TerraCycle's Tom Szaky on recycling cigarette butts and the importance of reuse.

Tom Szaky is the founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a platform working in over 20 countries, recycling a vast array of materials that other people simply don’t want – think cigarette butts, dirty nappies, biscuit wrappers, coffee pods and pet food bags to name just a few.

Meanwhile, Loop, which he launched in 2019, is a system for reuse where manufacturers can develop reusable versions of their products that are then sold through major retailers, with the same convenience as current disposable items.

Over the years, Tom has written four books, as well as producing and staring in TerraCycle’s reality show, Human Resources, and won a slew of awards.

In this episode, we talk about: why his office is full of rubbish; the economics of recycling; how TerraCycle reuses cigarette butts and chewing gum; the problem with sandpaper; his desire to bring back the milkman; why Loop has worked in France but struggled elsewhere; the importance of convenience; being sustainable in Trump’s America; his refugee childhood; finding a home in Canada; starting his own company at 14 years old; dropping out of Princeton; and how TerraCycle began by manufacturing ‘worm poop’.

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