Question 1

Which brands and types of shoes can I collect?

Accepted Answer

You may collect any brand of waste for this program. However, please refer to the unacceptable donations poster for the types of shoes that are not acceptable.

Question 2

What happens to the paired shoes that are sent in through TerraCycle?

Accepted Answer

TerraCycle works with a partner in the private sector to find a new owner for your shoes in a developing market. The shoes are exported “as-is” to developing countries, where there is a very high demand for high-quality goods. The aspect of reuse carries the lowest carbon footprint when considering end-of-life solutions for your footwear.

Question 3

Does my shipment have to weigh a certain amount before I can send it in?

Accepted Answer

No, your shipment can be any size. To earn the TerraCycle point donation, however, your shipment must weigh over 35 lbs. Remember, the shipment size requirement is applicable only if you would like to earn TerraCycle points.

Question 4

Who can sign up for TerraCycle?

Accepted Answer

We welcome anyone from almost any organization to join in our recycling efforts! There are some practical considerations to keep in mind, however. For example, our programs are not designed to accommodate recycling centers.

TerraCycle Brigade® programs are open to all U.S. States EXCEPT for Alaska and Hawaii. If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, your account will be automatically deactivated and your location will not be able to print or request labels. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to have Brigade programs running in those states and territories in the future.

If you live in Puerto Rico, you may register to collect for TerraCycle Puerto Rico.

If you live in another country, please visit the TerraCycle World Map to see if you can recycle with TerraCycle in your country.

Question 5

What does TerraCycle do?

Accepted Answer

TerraCycle runs completely free recycling solutions that are made possible by our brand partners. For a complete list of our Brigade programs, click here.

Question 6

How do TerraCycle points work?

Accepted Answer

For most of our Brigade programs, you can earn a TerraCycle point donation per unit of waste recycled with TerraCycle. For example, in the Drink Pouch Brigade you can earn approximately two TerraCycle points per drink pouch you recycle with us.

Some Brigade programs have shipment size requirements to earn TerraCycle points, but you do not have to meet these requirements if you do not wish to receive TerraCycle points. All shipment sizes may be shipped completely for free and your waste will still be recycled, you simply won’t earn the point donation.

There is a minimum of 1,000 points or $10 needed to redeem for a cash donation. You can redeem your points at any time for one of TerraCycle's charitable gifts or towards a cash donation to any non-profit, school, or charitable organization of your choice.

Cash donations are mailed directly to the charity in June and December. All cash donations requested between May 1st and October 31st will be disbursed in December. All cash donations requested between November 1st and April 30th will be disbursed in June.

Question 7

What do I need to sign up for TerraCycle?

Accepted Answer

You will need to provide:
	A contact person to oversee the Brigade programs at your location
	A valid email address


That’s it!

Please note: When you sign up for TerraCycle you need to complete one more step before you can start recycling. You have to join at least one of our Brigade programs. When you join a Brigade you can begin recycling that waste stream and earning any applicable rewards.

Question 8

How do I redeem TerraCycle points for my school or charitable organization?

Accepted Answer

If you wish for your school or charitable organization to be the recipient of a cash donation, make sure you have its Tax ID # handy. Then, follow the steps below:


	Log in to your account.
	Select the “My Impact” tab on your account profile.
	Select “Manage Charities.
	Select “Add new charity."
	Search for your school or charity to see if it already exists in our database.
	If it doesn’t exist, complete the form with your school or charity’s information.


Please note: If you do not enter the correct tax ID number for your school or charity, TerraCycle will be unable to disburse payments. A federal tax ID number will be formatted XX-XXXXXXX. Please be sure that you do not have the state sales tax exempt number. 

You do not have to donate your points to a school or charity in order to participate in TerraCycle programs. You can choose to redeem your points towards one of TerraCycle's charitable gifts or you may search through our database of approved charities. You may also redeem your TerraCycle points for TerraCycle products and collection materials.

Question 9

What if I don't want to redeem points for a school or charity?

Accepted Answer

You do not have to donate to a charitable organization to participate in TerraCycle programs.

You can choose to redeem your points towards one of TerraCycle's charitable gifts or you may search through our database of approved charities. You may also redeem your TerraCycle points for TerraCycle products and collection materials.

Question 10

Can I distribute my points among different charities or schools?

Accepted Answer

You can distribute your points any way that you would like. You simply have to add each charity or school that you would like to donate points.

Question 11

I've sent shipments to TerraCycle and earned points, why haven't I received a check?

Accepted Answer

Points are not automatically disbursed to charities. You must redeem your points for a cash donation via your account in order for a check to be disbursed to the charity of your choice. If you need assistance with this, please contact TerraCycle Customer Support at 1-866–967–6766 or email customersupport@terracycle.com.

Additionally, cash donations are mailed directly to the not-for-profit, charity, or school you selected, not to the personal address listed on your account.

All cash donations requested between May 1st and October 31st will be disbursed in December. All cash donations requested between November 1st and April 30th will be disbursed in June. Please note that there is a minimum of 1,000 points or $10 needed for each cash donation.

Question 12

How do I start recycling with TerraCycle?

Accepted Answer

To recycle your waste, all you have to do is join at least one Brigade and start collecting the waste stream indicated on the Brigade page. This is when you can get your friends and family involved! The more people collecting with you the more waste you will divert from landfill.

To get started, check out our Collect, Store, and Ship Guide. This guide contains a few easy tips and tricks to starting and maintaining TerraCycle programs at your location.

Some Brigade programs have shipment size requirements to earn TerraCycle points, but you do not have to meet these requirements if you do not wish to receive TerraCycle points. All shipment sizes may be shipped completely for free and your waste will still be recycled, you simply won’t earn the point donation.

When you are ready to ship your waste, download a free shipping label from your TerraCycle account and affix it to your box of waste. You can then drop it off at any UPS location.

Question 13

How do I ship the waste to TerraCycle?

Accepted Answer

After you have joined a TerraCycle Brigade, you may print a free, pre-paid shipping label by going to the navigation bar at the top of the website. Under “Send Your Waste,” select “Get Shipping Label” from the drop-down menu. The list of Brigade programs that you are currently registered for will appear in the drop-down menu. Please note that you will need to be logged in to your TerraCycle account to print shipping labels.

Question 14

What if I want to recycle something that is not accepted in any of your Brigade programs?

Accepted Answer

You can also recycle almost every type of waste through our Zero Waste Box Program. Click here to learn more.

Question 15

How do I update my TerraCycle profile information?

Accepted Answer

If for any reason you need to change or update your information, please select the “Profile” tab located on your account and then simply click "Edit My Profile". If you still need assistance or have questions please contact TerraCycle Customer Support at 1-866–967–6766 or email customersupport@terracycle.com.

Question 16

If I stop sending in shipments will my account be deactivated?

Accepted Answer

Your TerraCycle account will not be deactivated, however, your available TerraCycle points will expire from your account if there is no activity for one year. Activity is considered to be printing a shipping label, sending in a shipment, or redeeming points. 

Further, if you do not send in a shipment for six or more consecutive months in each of your Brigade programs, you may be removed from the Brigade in order for us to allow another participant the opportunity to collect and send waste. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.

Question 17

How do you make your products?

Accepted Answer

TerraCycle products are made either by upcycling or recycling the collected waste.

Upcycling is defined as using or valuing every aspect of waste in order to give it a new useful life.

Recycling is defined as extracting materials from one product and using them to make an entirely new product.

For a more detailed description of each of these processes, please click here.

Question 18

Do I need to clean the shoes before I send them in?

Accepted Answer

No, but please make sure the shoes do not look like the shoes in the unacceptable waste section. These shoes will be re-purposed. And please remember, UPS will not accept dripping packages, so make sure your shoes are dry prior to shipping.

Question 19

How many TerraCycle points will I be awarded?

Accepted Answer

To earn TerraCycle points, your shipments must weigh at least 35 lbs. If your shipment meets or exceeds the shipment size requirement, each pair of acceptable shoes your location sends in will earn you about 2 TerraCycle points.

Question 20

What can I do to get more people to recycle with me?

Accepted Answer

To encourage more people to recycle with you, try using some of the resources specific to this program:
Shoe Donation Program Unacceptable Donations Poster
	Collect, Store, and Ship Guide
You may also want to use the guides and posters found under the Tools & Resources section of the website.

Question 21

Where can I buy TerraCycle products?

Accepted Answer

TerraCycle products are available at www.terracycleshop.com.

Question 22

What can't I send in through this program?

Accepted Answer

Please see the below image for examples of what is NOT accepted through this program. You may download this image as a useful poster by clicking here.

Question 23

What types of shoes are accepted through the Shoe Donation Program?

Accepted Answer

Shoe Donation Program accepted waste: pairs of women’s, men’s, and children’s shoes, which may include athletic sneakers, cleats, flats, high heels, dress shoes, boots, and fashion or casual sneakers.Please Note: You must send in PAIRS of shoes. TerraCycle is unable to accept single shoes. Also, we will not accept any shoe that has even a single hole that you can put a pen through. Please remember, these shoes will be reused, so they must be in clean, wearable condition.

Question 24

How do other participants collect paired shoes?

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, we do not have a Spotlight Location for this program. For our full list of Spotlight Locations,
please click here.