How did you come up with the idea for TerraCycle and Loop?

I got the idea for TerraCycle as a college freshman at Princeton University in 2001. The original business model was vermicomposting (converting garbage into worm poop), packaging it in used soda bottles and selling the resulting fertilizer. To find a larger supply of bottles, we created a national collection program, which was the precursor for our current free recycling programs. While we no longer produce fertilizer, we have moved into finding recycling solutions for some of the world’s toughest garbage problems, proving that everything is technically recyclable and developing solutions for nearly every waste stream you can think of, including drink pouches, used toothbrushes, cigarette butts and even dirty diapers. In short, TerraCycle takes waste that is not recyclable through conventional methods (i.e. your municipality’s curbside recycling program) and turns it into raw material that is then used to make new products. TerraCycle is operational in 21 countries. The idea for Loop emerged three years ago where TerraCycle and leading packaged goods manufacturers discussed the idea of restructuring the life cycle ownership of packaged goods to be durable and reusable. TerraCycle in partnership with 25 participating brands, including founding partners Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Nestle, officially unveiled the Loop platform during a panel discussion at the 2019 World Economic Forum.