Back to school tools for a healthy smile& healthy planet

Back to school tools for a healthy smile and healthy planet

Bright Smiles Bright Futures launches school oral care recycling program with TerraCycle http://www.terracycle.co.nz/en-NZ/brigades/bsbf-schools.html

In March, 2,200 primary schools in New Zealand will be invited to take part in the Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures Program (BSBF) to learn how to achieve good oral health and take steps to create a healthy planet.

The unique recycling solution is a joint initiative with recycling company TerraCycle and Colgate-Palmolive. Teachers are invited to register for the Colgate Oral Care Brigade and encourage their students to recycle oral care waste and win rewards for their school.

The BSBF Oral Health Education kit has been provided free to primary schools each year since 1997. Developed by teachers and oral health professionals, the curriculum features an exciting array of activities designed to encourage students to take responsibility for their oral health. Students meet the engaging Dr. Rabbit and his team of Tooth Defenders on their mission to fight the sticky villain, Placulus and save Tooth City. Along the way, they learn the importance of brushing twice a day, having a regular dental check-up and using their "tools for a bright smile".

The Colgate Oral Care Brigade encourages school communities to collect and send these "tools for a bright smile" or “unrecyclable” oral care items to TerraCycle free via New Zealand Post. This includes toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers and their outer packaging which will be recycled into sustainable products.

Since 1997 the BSBF program has inspired over 1 million children and their families to take care of their oral health.

All schools ordering the BSBF kits will receive a "Recycle Your Tools for a Bright Smile" pack featuring a class activity to design a collection box to store used oral care items. Once registered, they will receive incentives to boost the school collection drive throughout the year and at the same time raise money for their school.

For every used oral care item collected and sent to Terracyle, a donation of two cents will be made to the collector’s school. Colgate will also award $1,000 to the registered school sending the most oral care waste in total by 1 November 2015.

“It is estimated that 9 million toothbrushes and 16 million toothpaste tubes are used in New Zealand each year. This is a great community effort to recycle waste that would otherwise end up in landfill,” said Anna Minns, General Manager, TerraCycle.

“At TerraCycle our mission is to ‘eliminate the idea of waste’ by educating on re-use, upcycling and recycling. Our team of designers, headed by Tiffany Threadgould devise ways to give oral care waste a second life such as a toothbrush made into a pen or a play ground made of toothpaste tubes.”

“It’s a big ‘win and grin’ initiative for students. The program encourages students to participate as they head back to start the school year and to continue learning and recycling throughout the year.”

Visit www.terracycle.co.nz to learn more about TerraCycle Brigade programs.

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