FAQ

Who is TerraCycle?
TerraCycle, named the “coolest little start-up in America” by Inc. Magazine in July 2006, takes used packages and other non-recyclable materials and turns them into affordable, high quality goods.

What is upcycling?
Upcycling is the process of using waste in its existing form to create new products.  Recycling, by con-trast, breaks the material down (e.g,. a plastic bottle is turned into plastic pellets) so that material can then be reformed into new products.  With upcycling, the waste is simply cleaned and shaped, sewn, or fused into new products, like backpacks, messenger bags, lunch boxes, school supplies, shower curtains, and kites.

Who can participate?
Frito-Lay is making this program available to all 48,000 of our employees across the country and to up to 100,000 consumers.  We are seeking ‘captains’ to form ‘Bag Brigades’, who will collect used bags from their family, friends, and co-workers and send them to TerraCycle using postage-paid shipping labels provided by Frito-Lay.  Consumers can apply to become a ‘captain’ of one of the 1,000 ‘Bag Brigades’ online at http://www.terracycle.net/fritolay/fritolay.htm.  Because the number of Bag Brigades will initially be limited, Frito-Lay will give priority to moms and college students who are passionate about the envi-ronment.  Frito-Lay employees will be given an opportunity to participate at their local site.

How can participants raise funds for a non-profit organization of their choice?
Frito-Lay will make a donation of $0.02 per bag collected (all Frito-Lay brands and sizes are included) to non-profit organizations chosen by the participants.

What kind of impact do you expect to have?
Frito-Lay’s goal is to divert more than 5 million bags from landfills in 2009.  In addition to the donations we will make to nonprofit organizations, we also hope to engage at least 150,000 people in this pro-gram to raise awareness of reusing and recycling in their local communities.