Some of the trash that kids want to toss at Lakeview Academy and Gainesville Exploration Academy is getting turned into products students use every day.

TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based company, recycles the juice pouches, chip bags and candy wrappers students collect at lunch and makes them into pencil cases, backpacks, lunch boxes and notebooks. The recycling program has led 7.4 million people to collect 1.2 billion units of trash since the company began in 2007.

Lauren Taylor, a publicist with TerraCycle, said the schools and nonprofit organizations can earn 2 cents per juice pouch or chip bag they collect for the company. TerraCycle has contributed more than $281,000 to schools and charities so far.

"Not only can you keep it out of the landfill, but you can earn money. Why not?" she said. "... Parents and teachers love it because it's a great way to teach kids about the environment while they're also having fun."

Lakeview Academy science teacher Corrie Habib helped the lower school initiate its TerraCycle brigade last school year. Fifth-graders help Habib collect, clean and ship juice pouches that students toss into the recycling bin in the cafeteria. She estimates the school ships about 600 bags filled with juice pouches to TerraCycle each month.

"It's very easy for them," she said. "... It is the youngest ones in the cafeteria, they never forget. They're so adorable."

Habib said TerraCycle provides the school with UPS shipping bags and videos to show students how their trash is recycled into school supplies for sale at Target, Walmart, Kmart and OfficeMax. The videos also explain to kids that by recycling, they can play a role in preserving the environment.

"They really like being a part of something bigger than themselves," Habib said. "Especially the young kids, they are really excited about recycling. We have the big bin in there so they enjoy having the responsibility themselves."

She said she hopes to start the chip bag recycling program at the lower school soon.

Samantha Simonton, a fifth-grader at Lakeview, said she thinks the recycling program is easy. She said fifth-graders who help clean and ship the juice pouches do not complain about wiping off the mold because they understand the end result will help preserve the environment.

"We all work together as a team. I think that shows that people like it," she said.

Samantha said she loves squirrels, birds and the woods and aims to help keep them safe.

"I think it helps just a little bit," she said of the recycling program. "But if everybody in the whole country or in the whole world does it, it will make a big change."