Written by: Caroline Sandberg
Collecting the waste and sending it to TerraCycle is fairly straightforward but choosing what do with the points you receive for collecting may be a more complicated process. With most Brigade programs, your account is awarded with two TerraCycle points for each qualified piece of waste you send to TerraCycle. Those two points can still be redeemed for a $0.02 payment to the charity or school of your choice or you can select from a range of charity gifts.
But what are these different charity gift options? Some of these options are giving clean water through charity: water, meals though Feeding America, and clean diapers through Every Little Bottom. You can give a baby chicken, goose or honeybees to help end poverty through Heifer International. You can also adopt wildlife land through the National Wildlife Foundation, plant trees with the Arbor Day Foundation and reduce the carbon in our atmosphere with Carbonfund.org. Even donating to the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting is an option.
If none of these options interest you, you can also choose to redeem points to make a cash donation to your own favorite charity or make a general donation to the charities that offer these different gifts. My favorite option is to donate to Covenant House to help at risk children obtain school supplies to pursue their academic studies.
TerraCycle often runs contests that give collectors opportunities to earn additional bonus points or other rewards. The TerraCycle Points Program gives you an amazing opportunity to not only make a difference in the amount of waste in your community but to help people everywhere who are in need.