North Knox schools earn cash for non-recyclable trash

Fountain City Elementary School second-grader Maia Koontz helps her mother, Nelia Koontz, sort through juice pouches and chip bags that will be sent to TerraCycle for recycling. Fountain City Elementary School is getting paid for its trash. Taking recycling beyond the blue and green bins, the school collects drink pouches and chip bags and then sends them to Terra-Cycle. The company diverts the waste from landfills by using it to create items such as tote bags and lunch boxes. TerraCycle pays schools and nonprofits for the otherwise non-recyclable waste.