FROM STAFF REPORTS

Schools and other community groups might want to check out an eco-friendly company that makes products out of reused materials.

Called TerraCycle Inc., the company was started in 2001 by Princeton students Tom Szaky and John Bayer.

The company's flagship product is a liquid plant fertilizer created from feeding tons of premium organic waste to earthworms. The potent fertilizer, made from worm castings, is sold in recycled, plastic soda bottles.

Since then, TerraCycle has expanded to new products: Organic tree spikes and bird feeders and plant containers made from recycled yogurt cups.

Also, millions of juice pouches have been collected and sewn into handbags, totes and pencil cases that will begin selling in major retail stores, like OfficeMax, Wal-Mart and Walgreens, according to TerraCycle's Web site.

School kids and other participants can raise money for their favorite charity or other projects by collecting designated items for TerraCycle, which in turn pays roughly 2 to 5 cents per recycled item collected.

Patty Crawford of Montville, a teacher at Islesboro Central School in Islesboro, recently enlisted her 11 fifth graders in three of TerraCycle's collection "Brigades": The "Yogurt Brigade," sponsored by Stonyfield Farm, the "Drink Pouch Brigade" sponsored by Capri SunTM and Honest KidsTM, and the "Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade," sponsored by Clif Bar."

"We are fairly new at it. We've filled up the first case. You go on their Web site, terracycle.net, and sign up. Then you wait, until a UPS truck delivers the prepaid (collection) boxes or envelopes. It's a great program. All you do is fill the container, (for instance) with yogurt cups. They take any size, from 8 to 32 ounces," she said.

Her students save the cups and wrappers from snacks or bring them from home. Money earned is paid out by TerraCycle twice a year, she said.

"We're putting money back toward the Rainforest Network, an international organization that buys land in the rainforest to restore it," said Crawford, who commutes to work by taking a 20-minute ferry ride from Lincolnville.

Other funds raised by Islesboro students will go to build compost bins at the environmentally conscious school, that boasts an orchard, a two-acre vegetable garden and several greenhouses.

Last year, the small school hired college students from Unity College in Unity to take care of the orchard and garden and sell vegetables in the summer.

"The school has fresh vegetables until the frost comes," she said.

Crawford's students are designing the project and recently gave a school presentation about their efforts.

"The whole school is involved," she said.

So far, about 12 schools in Maine are participating -- small armies of kids and grownups who collect items that would ordinarily get tossed in dumpsters and landfills.

For instance, five-billion juice pouches are discarded by American consumers, annually, according to the company's Web site.

Across the country, hundreds of schools and community groups are participating in TerraCycle projects, said Jennifer Wilkie, media relations for the eco-company. But they are no longer taking soda bottles.

For more information: terracycle.org or 416-661-WORM (9676).

Lynn Ascrizzi -- 621-5731

lascrizzi@centralmaine.com