Plastics traditionally have been made from chemicals in oil, but now it's mostly made from chemicals and ethane. Most plastics in the United States does not get recycled. Now we see a massive amount of plastic waste going to Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Turkey, and more recently, Africa. Everyone should keep recycling paper, metal, glass, and only plastic that has the little tiny number on the bottom, number one, or number two. Those are resin codes.
Ever wonder what actually happens to all the plastic you dutifully toss in the recycling bin? Kit Chellel, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg, set out to answer that very question. And what he found out is…well we’re not gonna give it away. Then, Wes picks up with reporter Matthew Campbell, who went to see for himself where a lot of that plastic piles (and piles and piles) up.
This episode also features Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, who explains why it’s so hard to recycle this stuff.
Learn more about this story here: https://bloom.bg/3tqqP4p
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