TerraCycle Foundation Launches Green School Program to Help Thai Students Address Plastic Pollution in Their Communities

Bangkok, Thailand (October 14, 2025)—The TerraCycle Global Foundation is bringing environmental education into the classroom with the launch of its Green School program—an immersive initiative that gives Thai students living near some of the world’s most polluted waterways the tools, knowledge, and confidence to lead change in their own communities.

Developed to reach students in high-impact areas along Bangkok’s canal system, the Green School program goes beyond the textbook. Students receive hands-on experience with local cleanups, explore how waste systems operate in their communities, and learn how their everyday choices impact the environment.

“Solving the global waste crisis requires not only urgent action but long-term education,” said Tom Szaky, Chairman of the Board, TerraCycle Global Foundation. “Through Green School, students begin to connect what they learn in the classroom with what they see in their own streets and rivers. That’s when it clicks—this isn’t someone else’s problem. It’s theirs to understand, and theirs to help fix. That shift in mindset is incredibly powerful.”

The Green School program is the latest initiative from the TerraCycle Global Foundation, a nonprofit that has been working since 2018 to stop plastic waste from reaching the ocean by tackling pollution at its source. In Thailand, the Foundation operates permanent cleanup infrastructure across the Bangkok canal system, using custom-designed river traps and trained local teams to intercept floating waste before it flows downstream. To date, the Foundation has removed more than 3 million pounds of plastic waste from the city’s waterways—an effort that runs daily, year-round, and in close coordination with local communities and governments. But cleanup alone isn’t enough. By launching the Green School program, the Foundation is investing in the next generation—ensuring that the students who live along these canals have the knowledge and tools to prevent waste before it ever enters the water.

“What makes the TerraCycle Global Foundation unique is that we focus on both the physical and behavioral barriers to stopping plastic waste—we’re not just pulling trash out of canals,” said James Scott, Executive Director of the TerraCycle Global Foundation. “We’re working directly with communities to understand why it ends up there in the first place. The Green School program builds on that approach. By engaging students early, we’re creating a foundation of environmental literacy that strengthens the impact of our work in the field and creates lasting change from the inside out.”

As part of the launch, the Foundation has introduced a Green School sponsorship model, allowing individuals and organizations to support Thai students growing up along some of the world’s most polluted waterways. The sponsorship helps cover classroom materials, cleanup supplies, field trips, and support from local educators trained in environmental sustainability.

“For many of these students, this is the first time they’re learning that waste doesn’t have to end up in the canals,” said Scott. “By opening their eyes to new systems and solutions, we’re helping them build different expectations—and a different future—for their communities.”

For more information about the TerraCycle Global Foundation, the Green School program, or how to support a Thai student working to care for their community and environment, visit www.terracyclefoundation.org.

About the TerraCycle Global Foundation

Founded in 2019, the TerraCycle Global Foundation’s objective is to address the complex challenge of collecting and recycling plastic waste in emerging countries and preventing it from entering and polluting global aquatic systems. By joining forces with the local community and government organizations in affected areas, fostering collections and recycling programs and offering meaningful education programs in numerous localities, the Foundation is working to advance an integrated and collaborative approach to this global crisis that can be replicated around the world. To learn more about The TerraCycle Global Foundation please visit www.terracyclefoundation.org. To make a contribution, please visit here.

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 21 countries, TerraCycle is on a mission to rethink waste and develop practical solutions for today’s complex waste challenges. The company engages an expansive multi-stakeholder community across a wide range of accessible programs, from Fortune 500 companies to schools and individuals. 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.