TerraCycle for SAY!
updated April 21, 2025

 A collage of different items

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TerraCycle points redeemed in April 2021 for June 2021 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$25

TerraCycle points redeemed in Oct. 2021 for Jan. 2022 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$50

TerraCycle points redeemed in April 2022 for June 2022 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$45

TerraCycle points redeemed in Oct. 2022 for Jan. 2023 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$80

TerraCycle points redeemed in April 2023 for June 2023 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$130

TerraCycle points redeemed in Oct. 2023 for Jan. 2024 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$140

TerraCycle points redeemed in April 2024 for June 2024 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$125

TerraCycle points redeemed in Oct. 2024 for Jan. 2025 payment to Somerville Arts for Youth!

$105

                                                                                                                                                              TOTAL

$700

 

 

You are welcome to leave many items, most of which are not allowed in Somerville's curbside recycling, on my Davis Square porch for me to ship to TerraCycle for recycling and, in doing so, get a little money for Somerville Arts for Youth, Inc. Please remember the following:

1.    Always check this page first, as TerraCycle occasionally discontinues or changes programs!

2.    No wish-cycling! Please only leave things on my porch if they are listed below, not just because they can’t go into curbside recycling and/or are similar to things I collect.

3.    Reduce and reuse as much as possible, rather than recycling. 

4.    If you are leaving items that are only acceptable when they are from certain brands (eg pumps), please leave a note telling me what brand they are, message me that information, or just leave the entire empty product (eg bottle with pump) and I’ll put the part that can go in curbside recycling (eg plastic bottle without the pump) out with my house’s recycling.

5.    You are welcome to leave items highlighted in yellow on my porch, but we do not get any points for them.

6.    Items on this page are now categorized: Beauty & Personal Care, Medication, Household, Food & Beverage, Pets, Clothing, Tools, Toys, and Miscellaneous. Plus, there are Other Recycling Resources towards the bottom of the page.

 

 

BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE

·         all brands of toothpaste tubes & caps (we still get points for Arm & Hammer brand)

·         all brands of floss containers

·         all brands of toothbrushes

·         all brands of toothbrush outer packaging

·         all brands of hair tools and appliances (eg broken hair dryers and curling irons)

·         ACT “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as the safety film that is on the cap of their mouthwash

·         amika hair care packaging

·         ARM & HAMMER toothpaste packaging

·         Aussie packaging, including Aussie shampoo and conditioner bottles, flexible plastic packaging such as color packets, flexible plastic tubes, and complex closures [Most Aussie containers can go in curbside recycling, but the pumps cannot. Feel free to leave all Aussie packaging on my porch so I know what the pumps came from, and I will then put the bottles out with my curbside recycling and send the pumps to Teracycle.]

·         Burt’s Bees personal care, beauty care, and lip care packaging

·         Depend plastic packaging

·         dermalogica skin care packaging

·         eos (not EO Essentials) lip, lotion, and shave packaging

·         Garnier skincare and haircare product containers

·         Gold Bond aerosol spray cans and product packaging including tubes, dark plastic bottles, tubs, sticks, pumps and caps

·         Good Chemistry perfume packaging

·         Goodnites plastic packaging

·         Huggies plastic packaging

·         innisfree skincare packaging

·         Murad bottles, pumps, jars, lids, tubes, and caps

·         Pantene non-aerosol packaging including caps, lids and tubes [Most Pantene bottles can go in curbside recycling, but feel free to leave all Pantene packaging on my porch so I know what the caps and lids came from. I will then put the bottles out with my curbside recycling and send the caps and lids to Teracycle.]

·         Poise plastic packaging

·         Pull-Ups plastic packaging

·         Schwarzkopf empty aerosol containers, hair care and hair color jars, lids, bottles, closures, tubes, pumps, and caps made from plastics and flexible or rigid aluminum

·         Selsun Blue packaging including tubes, dark plastic bottles, tubs, sticks, pumps and caps

·         ShiKai empty packaging

·         Tom’s of Maine product packaging that is not accepted in curbside recycling (eg deodorant containers)

·         U by Kotex plastic packaging

·         WELEDA personal care packaging

·         DISCONTINUED, DO NOT LEAVE ON MY PORCH: all brands of deodorant containers unless listed above (consider plastic-free deodorant containers), all brands of haircare and skincare packaging unless listed above (some of this can be recycled through Pact at many stores), Diva, Kate Somerville, Paula’s Choice Skincare, Supergoop!

 

MEDICATION

·         Allegra “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as bottles that are smaller than a credit card so shouldn’t go in curbside recycling, blister packs

·         Arthritis Hot “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as tubes and caps

·         Aspercreme “hard-to-recycle” packaging such aerosol cans, tubes, and caps

·         Capzasin “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as roll-ons and caps

·         Cortizone-10 product packaging including tubes, dark plastic bottles, tubs, sticks, pumps and caps

·         Dulcolax “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as bottles that are smaller than a credit card so shouldn’t go in curbside recycling, blister packs, flexible pouches

·         Gold Bond aerosol spray cans and product packaging including tubes, dark plastic bottles, tubs, sticks, pumps, and caps

·         Icy Hot “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as aerosol spray cans, tubes, and caps

·         Nasacort “hard-to-recycle” packaging

·         Sportscreme “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as tubes and caps

·         Unisom “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as blister packs

·         Xyzal “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as bottles that are smaller than a credit card so shouldn’t go in curbside recycling, blister packs

·         Zantac “hard-to-recycle” packaging such as bottles that are smaller than a credit card so shouldn’t go in curbside recycling, blister packs

 

HOUSEHOLD

·         all brands of air and home care trigger heads, bottles (that can’t go in curbside recycling) and lids, plugs, and cartridges [NO AEROSOLS]

·         ARM & HAMMER plastic pouches

·         Brita dispensers, pitchers, bottles, filters, and plastic filter packaging

·         Cottonelle toilet paper and wipes plastic packaging

·         Downy pouches

·         Dreft fabric care packaging

·         Gain tubs and lids

·         Mr. Clean Deep Cleaning Mist bottles and trigger heads

·         NBD. fabric care packaging, eco-box packaging, bottles, and triggers

·         OxiClean plastic pouches

·         Scott toilet paper and wipes plastic packaging

·         SodaStream sparkling water makers (not the CO2 cylinders or bottles)

·         Swiffer used wet or dry refills (please make sure they are dry before you drop them off at my house)

·         Tide tubs and lids, To Go Pens, and pouches

·         Viva paper towels plastic packaging

·         Ziploc Endurables silicone pouches and containers

 

FOOD & BEVERAGE

·         all brands of squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps

·         all brands of empty sauce (eg ketchup and soy sauce from take-out) packets, cups (dipping sauces), and souffle cups that hold less than 2 ounces

·         all brands of coffee creamer pods

·         Babybel product packaging, such as cellophane, tag, net, metal clasps, wax, plastic wrappers and pouches

·         Bimbo Bakeries USA bags including Arnold, Ball Park, Brownberry, Lender’s Bagels, Oroweat, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, Thomas’, and more brands which are listed at https://www.bimbobakeriesusa.com/

·         BuzzBallz and BuzzTallz rigid plastic and aluminum containers, flexible plastic overwraps

·         Cambio Roasters coffee pods

·         Café La Llavae Espresso coffee bags and pods

·         Cerebelly flexible plastic pouches [currently usually included in collection that accepts all brands of squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps]

·         Don Francisco coffee bags and pods

·         Dunkin’ flexible ground and whole bean coffee bags

·         Entenmann's Little Bites pouches and Minis film packaging

·         Evolve wrappers

·         Gatorade/G Endurance wrappers and pods

·         Gerber baby food packaging

·         Jose’s Gourmet coffee packaging

·         Lundberg Family Farms flexible packaging

·         Marinela flexible plastic packaging

·         Mountain House flexible plastic pouches

·         Muscle Milk wrappers

·         North Coast apple sauce pouches [currently usually included in collection that accepts all brands of squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps]

·         NOW plastic packaging

·         Peterson Farms Treats applesauce pouches [currently usually included in collection that accepts all brands of squeezable snack plastic pouches and caps]

·         Propel wrappers

·         Takis Snacks, Rolled Tortilla Chips, STIX™, POP!, Waves, Kettlez, and Crisps flexible plastic bags and canisters

·         DISCONTINUED, DO NOT LEAVE ON MY PORCH: Barilla, good2grow, Late July Snacks, Off The Eaten Path

 

PETS

·         Benebone nylon dog chew toys

·         ONLY ACCEPTED DURING SPECIAL PROMOTIONS, DO NOT LEAVE ON MY PORCH: Halo, Open Farm, Royal Canin, and Wellness (please recycle at Pet Supplies Plus stores)

 

CLOTHING

·         all brands of socks (not tights or pantyhose) that are clean but won’t be worn because have holes, are missing mate, etc.

·         LILYSILK non-donatable textiles

·         DISCONTINUED, DO NOT LEAVE ON MY PORCH: baby & kid clothing (please use Somerville’s textile recycling program except for socks)

 

TOOLS

·         BLACK + DECKER home appliances and tools

·         Bostitch tools

·         CRAFTSMAN tools

·         DEWALT tools

·         IRWIN tools

·         LENOX tools

·         MAC Tools

·         PORTER-CABLE tools

·         STANLEY tools

 

TOYS

·        Funsicle inflatable pools and floats

·         LeapFrog electronic learning devices and electronic toys (batteries removed, please)

·         Spin Master toys, games, and packaging (except Kinetic Sand)

·         VTech electronic learning devices and electronic toys

·         DISCONTINUED, DO NOT LEAVE ON MY PORCH: L.O.L. Surprise!

 

MISC.

·         all brands of phone cases

·         PopSockets products and packaging

·         Gerber baby clothing hangers

·         Chesapeake Bay Candle containers and lids (candle wax should be removed), room spray 1.5 ounces and under

·         WoodWick glass containers (candle wax should be removed)

·         Yankee Candle glass containers (candle wax should be removed), auto air fresheners and refills, Sidekicks, room spray 1.5 ounces and under, and ScentPlug refills

·         DISCONTINUED, DO NOT LEAVE ON MY PORCH:  all brands of rigid black plastic takeout containers (try to support restaurants that offer reusable takeout containers such as those which participate in the Recirclable program); all brands of empty/dried out pens, markers, mechanical pencils, glue sticks, watercolor sets, and packaging from writing instruments (some of this can be recycled at Staples stores); cough and sore throat drop packaging; cookware, bakeware, and cutlery

 

Other Recycling Resources

·         The Reyclopedia and the FAQ at https://recyclesmartma.org/ are great resources for information on curbside recycling. What is accepted does change! For example, milk cartons used to be accepted but no longer are, and pizza cartons are now accepted but didn’t used to be.

·         Many “beauty” products can be recycled through Pact (boxes at many retailers) or at Nordstrom stores

·         Ink cartridges, batteries, many tech products, and some types of writing instruments can be dropped off for recycling through TerraCycle at some Staples stores.

·         All brands of pet food and treat bags can be dropped off for recycling through TerraCycle at Pet Supplies Plus stores

·         I have never been registered for a program that accepts disposable razors, but one or more people have been leaving them on my porch. This link can help you find drop-off locations for them.

 

Random TerraCycle Perks

·         In December 2022, I won TerraCycle’s “Gerber Drop-Off Join & Win” raffle. The Gerber food was given to the Somerville Homeless Coalition’s food pantry.

·         In December 2024, I won TerraCycle’s “Takis Back-To-School Recycling Challenge” raffle. The merchandise was given to the Somerville Homeless Coalition’s engagement center.