Tom Szaky (Terracycle) - Recycling Everything, Reimagining Capitalism
Wed Sep 24 2025
What if waste was a design flaw, not an inevitability? In this episode, Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, explains how he is working to eliminate the idea of waste entirely. He is not just tinkering at the edges. He is rebuilding systems from the ground up while partnering with some of the biggest brands on the planet.
Tom takes us through his journey from a university dropout selling worm poop to a global leader in recycling and reuse. His company now operates in 20 countries and works with household names to solve the problems they have helped create.
Topics include:
How to recycle products most of us assume can't be recycled, like cigarette butts and nappies
The business model behind Loop and how it enables circular, reusable packaging at scale
Why voluntary action from consumers and brands will never be enough without regulation
How TerraCycle works with multinationals without compromising its mission
Why entrepreneurship should be driven by real-world problems, not just investor trends
Tom's radical mission: to eliminate the idea of waste
Stay Connected:
Follow Tom on Linkedin.
Follow Rob Fawkes on LinkedIn
Sign up for the A Little Bit Radical newsletter.
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What if waste was a design flaw, not an inevitability? In this episode, Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, explains how he is working to eliminate the idea of waste entirely. He is not just tinkering at the edges. He is rebuilding systems from the ground up while partnering with some of the biggest brands on the planet. Tom takes us through his journey from a university dropout selling worm poop to a global leader in recycling and reuse. His company now operates in 20 countries and works with household names to solve the problems they have helped create. Topics include: How to recycle products most of us assume can't be recycled, like cigarette butts and nappies The business model behind Loop and how it enables circular, reusable packaging at scale Why voluntary action from consumers and brands will never be enough without regulation How TerraCycle works with multinationals without compromising its mission Why entrepreneurship should be driven by real-world problems, not just investor trends Tom's radical mission: to eliminate the idea of waste Stay Connected: Follow Tom on Linkedin. Follow Rob Fawkes on LinkedIn Sign up for the A Little Bit Radical newsletter.