The sticky issue of disposable Scotch Tape dispensers is getting a bit greener. Now, you can send in your empty dispensers back to 3M for reuse, thanks to TerraCycle.
Best known for its worm-poop fertilizer, green company TerraCycle has now created a Scotch Tape Brigade — made up of groups around the country who’ve decided to collect tape dispensers and core — for a cause. 3M will then take back those tape dispensers and cores to reuse. Plus, for each dispenser or core collected, 3M will send a 2-cent donation to a charity of the collecting group’s choice.
TerraCycle’s already well-known for its Energy Bar and Juice Pouch brigades, which collect wrappers to be upcycled into new products. But the Scotch Tape Brigade’s the first one that promotes simple reuse — a move that’s even greener than recycling products.
Want to make sure your tape dispenser gets reused? Then you’ll first need to buy only Scotch tape, since 3M won’t be reusing dispensers or cores from other brands. After that, you’ll need to either find a brigade near you — which isn’t easy to do since the brigades aren’t searchable on Terracycle’s site — or create a brigade yourself for your local school or other organization you’re involved with.
Of course, if you’re like me, you’re likely wondering why people don’t just get a reusable tape dispenser and simply get cheaper refill rolls for it — thereby saving money and the planet — instead of buying brand-specific tape in disposable dispensers and creating a Scotch Tape Brigade, after which the dispensers will need to get shipped back to 3M before getting shipped back to stores, burning carbon all the way….
That said, even the refills have those plastic cores — and reusing those will still be greener than recycling them…. Does your organization amass enough Scotch tape cores to make starting a brigade team worthwhile?
Earlier:
>> Book review: Revolution in a Bottle — Pot-inspired eco-capitalism
>> Saturday surveys: Terracycle’s holiday line
>> Eco-fugly: Drink pouch pencil case
>> Upcycling my wine corks
Photo by jepoirrier
Try this one: http://www.terracycle.net/
Comment by Rick O! — October 19, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
Thanks for the catch! Just corrected the link :)
Comment by Siel — October 19, 2009 @ 4:59 pm
And it doesn’t even address the issue of all that plastic tape in the first place, does it?
I can’t decide if TerraCycle is part of the solution or the problem. I’ve been ambivalent about them for a while.
Comment by Beth Terry, aka Fake Plastic Fish — October 19, 2009 @ 11:13 pm
Reusing cores and dispensers must be fairly commonplace with some industrial products that 3M supplies. They are not reinventing the wheel by doing it with household adhesive tape. I agree with Beth. Reducing trumps reusing every time. I also agree with you that a good quality reusable dispenser is better than buying tape with the disposable kind.
Comment by Martin — October 20, 2009 @ 7:10 am
Beth — Well, I’ve definitely talked about some of the issues you’re bringing up in my review of the Terracycle founder’s book. After all, is making people think sugary juice drinks in non-recyclable packages are greenish a worthwhile compromise for making sure a few of said packages get upcycled — into products that are like walking billboards for uneco megacorps?
I just hope that the programs only upcycle what would’ve been eaten/drunk/used anyway, vs. convincing people who to buy more of the stuff….
Comment by Siel — November 2, 2009 @ 7:10 pm