From Trash to Cash

Turning recycled plastic into desirable products has become, finally, big business with a green marketing message:

• Nine World Cup teams are wearing Nike uniforms made from plastic bottles fished out of landfills worldwide, giving these apparel items a special appeal for soccer fans in particular.
• Coca-Cola has been recycling used plastic bottles into Drink2Wear T-shirts since 2007, keeping more than 5 million used bottles out of landfills and promoting the idea of recycling.
• TerraCycle is expanding its line of bags and other products made from recycled snack and drink wrappers. Although its revenues are only $40 million today, the firm is moving into other nations and introducing new products so it can make better use of the mountain of nearly-free raw materials (trash) it has on hand.
  
• Other products created from recycled bottles include school uniforms, cell phones, and lamps, as shown in this photo gallery.

Younger consumers have grown up with the idea of recycling, and green products are not out of the ordinary for them. Over time, will their parents (and grandparents) develop a preference for products made from trash? Slapping a fashionable brand on something made from used bottles is certainly a great start.