Mile Marker 50 – Alexander Long on Turning Industrial Plastic Waste into Profit, and Why Trucking Makes It Possible

We sit down with Alexander Long, CEO and co-founder of Topia, a post-industrial plastics recycling company building a major operation in Burlington, North Carolina. Alexander explains what post-industrial recycling really means, why manufacturing waste is far larger than most people realize, and how Topia helps companies turn material that used to go to a landfill into something valuable again.

Alexander shares his unconventional path into the industry, from learning on the fly in a warehouse environment to building and managing sustainability programs for large manufacturers. Along the way, he lays out a clear mindset: sustainability does not have to be economically painful. In many cases, doing the right thing is also the most profitable option when you design the system correctly.

Alexander discusses:

-What Topia does and why post-industrial waste is the real hidden volume problem, including how a 216,000 square foot facility scales impact and how waste streams can become reusable products

-How he found his way into plastics recycling unintentionally, and how curiosity about process, economics, and employee ownership shaped his approach to building a business

-Why trucking is the biggest cost in a pennies-per-pound industry, how Topia relies on drop trailers, swaps, local partners, and broker relationships, and how just-in-time manufacturing demands fast, reliable service

-Practical sustainability ideas that apply to trucking and beyond, including reusable packaging, reducing disposable habits, maintenance and repair culture, and why mindset and long-term thinking are the foundation of an enduring legacy

This episode connects the dots between manufacturing, recycling, and the trucking networks that make modern logistics possible. It is a conversation about building systems that work financially, reduce waste, and still deliver on speed and reliability.

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