This time we had an exhilarating conversation with Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle, an international leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, from used chip bags to cigarette butts. Though he’s very passionate about garbage, his main interest lies in ways to reduce waste to almost zero. For him smart and circular cities cannot exist without changing the behavior of consumers.

Recycling in the United States is an economically unsustainable trend — or at least that’s what New York Times writer John Tierney recently argued in his opinion piece, “The Reign of Recycling," published in the October 4^th Sunday Review. Tierney’s arguments focus almost entirely on the inefficiency and economic viability of recycling, suggesting that CPG companies and major brands, municipalities, and even consumers should stop worrying about recycling, and that linear disposal methods are successful enough for the sake of cost-effectiveness and profitability. I believe that this is a dangerous conclusion to make in the 21^st century, a time where the need for long-term sustainability strategies and circular waste solutions are more apparent than ever.

Toothbrushes TerraCycle recycles items that don’t quite fit the recycling bin.

We hear how he has built a $22 million without paid advertising – Tom Szaky CEO TerraCycle. Szaky is founder and chief executive officer of TerraCycle, a company that enables consumers to collect non-recyclable waste, from used juice pouches to used cigarettes. The collected material is then reused, upcycled, or recycled into thousands of various products and materials.

WellPet makes recycling painless for consumers by partnering with TerraCycle to encourage pet owners to recycle their Wellness food packaging. "Many of our consumers recycle regularly, so we wanted to provide an easy way for consumers to recycle their pet food packaging," said Carly White, digital marketing specialist of WellPet. "Recycling is important, and we are happy to be able to offer this option to consumers whenever possible. TerraCycle has made great strides in diverting waste from landfills, transforming it into innovative materials and products and we are proud to support this worthy initiative."

The benefits vary, but after having reviewed dozens of independent life cycle analyses (including independent LCAs for TerraCycle products made from packaging waste), I have consistently found – as have various other institutions around the world – that there are meaningful environmental benefits to recycling most materials (it is irrelevant on this point whether or not these items are economically profitable to physically process) when measuring against the environmental impacts of producing new products from virgin materials.

The contest is hosted by TerraCycle, a New Jersey company dedicated to recycling and environmental awareness. TerraCycle offers a program called the Drink Pouch Brigade, in which schools or other groups collect Capri Sun or Honest Kids drink pouches and ship them to TerraCycle, which then up-cycles the pouches into various products, such as pencil cases and backpacks. Keene’s Crossing joined the Drink Pouch Brigade in fall of 2012, long before there even was the potential for a new playground.

The association bought 15 new bins made from recycled plastic from a New Jersey company called TerraCycle Inc., which sells a variety of products from recycled trash and materials. Under a recycling program the company offers, TerraCycle will haul away the cigarette waste and “up-cycle” it into useful products. The association, in turn, gets a discount on the bins: $50 each rather than the list price of up to $300.

Toothbrushes We assume 10 out of 10 dentists want you to recycle your toothbrush. Unless one of those dentists just hates the earth (RIP Cecil the Lion). TerraCycle recycles toothbrushes, as well as other items that don't quite fit the recycling bin. Check out their entire list for even MORE items that you can donate rather than junk.

In partnership with TerraCycle Inc., a New Jersey recycler, the nonprofit group recently installed 15 long, gray receptacles for recycling cigarette butts. The association invested about $1,000 in the program, the first of its kind in Los Angeles. It is aimed at taking a small step toward tackling the huge problem of cigarette waste. “We’re trying to change behavior here,” said Andrew Thomas, the association’s executive director. “We have a lot of smokers in Westwood, for better or worse.”