In a bid to encourage Australians to recycle, leading stationery company, BIC has partnered with innovative recycling giant, TerraCycle, launching the Writing Instruments Recycling Program.
This partnership is said to have seen impressive results in Europe, where 40 million pens have been diverted from landfill to date.
“At BIC our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint is ingrained in our values, so we are thrilled to be able to provide Australian’s with a free solution for recycling writing instruments,” BIC Asia-Pacific General Manager Mark O’Sullivan said.
TerraCycle Australia General Manager Jean Bailliard added: “With the support of leading brands like BIC, we are able to teach both children and adults the value of recycling products they use every day at school or at work, that would otherwise end up in landfill.”
How it works
To join the program, Australians simply sign up via the TerraCycle website and start collecting used pens and markers in a cardboard box.
People can then download a free shipping label from their TerraCycle account and drop the filled box off at Australia Post or, as of the start of September, at any participating Officeworks store.
Used plastic
TerraCycle aims to sort, shred and melt the used pens and markers down into plastic pellets.
The plastic pellets will then be used to manufacture new items such as garden beds, park benches and even playgrounds.
Charitable donation
For every kilogram of writing equipment sent to TerraCycle, collectors will earn $1 towards an Australian school or charity of their choice.
So far, $45 million has been raised for schools and charities through TerraCycle.
For more about the program, visit: Writing Instruments Recycling Program.