Record Online July 21, 2014

Ellenville Kids Earn Rewards For School By Recycling Drink Pouches

ELLENVILLE — Ellenville Elementary School students earn money and prizes for their school by collecting and recycling the drink pouches they use at home and in the lunchroom. They recently reached the second level of TerraCycle and Capri Sun's Drink Pouch Brigade milestone contest by collecting more than 18,000 drink pouches. The students have earned more than $1,200 for their school by collecting the drink pouches. The Drink Pouch Brigade is a free recycling program that rewards people for collecting and sending their waste to TerraCycle, headquartered in Trenton, N.J., to be recycled or upcycled. The Milestone Program began in September 2013 when Capri Sun added prizes for collecting certain amounts. Now, in addition to the money they earn for each piece of waste collected, participants can win prizes made from recycled drink pouches, such as park benches, recycling bins, a playground, and other rewards.

"The Milestone Program is meant to inspire individuals and organizations to collect more waste while receiving prizes for their achievements," said Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle. "It is rewarding to see the students and administration get so involved in making this work. It's an incredible achievement to have kept so many pouches out of the waste stream."

Thousands of other schools across the United States participate in the Drink Pouch Brigade. To learn more about the program, visit www.terracycle.com.

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