Help Protect The Health Of Your Family And The Earth (NAPSA)—Cleaning out your medicine cabinet may protect your family and help heal the world. According to a recent survey by Johnson & Johnson Wound Care, 40 percent of families surveyed have an expired tube of topical antibiotic ointment in their medicine cabinet. Such medicines may lose efficacy after the expiration date and are limited in their ability to protect from infections. You should replace it to ensure that you are protecting cuts and scrapes from infection with the best product possible. Instead of throwing it in the trash and letting it end upin a landfill, how- ever, consider recycling the tube in a unique and easy way. Get Aroundto “Upcycling” Used and discarded packaging can be “upcycled” into useful, high-quality products. TerraCycle, a company that turns recycled goods into cool, innovative products, and the No. 1 doctor-recom- mended topical antibiotic ointment brand are giving families an option to do just that with expired or empty tubes. Families are encouraged to join a “Neosporin Tube Brigade.” Members collect expired tubes from neighbors, classmates and sports teams and send them to TerraCycle to be recycled. Each approved tube raises two cents for a nonprofit organization or school of the brigade’s choice. Cleaning Up You can continue to clean green throughout the rest of your house. Clean up to clean up: Don’t use expired antibiotics. Instead, recy- cle the tube to earn moneyfor the community. Here are hints that can help: 1. Instead of using dozens of different types of cleansers, consider using white vinegar and water. The high level of acidity in the vinegar kills mold, bacteria and other household germs. 2. Get crafty and recycle or upeycle paper, cardboard and tins into new household items. Instead of throwing away your empty box of cereal, cut it into a magazine holder or mail filer. Just finished that last scoop of coffee grinds from the tin? Make a decorative container out of it to store other kitchen odds and ends. 3. Replace paper towels with old T-shirts to wipe down surfaces and windows without leaving waste behind. Learn More For more information, visit www.terracycle.net and join the Neosporin Tube Brigade.
