Generates sponges recycling donations to the 3rd sector

Sao Paulo-the brand of Scotch-Brite cleaning products, through your "National Program of recycling", reached the 600,000 mark sponges collected. For the company, industrial resin, the product recycling process, can be marketed with price up 7% less than the non-recycled.
Developed by 3 m, the company which owns Scotch-Brite, in partnership with Terracycle, a company dedicated to sustainable solutions, for nearly three years, the pioneer project in the country aims to which any person perform the disposal of cleaning sponges, of any brand and size, in one of the 4000 collection points around the country. In return, every sponge, the Scotch-Brite donates R $0.02 cents to a nonprofit institution of choice of the participant.
In all, the program already has more than 1.6 million participants, taking into account also the people that did the drop in points only once.
According to Renata Ross, relationship manager and marketing at TerraCycle, this year, between January and June, the company collected 114,000 units, generating a value of R $2,300.00 for donation. In all, the program has generated R $16000 in donations because of the collection of 600,000 units, or 4 tonnes of sponge.
She also points out that 50% of the beneficiaries of the donations are schools.
The sponges placed in collection points are sent to the Terracycle who performs the whole process of transforming the material into recyclable industrial resin, or simply pellets. This material is sold to local businesses and can be used in the production of any object, as long as it''s not related to the food industry, as it is not possible to trace the origin of sponges collected.
"We developed a solution for this material, we turn it into resin that has quality to be sold and reintroduced into the production cycle. Companies that buy Virgin resins could buy this recycled resin, "he says.
Renata explains that what makes the project viable is the costing of Scotch-Brite. While the TerraCycle is responsible for receiving the material, recycling and sale of the final product, the Scotch-Brite performs costing of the whole process, from the submission of material to the combined donation for the entities of the third sector. "With the sponsorship of the company, we can sell the resin by a lower value. Depending on the blend [combination of material], can be up to 7% less than the market value "explains.
Collection process
To participate in the program, the applicant must first sign up for the site of TerraCycle. After that, to give destination sponges, the participant may dispose of them in any collection point or join at least 500 g of sponge and send them in a box by the post office with a prepaid label that can be achieved by own website at no cost to the sender. According to regulation of the program, sent boxes with less than 500 g will not have your corresponding value entered.
As Emerson Bike, brand manager for home care division of 3 m Brazil, every sponge submitted, is registered, for ransom, R $0.02. "There is no charge to the consumer. It only counts with the help [the end] to send the sponges. It''s like a Miles program where [entities] can redeem that money ", explains the Manager.
In addition, the benefit may receive gifts twice a year. If the collection is not carried out in the period, is accumulated to the next. However, if the entity to be inactive in the system of the program for two years in a row, your record and the value to be rescued are canceled.
Requalification
The TerraCycle receives the material, which goes through several processes to be transformed into resin. Renata explains that, for that, you need to accumulate at least two tons of material. From there, this transformation process lasts up to 2 hours.
After that, the material is sold and used for production of products such as buckets, vases, dumpsters and dustpans.