The Recycle For Lyme program is a combined effort of the Ticked Off Foundation and TerraCycle (Terracycle.com/en-US). Participants (individuals, Lyme groups, clubs or companies) collect specific materials/containers, ordinarily destined for the landfill or incinerators that are not considered traditional recyclable material. Once the shippable amount has been accumulated, participants request a prepaid UPS label and simply drop off the full boxes to ship to TerraCycle. Every piece of packaging TerraCycle receives will be converted into a $0.02 donation to the Ticked Off Foundation patient fund. TerraCycle will recycle the packaging into cool, new products, keeping these materials out of our landfills. The more recycling sent to them, the higher the donations.

Collect at least two pounds of only glass and plastic vitamin and supplement bottles as well as their bottle lids and flexible packaging. For personal care packaging, collect at least 11 pounds of hair care, skin care and cosmetic packaging from any brand manufacturer. Note that any personal care packaging that is not plastic is not accepted. Accepted oral care and deodorant packaging include at least five pounds of only mouthwash and deodorant bottles/caps, toothpaste tubes/caps, soap packaging, floss containers, and toothbrushes from any brand manufacturer.

With this new influx of donations, the foundation can bestow grants to the growing list of Lyme patients currently in crisis and reaching out to us. Not only will these efforts help save the environment by recycling material not ordinarily handled by traditional recycling plants—and therefore destined for the landfill or incinerators—but each piece will save a Lyme disease patient in need.

The organization’s mission is to provide financial assistance and support to Lyme and tick-borne disease patients over the age of 25 who are in crisis. They do this through grants and counseling in an effort to stem the tide of Lyme-related suicides. 

For more information, visit TickedOffFoundation.org/Recycle-for-Lyme.