We do Terracycle and TexasBeth has a good point - if you look at it as a fundraiser you won't continue but if you look at it as a way to teach your kids about recycling and the environment it's wonderful. Before we did it the kids would drop their juice pouches on the playground and now they are all over it.

Our school just started participating in the juice pouch program this fall. I don't really consider it a true fundraiser due to the limited money earned but more along the lines of teaching the kids about recycling, helping the earth & community, being good citizens, etc. The money is just an extra bonus. We started recycling ink jet cartridges with Terracycle too.

We have a 33 gallon black trash can in the school cafeteria with a locking lid. The lid has a small rectangle shape hole in it to cut out on trash being put in it instead of juice pouches. There is a large black trash bag inside the can. I empty the trash can once a week. The trash bag helps keep out bugs.

I sort through the pouches in my garage the next day, removing the straws and any extra trash, then put the entire trashbag in a big box, tape it up, print the label and ship. It takes me about 1 1/2 hours total each week.

Terracycle website has printable flyers and brochures you can use too. I mention it in the PTO newsletter. The teachers are really good about reminding the students during lunch to put their juice pouches in the recycling can.

Our PTO has been doing Terracycle for over a year. Obviously it's sticky and you won't make as much money as Box Tops, however, we have made about $235 in a year for doing basically nothing. The kids throw them in a tub in the lunch room and parents send them to school with their kids for donation. The money, like I said before isn't tons,..but you are teaching the kids a GREAT thing in recycling and they love the products made from what they turn in!

If you visit TerraCycle's Facebook Fan page (facebook dot com / TerraCycle) you will find a community of 14K+ other PTO moms and Teachers who share tips and stories with each other all the time on the Wall. It is a great place to learn how to get started from all the wonderful people who been there before

We haven't done it at my school but the preschool at my church did it and honestly it was a nightmare, especially considering the amount of return.

This has been a while, so the program may have changed, but when they did it they had to empty the pouches, make sure they were stacked in a certain way (or something), there were always ants around it seemed, the envelopes were never enough to keep up, etc.

I'm sure someone with more experience about it could chime in but from what I had heard it was a huge hassle for little return.

Hello Everyone,

We have just started collecting juice pouches for terracycle. I was wondering what other's experiences have been like and also if you have any flyers, letters, signs, etc that you would be willing to share.

Thanks so much!!