According to the Container Recycling Institute, 3.6 billion drink pouches are produced each year. Because the material used to make these pouches is non-recyclable, virtually every single one is sent to a landfill.

To help combat this huge loss of resources, TerraCycle, Capri Sun, and Honest Tea banded together to create a program called the Drink Pouch Brigade. This program allows schools, houses of worship and others to reuse these previously nonrecyclable items. In the program, locations are sent collections bags which hold 100 pouches and have prepaid shipping labels.

The Drink Pouch Brigade program (www.terracycle.net/dpb) is available nationwide. The program is collecting all used drink pouch containers, while paying participants 1 cent for each drink pouches they collect. The program is free.

The pouches will be made into school supplies such as pencil cases, as well as handbags of various sizes and styles are tentatively scheduled to be sold at major retailers sometime this year.

Details: Chris Lynn at (609) 393-4252 ext. 263.