Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle, to speak at Rozsa Sept. 24

HOUGHTON -- "King of Trash," Tom Szaky, will give a free lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Rozsa Center. Szaky will speak on how he turned trash into cash by creating a hugely successful eco-friendly business.

Tom Szaky, "King of Trash," and his eco-friendly business, TerraCycle. (Photo courtesy Rozsa Center)

In 2001, as a 19-year-old freshman at Princeton University, Szaky co-founded TerraCycle, Inc., a 100% "green" company that recycles garbage into worm poop, liquefies it, then packages it in used soda bottles, creating TerraCycle Plant Food.

Less than five years later, this all-natural, highly effective fertilizer was available in every Home Depot, Target, Wal-Mart, and more than 3,000 other locations. From his inner city headquarters in Trenton, N.J., the company has now grown to three large facilities manufacturing here in North America more than 50 consumer products -- including garbage cans made from crushed computers, hand bags made from energy bar wrappers and juice pouches, and the most eco-friendly binders and pencils. Their business plan is simple: recycle stuff that people either don't value or, in many cases, give a negative value to, into usable products. The result is a brand that has been called the most eco-friendly in America -- all while holding true to three simple brand principles: Better, Greener, and most importantly, Cheaper.

"If you buy an organic banana," says Szaky, "you're going to pay twice as much for it. We have an organic product that's both better and cheaper than the conventional product."

Szaky’s lecture, titled the same as his book "Revolution in a Bottle," covers his thrilling, and timely, entrepreneurial success story. Tom’s dream was to find a new, more responsible way of doing business that would be good for the planet, good for people and good for the bottom line! TerraCycle has won many awards and accolades for its environmentally responsible business model from Inc. Magazine, Red Herring, The Home Depot, The Environmental Business Journal, The Social Venture Network, Zerofootprint and many other highly regarded organizations.

TerraCycle has exclusive partnerships with major CPG companies such as Kraft Foods, Frito Lay (Pepsi), Stonyfield Farm, Mars Wrigley and many more. The partnerships create free collection programs that pay schools and non-profits nationwide to collect used packaging such as drink pouches, energy bar wrappers, yogurt cups, cookie wrappers, chip bags and more! The collected materials are upcycled into affordable, high quality products ranging from tote bags and purses to shower curtains and kites. In addition, TerraCycle works with these partners to find innovative uses for all of their waste streams and, by making products from these various waste streams, TerraCycle prevents thousands of tons of waste from going into landfills.

Szaky’s lecture will be followed by an audience-driven question and answer session. For more information on TerraCycle, Inc., please visit www.terracycle.net.

This lecture is co-sponsored by CenTILE, Michigan Tech School of Business and Economics, Committee for Campus Enrichment (CCE), and the Van Evera Distinguished Lecture Series Endowment.

This lecture is free and open to the public. For more information contact the Rozsa Box Office at 487-3200.