Pen And Marker Recycling Program

Local Group Encourages Minimizing Environmental Impact

The Live Like Coco Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on helping kids in the Santa Cruz area grow up healthy and pursue their dreams, is offering the community an easy way to recycle used art supplies through TerraCycle®’s Zero Waste Boxes for pens and markers.

“The project encourages kids in our community to take steps towards reducing their environmental impact, which is one of the goals of our foundation,”  says Kate Pavao, Executive Director, Live Like Coco.

“Last Spring, we mailed back more than 50 pounds of used pens and markers to TerraCycle for recycling,” says Pavao. “Thanks to this community effort, we saved them from ending up in our landfill, and also helped our local kids think more about what they can do to reduce, reuse and recycle single-use plastics.”

The Zero Waste Box is located outside of the Art Factory, an art store in Aptos where people in the community can dispose of their old pens and markers. The drop-off site makes it easy for kids in the community to recycle their old pens and markers before buying new ones. Once filled, the boxes are sent to TerraCycle for processing where the waste is recycled for use in new products.

Working together with organizations such as the Live Like Coco Foundation, TerraCycle provides recycling options through various programs such as Zero Waste Boxes that fit the exact needs of individuals, families or organizations. For more information on TerraCycle, please visit www.TerraCycle.com.

The Live Like Coco Foundation non-profit organization is named and inspired by Coco Lazenby, a self-described “book lover, cat petter and environmentalist,” who was killed
in a car accident in August 2015 at age 12. To learn more, visit www.LiveLikeCoco.com.

TerraCycle is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams, ranging from coffee capsules to ocean plastic to oral and beauty care products and packaging. The waste is collected through manufacturer-funded programs that are free to the public, as well as Zero Waste Boxes that are purchased by end users for recycling from homes, offices, factories and public spaces. The collected waste is converted into a variety of raw materials that are sold to manufacturers that produce new products.

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Each year, across 21 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.com.