Rethinking Waste: Building a Profitable Circular Economy with Tom Szaky

Are you tired of feeling helpless about our growing global garbage crisis? Host Corinna Bellizzi sits down with Tom Szaky, the visionary founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, to discuss why we must start Rethinking Waste. Szaky explains how his companies are transforming hard-to-recycle items, like cigarette butts and dirty diapers, into valuable resources. They unpack how the modern concept of disposability has failed us and why a circular economy is the target for sustainable social impact. You'll discover how the chess pieces of business and policy must align to drive scalable, real-world change. This eye-opening discussion will challenge you to reconsider everything you buy and throw away. COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/nature-has-no-concept-of-waste-tom-szaky-on-terracycle-loop-eliminating-disposability/ About Guest: Tom Szaky is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a global leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. TerraCycle operates in 20 countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers and manufacturers to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that otherwise go to landfill or incineration. It also created a new circular reuse platform called Loop that enables consumers to purchase products in reusable packaging. Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of awards and recognition from organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Fortune Magazine and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tom is the author of four books, Revolution in a Bottle, Outsmart Waste, Make Garbage Great and The Future of Packaging. Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomszaky/ Guest Website: https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/ Additional Resources Mentioned: BOOK: Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation: https://amzn.to/4gwCXIE BOOK: Carbon: The Book of Life: https://amzn.to/4kQi9xL Time Stamps: 00:58 00:00 - Why True Change Starts With Natural Capitalism 05:10 02:45 - The Hidden Cost Of An Unsexy Utility 08:11 05:30 - Flipping The Economics Of Trash On Its Head 07:37 09:40 - Surviving The Scrutiny Of The System 13:18 13:15 - The Logistics Of Sorting The Unsortable 34:36 17:50 - Designing For Reuse In A Convenient World 52:16 23:20 - Democratizing Capital For A Cleaner Future BUILD A GREENER FUTURE with CARE MORE BE BETTER: Together, we planted 36,044 trees in 2025 through our partnership with ForestPlanet. We screamed past our goal of planting 20,000 trees thanks to subscribers like you! CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/ Follow us on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.