April 22, 2009 - Upcycling company TerraCycle and candy maker Mars Inc are partnering to divert post-consumer packaging waste into new consumer goods. They hope to use upwards of 3,000 tons of Mars candy wrappers per year to make items like cell phone holders, laptop sleeves and messenger bags.

Mars has made an overall sustainability plan to reduce their waste by 3% per year, reduce their energy and water use, and to source sustainable raw materials. The company recently committed to using 100% sustainable cocoa and last year began using landfill gas to run their facility in Waco, Texas, saving the company $600,00 in energy costs and diverting the equivalent of more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The products involved in the partnership will be: M&Ms, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, Starburst, Skittles, 3 Musketeers, Juicy Fruit, Doublemint, Wrigley's Spearmint, Orbit, Extra, Freedent, Eclipse, 5, Winterfresh, Big Red, Life Savers, Altoids, Pedigree, Nutro, The Goodlife Recipe, Uncle Ben's, Seeds of Change and Flavia.