Fastenal and TerraCycle Mark Global Recycling Day by Closing the Gap for Hard-to-Recycle Workplace Materials

TRENTON, N.J. (March 16, 2026) - Global Recycling Day (March 18) shines a light on the importance of recycling—but in many workplaces, the toughest waste isn’t the obvious stuff. It’s the everyday operational materials that accumulate across offices, distribution centers, and commercial worksites. Items like breakroom packaging, PPE, writing instruments, safety supplies, and other mixed materials that are not accepted by municipal recycling services and often end up in landfills and incinerators.

In response to that gap, Fastenal has partnered with TerraCycle®, an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, to make TerraCycle’s Zero Waste BoxTM recycling solutions available through Fastenal’s website. The partnership provides a practical option that fits into how workplaces already buy supplies—allowing businesses to purchase what they need for daily operations and put a structured recycling solution in place at the same time.

“We supply the safety and industrial products our customers depend on every day,” said Chris Behrens, Sustainability Specialist. “Many of those items—like disposable gloves and protective gear—don’t have a clear end-of-life path once they are used. By partnering with TerraCycle, we can now offer a practical way to collect and recycle those materials at the same time they’re ordered, making it easier for customers to manage that waste through the same purchasing process they already use.”

Through the partnership, Fastenal offers TerraCycle’s category-specific Zero Waste Box recycling solutions directly through its website, fastenal.com. Each Zero Waste Box is designed for a specific waste stream, like disposable gloves, protective eyewear, safety equipment, or break room materials, and provides an easy way to collect and recycle those materials on-site. Once full, the box is returned to TerraCycle for recycling. All compliant materials are guaranteed to be recycled, and the raw materials are used to make new products, giving workplaces a clear, immediate way to recycle hard-to-recycle waste without bringing on specialized vendors.

“The biggest barrier to recycling in the workplace isn’t intent—it’s access,” said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “When recycling solutions are available through the same channels businesses use to buy their safety and operational supplies, sustainability becomes part of how work gets done rather than an add-on. Our work with Fastenal shows that managing hard-to-recycle workplace waste doesn’t have to be difficult—it comes down to making practical solutions available through the suppliers businesses already trust.”

As Global Recycling Day highlights the value of materials that would otherwise go into the trash, the Fastenal–TerraCycle partnership offers an easy, practical way for workplaces to recycle. By making Zero Waste Box solutions accessible online, the collaboration turns a common operational challenge into an easily actionable opportunity.

To learn more about Zero Waste Box recycling solutions available through Fastenal, visit fastenal.com. To learn more about TerraCycle and its recycling programs, visit terracycle.com.

About Fastenal

With approximately 1,600 branch locations spanning 25 countries, Fastenal supplies a broad offering of fasteners, safety products, metal cutting products, and other industrial supplies to customers engaged in manufacturing, construction, warehousing, wholesale, and state and local government.

By investing in local experts and inventory, customer-facing technology, wide-ranging services, and best-in-class sourcing and logistics, we offer a unique combination of capabilities to help our customers reduce cost, risk, and scalability constraints in their global supply chains. This "high-touch, high-tech" approach is reflected in our tagline, Where Industry Meets Innovation™.

About TerraCycle

TerraCycle is an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, creating and operating first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials, and reuse. Across 18 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and households, across a wide range of accessible programs and has raised millions for schools and nonprofits since its founding more than 20 years ago. To learn more about TerraCycle and join them on their journey to move the world from a linear economy to a circular one, please visit www.terracycle.com.