Tom Szaky, Guest Writer
Tom Szaky is the founder and CEO of TerraCycle, the world’s first company that manufactures and packages products from garbage.
Tom left Princeton University during his Sophomore year to follow his dream of founding a truly eco-capitalist company. After an inauspicious start in a friend’s garage with no investors, Tom, and the company behind him, have become environmental thought leaders pushing sustainable products and practices into mainstream outlets.
Latest Stories from Tom Szaky, Guest Writer - Page 3
-
Who Is Responsible for How Responsible a Company Is?
We as a company take our role in reducing and reusing waste very seriously. But should others have to do the same? Is it a company's responsibility to be good corporate citizens on their own volition, or do we as consumers
-
How to Turn Unrecyclable Waste Into an Asset
How many billboards did you pass today? If you can even keep count, you're lucky. Most of those are made with vinyl. And most of them get thrown away. Over 3 million a year in the US alone. That's nearly 10,000 tons, or to give you
-
To Donate, or Recreate: Where Should Your Old Jeans Go?
Next time you're home, look around your closet. Your attic. How many pairs of jeans do you have there, unworn for months, years, decades even? I have four. Aside from the ones you keep for "some day" when you're skinny again
-
TerraCycle Goes Global, Rides the Big Business Wave to Brazil
This week, TerraCycle officially launched in Brazil! The new global launch comes just six months after launching with Frito-Lay in the US, and now the expansion into Brazil - with other countries to follow - makes an important
-
What is More Valuable - Material or People's Time?
So many coffee lovers have switched to single portion delivery devices produced by a variety of brands, including Tassimo, Flavia and Green Mountain. The coffee tastes is always fresh, perfectly brewed and one doesn't waste extra coffee left from
-
What Do Lays Chip Bags And Classical Music Have In Common?
Even though it seems everyone has an iPod or MP3 player and is downloading music, traditional CD's are still a huge business. The jewel cases are made from a variety of plastics that break easily and are not easy recyclable; sooner or later most of
-
Garbage Moguls, the TerraCycle Reality TV Show!
After 3 years of pitching networks, meeting with various producers, and all of the other Hollywood headaches,TerraCycle finally has our own Reality TV Show. Garbage Moguls, which debut's on National Geographic Channel on Earth Day, April 22, at 9pm EST
-
Plastic Labeling System Often Confused for Recyclability of Plastic Products
Have you ever noticed on the bottom of a plastic product one of these 7 symbols? It's a number inside a recycling logo. In seeing a label like this you might have thought, "Oh isn't it nice this product is recyclable..." I'm sorry to inform you that
-
Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle Redefines Green Business
My book, Revolution in a Bottle, hit the streets this week. It follows the story of TerraCycle from our beginnings in my dorm room, shoveling maggot filled organic waste, to creating products we sold to Wal-Mart and other major big box retailers,
-
4 Radical Solutions to Packaging Waste
As CEO of TerraCycle, I'm constantly thinking about how to solve problems with waste. From bottle bills to packaging taxes, nothing is too out-there to me. I've come up with four radical solutions that could help curb the problem. Click through for my
-
Could In-Sourcing Labor Be a Solution for Rebuilding American Manufacturing?
For decades, we in the US have watched jobs--especially manual labor--be exported overseas to countries like China, Vietnam, and India, where people work for significantly less money. In general, I've noticed that wages drop
-
TerraCycle Announces Initiative to Collect Non-Recyclable Waste at Big Box Stores Nationwide
We are extremely excited to announce here on Treehugger, for the first time ever the next phase of the TerraCycle national, non-recyclable waste collection system in the front of major retail stores across the country! For more details, click below
-
Will Packaging Taxes Solve Waste Issues, or Escalate the Problem?
Many environmentalists would say that packaging taxes (like bottle bills) are the solution to low recycling rates and the packaging waste problem. The way these programs work is that they charge packaging companies a
-
Will Recycling Survive the Recession?
The recycling industry is in a state of panic, hit by two forces beyond its control. The first problem is the economy (go figure). Demand for consumer products is down; retailers are focusing on price versus value. China (the
-
Absolutely Greener, Relatively Speaking: A Closer Look at CSR Reporting
I was recently exchanging e-mails with a dear friend, Melissa, who works in the CSR , or corporate social responsibility, department of a major US corporation. We were talking about traditional national and global economic growth rates (which, of
-
Are Trade Shows Worth the Waste? Maybe, if They Can Cut Down on It
Did you know the tradeshow industry is second only to the construction industry in the amount of waste it generates? Garbage from discarded packaging, samples, handouts and more piles up for days creating countless
-
Biodegradable vs. Recyclable: Which is the Better Packaging Solution?
We all know that packaging waste is a major issue. But what is the most feasible solution? Today there are fundamentally three choices for consumer packaged goods companies: non-recyclable, recyclable and
-
Could Garbage Be America's #1 Resource?
In nature, waste does not exist - if it did we would not be here today since the creation of a material that another life form
