At last, there's a way to repurpose that collection of old Taco Bell sauce packets cluttering your drawer.

Whether you're heading to Taco Bell for tacos, burritos, or a Crunchwrap Supreme, you're probably walking away with a few hot sauce packets. These fiery condiments, which come in mild to diablo heat levels, have become a Taco Bell signature, but they are also a significant source of single-use plastic. Over 8 billion Taco Bell sauce packets are discarded each year, ending up in landfills. To address this, Taco Bell is rolling out a program to recycle these small plastic packets.

According to NPR, this new sustainability effort is a joint initiative between Taco Bell and the recycling company TerraCycle. Once customers finish using their preferred sauce, they're encouraged to collect the empty packets in a box instead of tossing them in the trash. When the box fills up, they can create an account with TerraCycle, print a free shipping label, and send the box via UPS. TerraCycle then processes the plastic, turning it into raw materials for reuse.

This initiative is Taco Bell's effort to make its packaging more eco-friendly. Originally, the company planned to set up in-store packet collection stations, but with most customers now ordering takeout or delivery, offering the option to mail recyclables makes more sense. While this program might not be worth it for the casual Taco Bell visitor, it's perfect for those with a drawer full of fiery hot sauce packets at home.

You can discover more about the initiative and sign up to participate here. Let's hope this effort proves more successful than these discontinued menu items from Taco Bell's past.