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That plastic Coke bottle you pitched into the trash could
soon be back on a store shelf, filled with worm waste and
ready to be sold a second time.
The second time, though, instead of the unmistakable red-and-white
Coke logo, the bottle will carry a bright yellow TerraCycle
label, advertising the organic plant fertilizer inside.
In the US, TerraCycle is a New Jersey company that makes
a line of liquid plant fertilizers that are 100 percent recycled
- from the fertilizer to the recycled cardboard containers
it is shipped in. Even the spray nozzles have been recycled.
"In the Western world, it's the first product made from
waste" - spokesman Barry Brinster said. "The more of
it we make, the less waste there is."
TerraCycle makes an all-purpose fertilizer and two specialised
versions for orchids and African violets. The 20-ounce bottles
sell for about $4. The all-purpose formula is also available
in a two-litre bottle for about $7.
TerraCycle recruits the help of its 'Bottle Brigade' - a
network of 300 schools, churches and nonprofits that collect
20-ounce mineral bottles for the company. The groups receive
5 cents a bottle.
Though the company has yet to turn a profit, TerraCycle will
get a big push into the mainstream, when Home Depot and Wal-Mart
shortly begin to stock its products.
"Last year - and this year - have been years in which you
can say we're emerging" - Brinster said. "We're at least
on the radar screen. This year, we're hoping to break even."
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