The Red, White, and Green

[Learn about TerraCycle on YouTube]

There’s nothing like shelf placement by a mass market retailer to bring an eco-friendly product from the fringe to the mainstream. When Target started carrying Method cleaning products in 2004, the biodegradable and nontoxic household cleansers stood out like a sore green thumb against the bleach- and chemical-filled landscape; now, every brand name from Clorox to Windex comes in a natural, plant-based version.

Will post-consumer content king TerraCycle‘s upcycled products have a similar influence now that they’ve hit the shelves of every Walmart store in the US? If style is being judged alongside substance, then I’m betting that the line — which will be available through April 29 — will be a big hit.

Several standouts:

Cheetos eco-kite. The world’s first standard delta kite made from recycled food wrappers. Other “flavors” available.

Skittles lunch tote. Other accessories bags include backpacks, purses, and camera bags made from everything from M&M bags to Capri Sun drink pouches.

Rold Gold pencil case. Is this pencil case making you thirsty? The perfect eco-friendly school accessory, made from upcycled snack food packaging. 

Candy wrapper notebooks. Loaded with recycled notebook paper and available in a host of bright candy wrapper colors.

To make sure Walmart customers get the whole “trash to treasure” concept, the more than 60 different upcycled beauties will be sold alongside the original items from which they were made. Kind of takes a bit of the guilt out of buying a bag of chips…

–Jennifer Grayson

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