TerraCycle offers mail-in recycling service for auto parts

TerraCycle, a recycling company based in Trenton, New Jersey, is offering a new automotive parts recycling program for individuals, mechanics and auto repair shops. TerraCycle says the service, part of its Zero Waste Box collection program, is designed to reduce the number of items sent to landfills.

Through the program, owners of cars, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles and other vehicles can recycle parts and accessories used to repair, maintain or enhance those vehicles. Items accepted through the program include serpentine belts, gaskets, roof racks and other small automotive parts.

The company offers two types of boxes for the automotive industry:

• The Automotive Small Parts Box holds serpentine belts, short shifters, funnels, windshield wiper blades, replacement parts, gaskets, hoses, wheel covers, exhaust systems, brake pads, license plates, covers, mats, bike racks, ski racks, roof racks, kayak racks, bumper racks and cargo carriers.
• The No Separation Box holds all categories of end-of-life items without the need to sort or separate.

Zero Waste Boxes can be purchased at http://zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com for $63 to $299, depending on the size, with three sizes available. Once vehicle owners or mechanics receive a box for the parts stream of their choosing, they can start collecting. When the box is full, it is shipped to TerraCycle for processing. The shipping cost is included in the price.

The boxes are designed for individuals and for the commercial automotive industry, the company says.

“For repair shop owners, participation in TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box program can be a marketable, differentiating element in a crowded marketplace,” says Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO. “For car enthusiasts who rebuild or repair their own cars, the Zero Waste Boxes are a way to reduce their environmental footprint.”

TerraCycle says it has used innovative processes to recycle consumer packaging that would otherwise be destined for landfills since 2007. Founded in 2001, the company specializes in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle postconsumer materials, has partnered with organizations to collect waste and scrap materials and also has developed recycling programs such as the Zero Waste Box collection program. The company says it collects and repurposes postconsumer materials from 25 countries.