Categories: News

Oral care recycle drive offers fundraising opportunity

New Zealanders can now save oral care items from landfill and help raise funds for their local school, club or community group.

The Colgate Community Recycle Drive is New Zealand’s first initiative to recycle all oral care items, including the likes of toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers and any non-recyclable packaging.

“We are working with TerraCycle to tackle oral care waste through this innovative programme called the Colgate Oral Care Brigade. The Colgate Community Recycle Drive engages local communities, schools, groups and households around sustainability whilst raising funds for local projects,” Colgate New Zealand’s John Garside said.

The Colgate Community Recycle Drive will run between June and August 2015. Schools and groups can register for free to send in these items via New Zealand Post to TerraCycle for recycling.

“It is estimated that seven million toothbrushes and 16 million toothpaste tubes are used in New Zealand each year. This exciting national challenge is a New Zealand first. We’re calling on local residents to dig deep by saving all their used oral care items as part of Colgate’s Oral Care Brigade and support their local group or school,” general manager, TerraCycle Anna Minns said.

“It’s a win and grin initiative for the environment and for the community. The Colgate Community Recycle Drive encourages everyone to send in all their oral care waste and not just cardboard packaging. Schools, clubs or community groups that register as a Brigade and send in oral care waste before the end of August 2015 can have the chance to win a share of a national prize pool of $32,500 in cash as part of the recycling drive!”

The Colgate Oral Care Brigade looks to extend the lifecycle of everyday oral care items regardless of brand. The items will be pelletised and then recycled into generic products such as park benches, watering cans and waste bins.

The first 25 Colgate Oral Care Brigades in New Zealand to send in accepted oral care waste will receive $500 each. All Brigades that send in a shipment of accepted oral care waste will be entered into the final prize draw to win one of 10, $2000 cash prizes.

For more information or to register as a Colgate Oral Care Brigade here

Explore our latest issue...
Rosie Clarke

Rosie is the managing editor here at Multimedia Pty Ltd, working across School News New Zealand and School News Australia. She has spent 10+ years in B2B journalism, and has spent some time over the last couple of years teaching as a sessional academic. Feel free to contact her at any time with editorial or magazine content enquiries.

Recent Posts

New study finds teachers face excessive financial strain from unpaid placement

Teachers must work for almost a decade before they accrue more income than a minimum…

4 days ago

National English teacher association withdraws from curriculum rewrite

The NZATE has withdrawn from the English curriculum rewrite citing transparency, timing and content concerns.

4 days ago

Using generative AI may weaken critical thinking, says study

A new paper has found generative AI can potentially cause overreliance on the tool and…

4 days ago

As new charter schools open, we still know too little about how they worked last time

Charter schools are opening their doors - but are they really better for learning? The…

4 days ago

Behind the classroom door: A day in the life of New Zealand teachers – part four

Real stories of dedication, challenges, and triumphs from educators in NZ. Part four comes from…

4 days ago

Administration costs for lunches fall on schools

Administration costs of the school lunch programme are being passed onto schools, say Principals.

2 weeks ago