A leading recycling company UF works with has gone Hollywood.
UF’s Office of Sustainability has a partnership with TerraCycle, a recycling company that recycles waste that is usually non-recyclable, such as toothbrushes, wrappers and cosmetic containers.
“We upcycle or recycle them into a variety of affordable, sustainable consumer products and building materials,” said Albe Zakes, global vice president of media relations.
Donors drop off items at TerraCycle tubes located at all Gator Dining convenience stores on campus. The Office of Sustainability then sorts and mails the items to TerraCycle.
Schools and nonprofits earn 2 cents for every piece of waste they recycle.Zakes said TerraCycle has made almost $10 million from recycling waste since 2007.
But that number may change. The recycling company is scheduled to debut its own reality TV series called”Human Resources.”
Each episode will be informative and feature a different product, but it will also be a bit of wackiness, Zakes said. He and his co-workers like to play pranks on each other and have fun around the office, he said.
“We hope that that combination is going to make it both educational and entertaining at the same time,” he said.
Human Resources will premiere Aug. 8 at 10 p.m. on Pivot, a new network geared towards “socially minded millennials,” he said.
However, UF’s connection with the company will remain the same despite its potential stardom.
TerraCycle is a starting point for people to become more involved in sustainability, said Joseph Floyd, zero waste coordinator for the Office of Sustainability.
“It gives people an outlet and a way to engage,” he said. “There’s other value beyond the monetary factor.”
Jessica Gervais, a 20-year-old UF biology and psychology sophomore, said TerraCycle options should be expanded from the current locations.
“I think it might be an even better idea to have it all around campus instead of just the P.O.D.,” Gervais said. “Unless you’re there a lot, it’s probably really inconvenient to go all the way there to get rid of a toothbrush.”
However, Gervais said she still will start using the P.O.D. Market locations because the planet is more important than a minor inconvenience.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 7/31/2014 under the headline "UF-partnered recycling company —TerraCycle — gets TV show"]
