Midway Middle School students and teachers received $250 and toothpaste samples through the Wicked Cool! School Sweepstakes.
The school won the sweepstakes by recycling traditionally non-recyclable waste through the Natural Care Brigade, a free program from Tom’s of Maine and TerraCycle.
The brigade accepts toothpaste tubes and caps, mouthwash bottles and caps, deodorant/antiperspirant containers, plastic soap wrappers and floss containers.    
For each piece of waste collected through the free program, Midway students and teachers earn points that can be put toward charity gifts or converted to cash and paid back to the school. TerraCycle recycles the collected material into various products, including trash cans, picnic tables and watering cans.  
Tom’s of Maine gave a total of $2,500 to schools across the country.
The 10 winning schools were chosen at random from those that joined and sent in a shipment of waste.
Joy Kennedy, MMS brigade leader, said the school will use the prize money to buy more recycling bins to place around the school.  
“We are very excited about winning the contest because it teaches our students the importance of recycling,” Kennedy said. “Doing small things like this will hopefully lead them to do even more.”
“Part of our mission at Tom’s of Maine is to build relationships that extend beyond product usage,” said Susan Dewhirst, Tom’s goodness programs manager. “By offering students and teachers an even greater incentive beyond what is always available to them through the Natural Care Brigade, we hope to continue the conversation about protecting our planet.”
Tom’s of Maine is a natural-products company focused on oral and personal care.
TerraCycle Inc., founded in 2001, is an international upcycling and recycling company that turns difficult-to-recycle packaging into products.
For more information, go to www.terracycle.com.