Residents of Fairfield, Iowa, have taken recycling to a community level, earning their town the title of the world’s first “TerraCycle Town” for their collective dedication to going zero waste!
How Fairfield works with TerraCycle
TerraCycle Fairfield, a city-wide initiative to eliminate waste across Fairfield, Iowa, utilizes partnerships with local businesses, schools, and other organizations to provide their town with ways to recycle hard-to-recycle trash with TerraCycle.
TerraCycle Fairfield offers public collection programs for 11 different categories, including oral care, beauty care, plastic bags, health products, batteries, e-waste, lightbulbs, razors, snack bags, cookware, and art supplies. In just two years of operating, the program has recycled 15,000 items in two of their most popular programs alone.
Fairfield currently has four collection spots: the Fairfield Public Library, the grocery store Everybody’s Whole Foods, Maharishi International University’s campus, and the art supplies store Cindy’s ArtBeat. In 2022, wheels are in motion at Fairfield High School and Maharishi School to adopt their own TerraCycle programs.
In recognition of their town-wide effort and hard work, TerraCycle rewarded Fairfield with a new bench made of entirely recycled materials. It lives in Howard Park on a platform of bricks also made from recycled products.
Going above and beyond to become zero waste
Fairfield’s commitment to going zero waste doesn’t stop at offering recycling solutions. In collaboration with the Sierra Club, TerraCycle Fairfield helps organize upcycling contests, repair fairs, workshops, and other zero-waste educational activities.
A key component of TerraCycle Fairfield’s mission is to provide access to information about sustainability to promote environmentally-friendly behaviors. One way TerraCycle Fairfield is sharing this information is through the Mapping the Green Transition series and podcast, which offers insights into sustainable behavior, technology, and ideas. You can listen to the new podcast online now—just search for Mapping The Green Transition.
2021 has been an exciting year for the TerraCycle Fairfield project. More programs, events, and educational resources can be expected in 2022 as the initiative continues with its goal to eliminate waste and promote sustainability. For more information, check out facebook.com/TCFairfield; TerraCycle Fairfield is a project of the Sustainable Living Coalition.
To #RecycleEverything in your town, set up a public drop-off point through our free recycling programs OR check out what you can recycle through our Zero Waste Boxes.
So proud of my home state to be the first terracycle town!!
I was curious how you got a whole town to go in on this? Maybe other cities can model it. How did you get the support? Was it from the city officials or a community member who is part of the Sierra Club or works for Terracycle? Places that need this initiative are cities like New York and Los Angeles, larger cities.
We are working on a resource to answer these questions – stay tuned!