Our dogs eat a lot of dog food, meaning we end up throwing away a lot of those dog food bags — adding to the 250 million trash produced each year. This ends up clogging landfills, polluting our water sources and disrupting ecosystems.
Fortunately, there is TerraCycle. The recycling company helps dog parents act responsibility by provided a service to recycle and upcycle dog bags — and it’s free.
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Simply, hold onto your empty dog food bags, download a free shipping label from TerraCycle and send them to TerraCycle. Bonus: The more you send, the more points you collect and the more you can give to your favorite charity.
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Once TerraCycle receives your dog bags, they shred the packaging and melt it into hard plastic. It is then remolded into new upcycled products, including collars, bags and aprons. Currently, dog-food companies Wellness, Earthborn Holistic and Open Farm are part of the program.
TerraCycle has been around since 2001 and partners with a number of businesses it deems conscientious, including Colgate, Capri Sun, Glad Food Storage to reuse, upcycle and recycle waste. Since its inception more than 60 million people in 20 countries have taken part in the various TerraCycle programs, helping raise $15 million for charities.