TerraCycle Program

Even if you refuse, reduce, and reuse as much as you can, chances are you still have waste to recycle. And there are so many things we can't recycle through any of the other recycling options in the community.

We're working with TerraCycle and other programs to collect a wide variety of hard-to-recycle items and turn them into things like insulation, plastic park benches, and floor tiles. Get a glimpse into the TerraCycle process with this video.

TerraCycle accepts some items for free, but most items have to go in a "zero-waste box" that costs anywhere from about $250 to $580. To offset the cost of those boxes, we charge a fee of $0.05 a cubic inch for items that go in the "paid" boxes. When you drop off your items or order recycling pickup, pack all of the paid items tighly in a box, and measure it to get the volume in cubic inches (length x width x height). Multiply that by $0.05 to get the cost of recycling the items in that box.

Full Circle Recycling Accepted Materials

Paid Items ($0.05 per cubic inch)	Free Items
Kitchen Waste
Plastic clamshells (not accepted in Shawnee County Municipal Recycling) Flexible plastic packaging Snack and candy wrappers Styrofoam Food storage containers Coffee and tea capsules Aluminized coffee packaging Plastic cutlery and party supplies Cleaning supplies and packaging Chip cans Milk cartons (clean) Plastic, metal, or glass cups Blister packs Coffee pots Any non-organic waste generated in the kitchen	Kroger brand flexible plastic packaging (includes Simple Truth and Private Selection) Babybel brand cheese packaging Squeezable baby food and snack pouches (any brand) Gerber brand baby food packaging
Bathroom Waste
Cleaning supplies and packaging	Razors, blades, and packaging Electronic hair tools (curling irons, blow dryers, etc.) Toothbrushes and packaging Empty toothpaste and floss containers and packaging
Clothing and Fabric
Clean fabric or clothing of any type Shoes of any type	Sneakers Socks
Office Supplies
Pencils, pens, and markers Binders Paper and binder clips Label backing Staplers Tape dispensers Desk organizers Correction supplies Any non-electrical item used in your office	Items accepted for reuse or resale at Scraps KC (see the list here)
Home Decor
Interior home furnishings Outdoor home furnishings (such as small lawn ornaments)
Garage & Garden
Pet products and packaging Empty soil, stone, mulch, seed, and sand bags Planters and pots Solar lights Filters Extension cords Hoses, nozzles, and sprinklers Small non-electronic tools Small home improvement materials Small automotive parts Small sporting goods Non-organic, non-hazardous waste generated in your garage and outdoor areas

Keep in mind that items must fit inside a 15" x 15"' x 37" box

And keep in mind that reducing and reusing are almost always better options than recycling!

TerraCycle Tips

We're becoming experts at cramming as much as possible into our TerraCycle boxes! Here are a few suggestions for ways you can help us do that.

Flexible plastic packaging (chip bags, etc.) pack best when flat, so smoothing bags and wrappers out rather than crumpling them up is very helpful to us.
We love it when people pack similar items together! For example, you could put lots of small plastic snack wrappers inside a larger plastic chip bag, nest all your clamshells together in a stack, or bundle all of your coffee pouches together. That saves space as well as sorting time (both when we're getting you a price in the shop and when we're separating everything into individual TerraCycle boxes later).

Thanks for your help—and for taking the time and thought to dispose of waste as responsibly as possible!

TerraCycle Program

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