Recycling the Unrecyclable

HAESF alum Dániel German is revolutionizing the way Hungarians think about recycling and waste management.

As an environmental engineering student in Hungary, Dániel German was seeking hands-on international experience in the field of recycling. In 2010, he began a one-year professional internship with the Hungarian American Enterprise Scholarship Fund (HAESF) in research and development at the headquarters of TerraCycle in Trenton, New Jersey. 

TerraCycle is a recycling and waste management company with a unique goal: to recycle the unrecyclable. Their innovative, ‘no-trash-left-behind’ approach to waste management has led to incredible success; and, since their founding in 2001, they’ve become one of the fastest-growing green companies in the world.

The founder and CEO of TerraCycle, Tom Szaky, was named the “#1 CEO under 30” by Inc. magazine in 2006 and has been widely recognized for his work as a ‘garbage mogul’. Dániel and Tom share many similarities: a passion for entrepreneurship, a commitment to environmentalism – and their home country of Hungary. 

TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. Photo: Ilze Lagdina

When he returned to Hungary after his internship, Dániel continued his work for TerraCycle as a business development consultant, researching the Hungarian market for partnership leads. “I contacted over 100 companies to tell them the TerraCycle story,” says Dániel. After months of work and research, Dániel successfully launched the first recycling program for TerraCycle in Hungary.

“With HAESF, I really appreciated that this scholarship exists – I sometimes meet with alumni and I see that a lot of young, talented Hungarians get a chance to go and learn, not just about technical things, but also about the American mentality in any field.”

Three years later, Dániel is the country lead for TerraCycle Hungary, which has enjoyed enormous growth. The ‘upcycling’ concept of TerraCycle has caught on in international markets, including Hungary, where companies are traditionally less inclined to prioritize recycling practices. “The Hungarian people really like this idea [of TerraCycle] – there are 10 million people living in Hungary, and in the first year, we had more than 60,000 people sign up for the program.” 

What’s next for TerraCycle Hungary? Dániel plans to continue to expand the recycling programs throughout Hungary, and TerraCycle recently announced their Zero Waste Box, a new system for recycling all waste.

HAESF - endowed by U.S. Treasury Funds - has been supporting talented Hungarians to gain professional experience in the United States over a decade. By investing in human capital, HAESF's mission includes contributing to Hungarian development and strengthening ties between Hungary and the United States.

Interested in learning more about CIEE alumni in Hungary? Read more stories of alumni, like HAESF alum Szilvi Koleszar, who founded a nonprofit to promote STEM education for Hungarian youth.