Submitted
Carmel based not-for profit Helping Ninjas youth are supporting efforts to reduce the waste that’s heading to landfills this Halloween with Rubicon’s Trick or Trash campaign.
It’s the Ninjas’ second year participating, and this year, despite the new perimeters of the pandemic, Helping Ninjas has organized the participation of approximately 100 Helping Ninjas youth and families to collect and recycle candy wrappers, and has established drop off locations/collections in 18 U.S. cities.
An estimated $2.4 billion of candy is purchased in the U.S. each year, sending about 600 million pounds of Halloween candy and snack wrappers to landfills.
“It’s important to reduce waste to landfills and to help conserve our soil and water and air,” said Helping Ninjas Founder Leo Berry, 11. “Landfills can cause pollution through leachate liquid and methane gas, causing major unbalances in our ecosystems. It’s crazy to think that many candy wrappers go to landfills when they can actually be reused.”
Helping Ninjas is making the impossible possible in partnership Rubicon’s Trick or Trash campaign by providing youth and families a means to recycle candy wrappers at no cost. Individually, candy wrappers are almost impossible to recycle because one-by-one they are too small to be made into any usable material. However, when they are collected and processed in bulk with Trick or Trash, they become viable as recyclables. With Trick or Trash, the wrappers are collected and returned for processing to a specialist facility in a custom-designed Trick or Trash box, where they are recycled into useful items like park benches or playgrounds for schools.
“This is a huge opportunity for youth to experience first-hand recycling and to understand the importance of reducing waste and the negative consequences of landfills on our environment – and experiencing and being part of a tangible solution. Helping Ninjas are excited and grateful for the opportunity to participate,” said Helping Ninjas CEO Lindsey Fella Berry.
How can people help and support?
All Hamilton County youth are invited to participate and learn about helping the planet and discover ways to celebrate and create an eco-friendly Halloween by collecting candy and snack wrappers, organizing a neighborhood cleanup or by creating art and posting it online and tagging #TrickOrTrashArt.
To learn more or join these efforts, go to helpinninjas.com, or visit Helping Ninjas on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can also visit TrickorTrash.com to download the free lesson plans and other educational materials.
“Helping the next generation understand the challenges associated with waste reduction and recycling is a priority for us, and for our partners.” Said Rubicon Founder and CEO Nate Morris. “Trick or Trash is our way of teaching younger people about the critical importance of recycling to the future of our planet, and we have a lot of fun while doing so.”
To participate, you can drop off any empty or snack candy wrappers at any of the locations listed below.
- All Things Carmel, 110 W. Main St. #104, Carmel
- Aaron-Reuben-Nelson Mortuary, 11411 N. Michigan Road, Zionsville
- Fishers Parks and Recreation Center, 11565 Brooks School Road, Fishers
- Stoney Creek Swim Center, 15550 Stony Creek Way, Noblesville
Participating Hamilton County schools:
- CCS College Wood Elementary
- CCS Mohawk Trails Elementary
- CCS West Clay Elementary
- Fishers Mission Christian Academy School
- Noblesville Promise Road Elementary School
If your business or school would like to participate, please email info@helpingninjas.com.