terracycle.net. After you confirm, it takes roughly 1 to 2 weeks to receive your first boxes. We ship boxes via UPS from New Jersey. Shipping times will vary by location. If you have not received your boxes by the third week, send a quick email to bb@terracycle.net from the email address you signed up with.

I signed up for the Bottle Brigade program, but I haven't received a confirmation email. What do I do?

Try signing up again and check to see that the email address is entered correctly. If it is, modify or check your spam filter for an email from bb@terracycle.net. If all else fails, send a quick email to bb@terracycle.net from the email address you signed up with.

Getting TerraCycle Bottle Brigade Boxes

How many boxes do you send?

After you sign up, we will send you 4 boxes which can hold 70 bottles each. It should take roughly 1-2 weeks for you to receive your boxes. You will only receive 4 more boxes if you return boxes to us and our records indicate that you only have 2 boxes remaining. Because we reuse our boxes for other participants, we want to make sure there is a commitment to this program. Check your account online for feedback on your bottles, tracking your progress, etc.

Do I have to pay for shipping?

Nope! All the boxes are mailed to you at our expense and come with UPS return labels which will bring the bottles back to our factory so that we may package TerraCycle Plant Food in them! You win, we win, and the environment wins.

How do I get more Bottle Brigade boxes? Can I get more than 4?

Four boxes are automatically sent to your location when you return filled boxes with bottles and are down to 2 boxes at your location. Because of the number of participants, we are unable to handle special requests. Please be aware of the 1-2 week processing time and plan accordingly at your location.

Why do some of the Bottle Brigade boxes I received seem used?

Our company is all about recycling and so we reuse everything and anything we can! We try to reuse the Bottle Brigade boxes several times to help the environment and also allow more folks to participate. The sooner you return your boxes full with bottles, the faster we can send boxes out.

Collecting 20 oz. Bottles for TerraCycle Plant Food

How can I check the status of my account?

Visit the Bottle Brigade portal to see where your full and empty boxes are. You may also check to see how much you've collected and the feedback on the bottles. This is also where you may unsubscribe your account to end the program.

Do I have to remove the caps from the bottles?

Caps prevent our boxes from getting wet from residual soda, so we encourage you to keep them on. If there are a few without caps, it's not a big deal, but please make sure the bottles are completely empty.

How many bottles should I put in each Bottle Brigade box?

The box fits 70 20 oz. bottles.

How much do you pay per bottle?

We credit your charity $.05 per acceptable 20 oz. de-labeled soda bottle. Refer below for a picture of the bottles we can accept.

How often do I get paid for my bottles?

Checks are mailed to your charity twice a year in June and December.

Is there a limit to how many bottles I can redeem?

Currently there are no limits. However, please keep in mind the realities of the 1-2 week processing times, shipping times, etc. This program is designed for low-volume, steady streams of 20 oz. bottles.

What kind of bottles do you accept?

20 oz. soda bottles with the standard cap sizes such as Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper bottles, etc. We cannot use water bottles (even though some look the same as the soda bottles, they're too weak) or "wide mouth" bottles such as Gatorade, etc.

How should I send the Bottle Brigade boxes back to TerraCycle?

Simply secure the boxes full with bottles with packing tape and find a UPS regular pickup/drop off location. Please do not call UPS to schedule a custom pickup. Visit http://www.ups.com/dropoff?loc=en_US to find a dropoff location if your non-residential location does not have regular UPS service.

Our organization is done collecting bottles, can I unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe, return all the boxes you currently have with bottles and then visit your online account. You must return all boxes to receive your credit.

How does it work if I sign up for the program through IRA?

The program is exactly the same, except that there is a funding split. Your organization will receive 2.5 cents and IRA will receive the other 2.5 cents, to advance recycling/reuse efforts in Illinois.

Program Statistics:

0 spots available

(Sign up for waiting list)

1,221,430 bottles collected so far

4,133 total participating locations

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