We Should Recycle Those Halloween Candy Wrappers - Gemini Middle School Is

In early October, Rubicon launched its first ever "Trick or Trash" campaign, a free education campaign designed to keep those Halloween candy and snack wrappers. The idea was to provide teachers and educators with a recycling and circular economy lesson plan, as well as a Candy and Snack Wrappers Zero Waste Box through TerraCycle to help keep all of those Halloween candy and snack wrappers out of landfills and divert them into some sort of recycling stream. According to industry data, Americans will purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy for Halloween. That's alot of wrappers.

Rubicon is announcing that more than 450 teachers and educators in 49 states plus the District of Columbia signed up for the program. Gemini Middle School in Niles was one of those that signed up.

Seventh-grade teacher Beverly Mendoza said "There are over 1,100 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in my middle school. Students chew gum daily. They go through tons of wrappers within a week, and most of those wrappers end up in the trash. We do a lot within our school to recycle paper, plastic bottles, and are even collecting bottle caps to send to a company that will create a bench out of them for the school. This Trick or Trash program from Rubicon is a great extension of our existing recycling and sustainability efforts and we are excited to be a part of it."

According to Rubicon, the demand exceeded its expectations and was thrilling to see.

"We were absolutely thrilled at the excitement and energy that teachers from across the United States were showing when we launched the program - and then the positive feedback, photos, and posts we have seen on social media as the program took flight," said Charles Zinkowski, Director of Communications for Rubicon. "This program showcases to children across the U.S. that every single person can play a critical role in helping the sustainability of our planet and keeping waste out of landfills."