Featured Upstart
Tom Szaky | TerraCycle
TerraCycle’s first product was an organic plant fertilizer made from worm castings (aka poop) that was so wildly popular that it quickly landed in major retail outlets. It was also the first consumer product to be made entirely from garbage. Now, CEO Tom Szaky has taken that concept to a new level. He’s collecting “post consumer waste,” like Capri Sun pouches, by partnering with major consumer goods manufacturers that sponsor collection brigades. What would have been garbage is then turned into cool products like book bags and shower curtains. Major retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot are now selling TerraCycle’s products. You can read about more about Szaky and TerraCycle in a story I did in the April issue of Reader’s Digest.