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Call for questions: GARBAGE. (Patreon)

Published:
2022-09-29 20:47:28
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Yep, it’s finally time for Garbology. It’s happening. I’m chatting with someone who studies garbage and sanitation and I’m terrified. Wait — should this be a Spooktober episode? What’s scarier than garbage?!

Leave your questions about waste management below!

-Your Poddad

Comments

Jessie Dragon

What’s the most realistic way to recycle and compost? How can we work towards producing or using up our waste?

cheyanne morris

do they actually sort thru the garbage and recycling?

Ashley Oki

What are some good ways to reduce how much waste we use? Do individual actions like using reusable straws and bags make a difference?

Joe Mueller

What happens when a body is found in the dump? Like is it possible to track back to where the truck picked it up at?

GenusByGenus

Is it better to reuse or recycle glass?

Invertebabe

Multiple animals have used garbage to create homes. Octopuses specifically do this a lot. Have you encountered any trash homes in your work? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen an animal do with trash?

Keenan Dailey

What happens when valuable things are found in the garbage? Is it finders-keepers? Are there rules or laws around this?

cheyanne morris

what city in the US has the best garbage/ sanitation system?

Aven

Are we just going to be buried in trash at some point? Where do we put it all?

Jessica Janssen

Is it ethical for countries to be paying other countries to take on their garbage?

Christina Kasauskas

Is it true that most household waste disposal landfills have just as much hazardous waste as the hazardous waste landfills do?

Hannah Matousek

How to realistically recycle? I feel like most places end up mixing the recycle in with the trash anyway which is definitely not ideal

GenusByGenus

I know that glass can be recycled, but I’ve heard that it’s so energy intensive that it’s better to reuse it

cheyanne morris

do you hate the people who buy reusable things for home but then still go to regular grocery stores to refill said reusable itemsv

em

where does it all go!! landfills seem sneaky

Dene Dryden

When I think of garbage, I think of all the materials we’ve been unable (or unwilling) to recycle and reintegrate into the material use cycle. So, landfills make me pretty sad. Is there a way to reduce or rehabilitate the waste we’ve already put in the ground?

Jessica Janssen

What material takes the longest to decompose?

Jenna Catalano

I've heard most if not all mixed stream recycling is never recycled and often ends up in the ocean. Should we still keep recycling or would it be better to just throw in the garbage?

Ella

Does ‘recycling’ actually get recycled? Edit. I live in Australia where recycling has a dark underbelly and rubbish is very controversial! I believe often out recycling bins just get tipped into the regular rubbish.

cheyanne morris

when will they stop filling up my city giant landfill?

Amy Narimatsu

1. What's the nastiest thing you've ever seen? 2. What are your thoughts on plastic and its horrifying environmental impact?

Bonnie Detwiller

How much recycling really ends up in landfills? I've heard depressing stats that a lot of it does, so if possible give me hope that all my recycling efforts are doing something. Thanks!

Aven

Do fires happen that often in dumps and just burn forever? I heard they catch fire sometimes because of the heat of decomposition and pressure

Hannah Nuest

A lot of restaurants put their takeout in “compostable” containers. I am wondering, though, if I don’t have access to composting and have to throw it in the trash, will it actually decompose quickly in a landfill?

RJ Doidge

How often is garbage looked at when related to forensics? Is that like…really a thing?

Francesca Perrelli

Obvious question : do you like the band Garbage? Shirley is my second favorite redhead (the first fave being ol popward von podcast, also obviously)

Brie

How often do you come across dead bodies / body parts on the job? Or is that just an overused crime show trope?

Bria

How much does garbage production differ with certain times of the year (such as holidays)?

Hannah Nuest

Is this the person who wrote the book Garbology? I read it a few years ago!

Zed Shirogane

What actually happens to the trash when it’s placed in a landfill? Like does it get covered with dirt? What then?

Megan Duffy

I sometimes feel like me recycling is pointless bc I always here it ends up in the landfill anyway. What can I do to make sure that doesn’t happen?

Tyler nelson

Does separating compost (commercial compost run by bigger cities) actually have positive benefits for the earth and landfills? I would assume compost is going to biodegrade in a landfill the same way.

Amesia Doles

I live in San Francisco and we seem to have a pretty amazing dump here (artists in residence, rolling gardens out of discarded plants) …is there any sort of movement to figure out how to use our trash more creatively?

Hannah Nuest

Has anything you’ve seen made you want to reduce waste in your own life or even try to go zero waste? Or does it just make you feel more hopeless and like there’s no point in trying?

Jack Sparks

What can we tell about historical societies from their garbage remains and or waste management practices? What is something happening in your field that gives you hope for the future?

Morgan Casey

Is there a "WALL-E" style future where there is just *too much garbage* to function?

Ella

What’s the difference between garbage and rubbish?

Nick Soberal

What are some practical ways people at home can be more conscious of the waste we produce and (hopefully) make less of it?

Katie Peck

What happens with sea water rise and landfills in coastal relations?

Nathalie Jones

Can landfills ever be undone or are they permanent scars on our beautiful mother earth?

Dantooine

What percentage of waste from humans is food waste? How can we change consumer standards to prevent so much food waste? I’m more than happy to eat a strangely shaped squash!

Stephanie Leské

Are there any animals or fauna or fungi that have became reliant on human made waste sites & dumps?

Quinn West

At what point does garbage (especially old electronics) become “vintage”

Alia Myers

Ok seriously how much garbage is there

Melanie Lee

I know we've got a garbage problem on our hands! Can you talk more about why we're shipping our garbage internationally and how that's affecting different countries. Have we run out of landfills??

AlisonCee

Do they think we'll ever get to a point where we start mining landfills to reclaim metals etc.?

Chris Curious

What are the big flames at landfills for?

Bennett Vanderbosch

What one thing do you wish people understood about garbage?

Alli Barg

Where are we with the “turning garbage into fuel” idea and would it actually be cleaner than any of the options we have now?

Alia Myers

Why is recycling so fucking hard to get right?

Alia Myers

Are there any exciting new alternatives to landfills that u think have real potential?

Alia Myers

Can we harness garbage for energy?

annie

What training do garbage collectors go through?

Ruben R

Firs question asker here... How truly careful should we be with disposing junk mail or paperwork that has our information in it? Should I be shredding everything?

Alia Myers

If so, how stinky would the process be?

Antonia Clark

Is there a future in which landfills are a thing of the past?

Rissaroni

Fungi. Are they the answer?

Dantooine

How do they decide on the places that become landfills?

annie

Why does garbage vs recycling vary by city?

Swisscheese Jess

Why does north America's, especially Canada where I live, garbage and recycling program suck so bad compared to Europe, where everything is actually properly recycled. As a construction person, we had a machine in Switzerland that let us clean our roller and brushes, and the machine would seperate pigment, from glue and water. Everything could and would be properly recycled at designated facilities. How much does this type of recycling help with recycling. Could you plainly explain why recycling does affect climate, and general ecosystem?

Alia Myers

Can you please just walk us through the garbage process? What is happening in those trucks? And why? And how do i know where it goes? And what happens when it gets there? Are things actually sorted?

Kelsey lore

Is it true that some Scandinavian countries use garbage so well that they have to import it? That sounds so fake, but I have heard it so often.

kexi

How is the handling of garbage different around the world? How has it changed through time? How have the types of garbage changed? Are we getting better in terms of reducing plastic waste or is it still just getting more and more?

Paul Smith

At what point does a landfill become eligible to be an archeological dig site?

Jim Hendrix

I’ve heard that many municipal recycling programs don’t follow through at the landfill. Is this true? What really happens?

Alia Myers

What SHOULD we be doing with our trash?

Kaitlin

Are there really worms that can eat the trash?!?

Ali Vessels

Are you familiar with "Garbage City" in Cairo? I was just in Egypt in September and learned about it. The history of how that area was formed and consequently nicknamed seems really sketchy, I would love to get a bona fide garbologist's take on that!

Shelby Reardon

How did dumping trash in holes come to be? It sounds like something that never should have been the right idea.

Isabel Slaymaker

Why does most garbage have that same ~smell~ even when theres different stuff in it?

Shelby Reardon

How dirty is trash? Like, how scared should I be of touching a dumpster or fishing something out of a garbage can?

Ray Holloman

How far on average does garbage move to its final resting spot? When I go to my county dump, I see them filling tractor trailers and I wonder where it goes next.

abe

I have a small midden of styrofoam and batteries at my place because I don't know how to throw them out -- where do I go for information about what to put in the trash? also how much does product design affect recycling?

wicker bitch

I don't have a question, I just wanted to tell you that my grandma lived in rural northeastern Wisconsin and regularly took her refuse out to my uncle's farm to burn. Anything that wasn't for burning was (in her supremely Wisconsin accent) "wet gar-beege". We were frequently admonished for putting trash with the wrong level of wetness in the wet garbeege. Reminiscing about her garbatory preferences often brings us to fits of can't breathe cry laughing. YA NO DON'T PUT THAT IN THERE THAT'S THE WET GAR-BEEGE. I GOTTA TAKE THAT OUT TO TOMMY'S FARM FER THE BURN PILE. RIP GMa Marge, may any burning gar-beege serve as an eternal flame in your memory.

Feye

Why do we send our garbage to poorer countries? Like fabrics to Africa and electronics to Asia.. Why don't we reuse more stuff?

Stephanie Leské

Are there way to petition for those garbage eating sharkey floaty things for waterways in your area?? [I cannot for the life of me remember the official name for these things but they're awesome & feel like we should get more! ]

James Jakes

How detrimental is throwing away electronics and batteries? I've been told alkaline batteries can be thrown away?

Jacob Bowman

what should we be doing with our trash??

Courtney Peterson

I have a family member who refuses to recycle because someone told her it all goes with the trash anyways! Is that true?

Ben Golder

(first time question asker) Who in the world does the best waste management? What are the biggest barriers to improving waste management in the United States?

Kyla Kelly

If humans ceased to exist suddenly, how long would it take for the earth to break down all of our garbage?

Kyla Kelly

what are we doing with our recycling now that china wont accept it?

Tobie Tobias

is recycling really useless for people to do? I have heard there is no point because not a lot of it is actually recycled and is no help in the shadow of the problems big corporations cause.

Kyla Kelly

What about microplastics?

Kendall Hargis

What is the best thing we can do to reduce the garbage we as individuals create?

Sarah king

If a future alien civilization found our garbage dumps, what do you think the weirdest/most interesting thing they would be able to learn about us from our trash?

Alphabet

Am I stressing too much about my personal recycling habits?

Elektra

Is there a good resource for companies (and individuals) in the US to go to for tips on better practices with regards to our waste footprint? Would love to know if there are some small easy steps that can be taken that can have a great impact.

Gordon Haas

When I grew up in Hawaii, people would leave wrapped gifts on top of their garbage cans as gifts to the collectors at Christmas time. Typical gift was a case of Primo Beer. What favorite stories does your guest have about people being nice to their sanitation workers?

Bryant Bainbridge

As I sit here carefully sorting my garbage recycling pile I would love to hear what REALLY gets recycled, what is pulled out of my recycling bin to go into the 'Not Ready for Prime Time' pile (landfill) and what is quietly shuffled onto barges destined for the 3rd world?

Erin

I was spiraling I mean thinking about landfills yesterday. Just wtf. Can’t we think of anything better to do with trash? And what’s the end game there? Do we just fill up one plot of land and then move on to another? I honestly don’t know. But it makes me sad.

Sarah Meaden

Are there better containment options for our garbage than plastic bags? Since plastic is a big part of garbage accumulation?

Barb Chang

I'm so obsessed with waste management questions that I'm considering a career change. Are there chemicals that can safely dissolve garbage - like vats of acid? Is it true that if you don't clean out your recyclables, like peanut butter jars, you can contaminate surrounding recyclables that now all need to go to the landfill? And...ew, what happens to everything that we flush?

Cate Muenker

With the increase in shipping, like Amazon packages, are our landfills close to capacity? How much of the cardboard and plastic we throw in the recycling actually gets recycled? Are glass bottles remelted or are they washed, sanitized, and reused?

Matt Ceccato

How many landfills does the US have left?

Lizzy Martinez

Which states have the best recycling process/requirements?

Kelly Shaver

How much trash is currently on Earth? Between the ocean and landfills and who knows where else, I’m afraid to find out but also I have to know.

Jenna Congdon

How much of what is recycled actually gets recycled? How can we make sure more of it actually does get recycled? What's the craziest thing you've ever found in the trash? Some countries seem to do better at recycling and reducing trash than others (Sweden, Germany), what are they doing differently? Can you talk specifically about how they do things? Some cities (example- Seattle) have city composting programs but not many, can you talk about how that works and why more places don't do it? How can regular folks make less trash? Sorry for the huge list of questions, this is a super interesting topic!!

Dee Dee

Is it true that one shouldn't shower or bathe when it's raining? Something aabout the water system (especially in NYC) gets overloaded with poop, feminine products and other stuff).

Erin

I remember hearing recently about a worm or larva that eats plastic? Can you tell us more about this?

Sarah king

Space trash! How much do we have?

Kelly Shaver

I know that the way we handle trash in the US is horrible but is there a better way? Besides making less things to begin with I mean.

Janna Wisniewski

How can I get people to stop throwing their garbage on my street? I've seen people drop full bags out of their windows and I haaaaate it.

Meghan McLean

The pacific trash gyres are so depressing…is there any good news about them?

Dee Dee

And are they REALLY considering shooting our 'shit' to space? I mean can we just leave anything untouched?

Courtney Carey

What are your thoughts on the bacteria Ideonella sakaiensis and their PET-digesting enzyme? Is genetically engineered bacteria a possible solution to break down the PET used in bottles and clothing?

Dee Dee

I'm a parttime caretaker for my elderly mom. This means emptying out the commode. Instead of dumping the waste down the toilet, the commode bucket can now accept a trash bag. Now one can just tie up the trash bag and dump the waste in the trash. IS THIS OK???

Joe Weinmunson

First off, I work for a company that creates software for the trash industry--thanks for the great topic! Given the poor rates of compliance for clean recycling do you see a way forward for useful plastic recycling?

Dee Dee

I'm full of garbaage Qs today: Do those huge pollution contraptions used in the oceans make a big enough impact?

Dee Dee

thanks for this topic. Living in NYC, this is the main topic of conversation.

Deli Dames

should we be eliminating plastic bags? If so, how do we store our garbage/bring it out to the bin without making a mess?

Brie Stewart

Are there dead bodies that turn up in landfills? How common is it if it happens?

Deli Dames

do they look for recyclables in the garbage and pull them out?

Bradley Ladwig

First time question asker, long time listener. :-D I've heard that new landfills are using enzymes to speed up decomposition and using methane capture to generate electricity. Are these methods being widely utilized yet?

Deli Dames

do people who work directly with garbage/sanitation have a worse sense of smell?

Margo Rosenbaum

Why are creepy crawlies (like rats and cockroaches) attracted to garbage?

Evan Davis

Is it true that scientists are making an organism that can eat up plastics?

Deli Dames

in other countries (Taiwan for example), they fine you if you dont properly separate trash and recyclables. is that something that could happen in the US?

Willow Hall

What are the future plans for filled and currently being filled landfills? Is there a consensus within the industry or are individual companies doing radically different things? Heck, how many waste management companies are there anyway? Or is it all under the control of local/state governments?

Margo Rosenbaum

One of my most memorable childhood field trips was to the dump. It was raining, of course, and the smell of wet garbage has never left me. What’s the best way to keep at-home garbage smelling as close to 🌸💐🌺 as possibe? Do scented garbage bags really work?

Erin

I don’t believe launching compressed garbage into the depths of outer space is a great idea, but how horrible would it be?

Sydney Toups

Yes! We have gotten compostable bags and straws but what happens if they go in regular trash?

Will Clark

In many cities old garbage dumps are turned into green spaces. Is this safe?

Euan Munro

Boy howdy I have so many questions (as someone who works in waste as an engineer, as has strongly considered calling themselves a BINgineer)! * how important js limiting the types of packaging we can make (i.e. banning terrible composites likes pringles tubes)? * properly engineered landfill is so much more complicated than people think - is that frustrating at all, when people don't think about where there waste goes? * when are we doing to start mining landfills for those sweet precious metals? * do we need to overthrow capitalism to have a truly circular economy?

Jennasis

Thoughts on trash pandas?

Thistlesmoke

How carefully should I be sorting my trash, if at all? And follow up, what happens to things like lithium and car batteries when they're tossed?

Popita

What are some new methods and technologies that help reduce the amount of garbage produced?

Marion Homier

Trash compactor—use or don’t use? Friends say garbage can’t decompose at the landfill if it’s been compacted. Also, in the recycling bin—jar and bottle lids on or off? Our “single stream recycling” trash contractor doesn’t give a clue.

Kristina Weaver

Is there a real possibility of running out of places to put our garbage? The movie WALL-E comes to mind when I think of this.

Bradley Hogle

Is waste management a much bigger problem because of consumer culture, or have we always been garbage people?

Cat Baklarz

What would be the best waste management strategy (recycling, circular economy, return-to-maker, incineration, etc) for the US based on current attitudes and politics? Does this change state by state? Do you envision a national garbage policy ever?

Richard

Here in Austin TX, we do single-stream recycling. Any thoughts on single-stream trash-sorting? Could this be done to make it zero friction for people who don't separate trash/recycling?

Cat Baklarz

You mentioned professor trash wheel previously but now is a good time to bring her up again

C_to_the_K

Are you team scented garbage bags? (I am not... tropical garbage, pass)

Miriya

What's the weirdest thing you've seen thrown away? How often do bodies/items from a crime end up in the trash? Is it a pain to dig stuff back out?

Allison Babberl

Are landfills really the best practice? Are there other options available for trash other than a landfill? (outside of recycling, composting, etc.) WHY ARE GARBAGE BAGS ALSO GARBAGE? Seems silly. Also, side note, I live in Des Moines and our local landfill has an annual tour called "Fun at the 'Fill."

Dionne Needham

What are some strategies to get others in your household to recycle better. My flatmate (roommate) wishcycles. For example i have to fish out of our recycling bins are plastic binders fill of paper - separate recyclable paper and the binder which can be used again. A broken lamp, old shoes, used COVID tests (just gross and bad practice) if it plastic she thinks it can be recycled. Tried talking to her giving her the instructions from the council. Wish cycling is honestly the biggest problem out city council has with recycling and contaminating recycling by not washing it.

Talia Dunyak

What country makes the most trash per Capita? (Trashiest rankings?)

Sydonie S.

Why do garbage dumps end up as ski hills? Maybe this is only a Midwest thing because it's so flat.

Marisa

There has to be a better way to get rid of garbage. What's the future of garbage disposal? Also is it better to use the garbage disposal or throw kitchen scraps in garbage when composting is not an option?

Nicole Story

What is one simple thing most households can do to reduce their trash production? How can we make recycling and composting more commonplace? What's your opinion on plastics/things that will NEVER break down? Why should we not shoot our garbage into space?

MeLikeBees

Is incinerating garbage (as is more common in europe) actually safe? Is it terrible? Too much CO2?

Crystal Wilson

Can't wait for this episode! I frequently " curb shop" and post the treasures to my Buy Nothing group in hopes of saving things from the landfill. Q: Why is the cultural norm so ingrained that second hand items are bad? And then there are degrees of acceptance.

Jackie

If you had magic powers and could keep one kind of thing out of the garbage what would it be and why?

Amy Gibson

What did we do before landfills became common? Did landfills only become a thing with consumerism? Do you think "out of sight, out of mind" impacts how much stuff goes in the garbage?

Manasvi Verma

What do the numbers inside the recycling symbol really mean?

Rachael Swenson

Should we go back to sorted recycling rather than mixed recyclables?

Sharon

If I use a compostable bag for my regular trash, am I helping or hurting?

Ann Hanlin

Is there a better solution to our waste? There has to be……….right?

Andy Beyer

Thoughts on building on top of or repurposing landfills after they are full? What would be the concerns of doing this? (I'm looking at you, Mt. Trashmore, Virginia Beach).

Nico Peruzzi

Should I not be putting my recycling in garbage bags?

Pacheecha

Someone just told me that part of climate change is caused by discarded food which creates massive amounts of methane released into the atmosphere. True or false? If so, is it recommended to get a compost barrel to avoid contributing?

Ann Hanlin

Are “compostable” products (like those disposable plastic-y plates, straws, forks, etc.) really able to compost in a landfill? I heard that they have to be in the perfect temperature and humidity conditions to actually decompose, and that most, if not all, landfills do not have those conditions. Is this true?

Super_Sara

Trying to weigh the pros and cons of dog poop bags. Obviously, picking up dog poop is the right thing to do, but is it worth adding all those plastic bags to the garbage? Is there a more environmentally friendly way to discard dog poop? Also those “green” bags claim to decompose faster than plastic bags. Do they really or is that flim flam?

Nicole Kleinman

What’s something a lot of people throw away that we shouldn’t?

Lily H

What are some of your favorite waste management practices from different countries?

Hayden Sloan

no they just burn it and call it recycling

Nicole Kleinman

I remember in elementary school they would give us these scary lessons about the landfill being full in 50 years if we didn’t do anything (yanno- reduce, reuse, recycle!) Is that still the case?

Jocelyn Alcantara-Garcia

How can we make garbage management profitable? I think that the moment that happens everyone will be mindful about their own waste. Also, having lived in Mexico and a few places in Europe I’ve seen that the US is even worse about recyclables, what’s wrong with having 6-7 bins on the corner for waste (green or transparent glass, cardboard, etc.)?

ConnieConnieBoBonnie

I was curious about this too! Is living on top of an old landfill toxic and bad for your health?

Nicole Kleinman

Wall-E. Will garbage ever become that extreme? If cute robots squished things at the landfill, would that even do anything? What about throwing trash into space, would that be an option?

ConnieConnieBoBonnie

What common household items are routinely not disposed of properly?

Ira Gray

What happens to dangerous garbage like paints and chemicals and things? Is there just a big chemical atorage thing at the dump?

ConnieConnieBoBonnie

I use a compost service because we don’t have the time/energy/space to compost at home. It’s been great so far! When I lived in Germany, compost was another bin along side trash and recycle. How do we get folks in the US to start composting? Is wide spread composting of food waste scaleable in a country this big? Pros and cons?

Hayden Sloan

For anybody who has questions about the international garbage trade I HIGHLY recommend checking out the Basel Action Network! They have tons of info on the global waste trade including electronics, plastics, "recycling", and more. ban.org

Ariane Leroux

Since my city (Montreal) pick up organic waste, my garbage bag is basically just plastic, does that mean that it will decompose even slower in other words did the organic waste that used to be in the garbage bag help the non-organic waste decompose faster?

Eric Johnson

Does being a sanitation worker physically affect your sense of smell in some way? Sort of like how memorizing The Knowledge enlarges the hippocampus of London cab drivers?

poppy

What are your thoughts on the waste to energy industry? Is it a viable option for waste reduction or does it cause more harm than good. From what I can tell it's just too darn expensive to be an efficient approach.

GreenBriar

My mother is 80, and she says when she was a kid, there pretty much wasn't garbage. There was a rag-man, but not garbage like we think of it. Is this real? Is this feasible? Were they just burning all sorts of things that ought not be burned?

Jess Loeffler

How can we best prevent our garbage from becoming litter? After windy days there seems to be so much more garbage in the streets and in the creek near where I live.

Stephanie Vaughn

Which cities have industrial composting? I live in Portland Oregon and our composting is for food and yard debris only. There are several companies marketing their products as compostable (k cups, blue apron packaging, some backpack meal bags). Are they gaslighting? It seems to me if Portland won’t take it no one will.

Jess Loeffler

Has there been any reduction in waste production as options like composting and recycling have gotten more publicly popular? Or has there been a steady increase?

Alexandre Catulle

Not a question, but I'm so pumped to hear this one!!! Can't wait to learn where it all goes and what we do with them! Terrifying subject 😨

Katie Daniels

First time asker (Love the podcast!!) - what is the true story on the floating barges of garbage out in the ocean? Where did it come from? Who owns it? What are we doing about it?

Krystal Symons

How are we managing wish cycling? Education alone isn't going to remove this completely, how are we managing at the sorting end? The bugs and fungi that eat plastics, how hopeful are you about the future here? Can you tell us more about industrial composting? Why are there so many layers in the garbage process? When you go to a tip (in Australia) and you are directed to take your bulky items to different locations what are done with them afterwards? Mattresses, tvs, refrigerators etc.

Lindsay Mayer

Over 20 years ago I went to a STEM event for school and they were talking about using bacteria to digest polystyrene. I feel like I also saw an article recently about beetles that will eat polystyrene. Are there any places actually using this bio method to process garbage? Or are there any other cool ways animals are used in the garbage industry?

Christina Samela

Garbage is SO spooky! I work in the hazardous waste industry and it is incredible how many substances are regulated once they become waste. What are the most common items with hazardous materials that end up in normal waste streams that really should be separated out? Thinking along the lines of batteries

Andrew Pedersen

If I put something in a recycling bin, what are the chances that it will actually get recycled? How do different types of plastic, glass, aluminum cans, etc each compare in the rates that they actually get recycled instead of put in the landfill?

Sonjabird

Once a large landfill is closed and they cover it over, how long does it take for it to become usable land? Will a forest grow there? Will it ever be buildable? How long are the landfills monitored and vented for?

Caylie Evans

What happens when I put the wrong things in the recycling? Does some person have to pull out my poorly rinsed jars?

Trevor Frosig

First time asker 😊 so what’s the deal with straws??

Amy Skinner

Does my recycling actually get recycled or does it go into the trash ?

Becky Stenberg

Isn't there a law that California counties have to have a diversion business for still usable items? Sonoma County has a great one called Recycletown. I've gotten some great deals on leftover building materials.

Evan Davis

How do you feel about the garbage Pokemon, Garbador?

Greg Walloch

Do they like the band Garbage? What is their favorite Garbage song?

Shelby Smith

Do you just get overwhelmed by the trash humans generate and our impact on the planet? I know I do...

Stephanie Trout Berman

FIrst time asker: I'm an RN CDCES (Certifed Diabetes Care and Education Specialist) and I have to tell my patients to put their syringes/needles in a thick plastic container (Think Tide bottle-that should be recycled) and tape the lid shut and throw it in the garbage...never to be worried about again...except I doooooo worry about that. These are written in the New Hampshire (and Vermont) . GOV websites. What happens to them?? This has been "SPOOKING" me forever!

Lisa

Yikes!! What is the truth about recycling, what actually gets recycled and how is that done??? Not a first time question asker BUT have never been named on my favorite podcast…just sayin 😘

Jodi Pierce

Are there bacteria that eat plastic? Did they occur naturally or are they lab-made? Are they/could they solve our plastics and micro plastics recycling? Is there a value or purpose in putting a layer of crushed glass between garbage layers at the dump? I ask because the town I grew up in had glass recycling and then we found out this is how they were “recycling” it. What are some recommendations reduce landfill waste that I can do? Is there energy in garbage? Could we power a battery or car or bus with waste? Have garbage dumps ruined any town or city’s water supply? Are there concerns of any places that it could?

Allie Brown

Not a question but please tell everyone about how biodegradable dog poop bags aren’t really better and may be worse than just plain old plastic bags for pup poop!

Erin Gunderson

How much recycling really gets to be plain old garbage?

Boreal Becca

Why aren’t batteries recyclable anymore? They used to be collected at libraries where I am. Also, if companies had to calculate the costs of disposing their packaging, would they create less waste? Would everything cost more? Would taxes go down?

Lisa Baik

HOW can we stop generating so much garbage?!

Patricia Brewster

We can put a man on the moon and cure many diseases but seems we can't make birth control for men or develop a creature to eat garbage. That should be our next step. Compost is a good solution for the garbage and using the head on your shoulders, practicing self control and keeping it in your pants is a good one for men.

Anne Bergamesca

First time questioner and you have hit a nerve - HA!. I am a total recycling and composting Nazi, reading and parsing my city's rules for every little detail. I see what my neighbors are putting in recycling and want to stand at their garage screaming "STYROFOAM IS NOT RECYCLABLE! STOP BAGGING YOUR RECYCLING. DIRTY DIAPERS ARE NOT RECYCLABLE!". My question: is "wishcycling" worse for the environment than just throwing everything in the garbage bin?

Danae DeJournett

I was always under the impression that you had to put clean recycled items in the recycling bin, but that just seems like it’s not very efficient to clean everything beforehand. What’s the deal with that? Also, is there anything about waste management that consumers can do to make things easier on the backend? I don’t really know all of the struggles one might have, besides the obvious odor, but do tell!

Danae DeJournett

Also also, how often do you get to help solve crimes? Is it common for law enforcement to come to you asking for assistance in locating bodies or items that were dumped after a crime? Is there like a freshman orientation for sketchy shit like that? Sorry if the question is morbid. I’ve been watching a bit of Forensic Files lately.

Earl of Greymalkin

1) Garbage and pest control! How do garbage collection and processing facilities (and landfills) deal with pests? What pests like the garbage the most? Can we be friends with them? Could they actually help recycle garbage? Are trash pandas actually pandas? 2) What kind of microbes like to be in garbage piles or in waste processing streams? What cool microbes have people found while bioprospecting in trash? What kinds of products are they making from living in trash? 3) What the heck happens to the hazardous waste? Are hazards neutralized? Do they just get buried deeper? Does this stuff explode ever? What happens if people submit things that aren't labeled well or accurately??! Do the people working on this get hazard pay? 4) What exactly happens with sanitation and water treatment? How do you clean out all the nasty stuff people put into the sewer system and where does that stuff go? 5) What goes into the waste stream that absolutely shouldn't but people do it all the time anyway? 6) How does E-waste get processed? Are people harvesting the rare materials back out of these? 7) What is the weirdest story you have about things found in the waste stream? 8) Can mushrooms grow in landfills? Would you eat them? 9) What can garbage be used for? I've heard of people making artificial land masses out of trash. How does this work? How do you make a homogenous building material out of the mess of what goes in the trash?

Kylie M Smith

Why does garbage smell so bad? I know it's a silly question, but still!

Pavka34

Can you efficiently turn garbage into energy? I saw a program years ago that suggested you could (not simply incinerating). Was this BS?

Gabe Knuth

I live in Nebraska, and every time I drive to the dump I can’t help but notice it’s surrounded by…you guessed it…corn. It’s likely feed corn instead of sweet corn (the difference? Beats me! Is Cornology a thing?) but still, it probably makes it into the food chain. I assume (hope!) dumps take measures to keep that safe, but can you explain what’s being done to prevent contamination of adjacent areas?

Sarah Chaney

The new proliferation of biodegradable plastic bothers me because I imagine that when they end up in a landfill they aren't doing much honest biodegrading there. What do biodegradable plastics breakdown into? What would be the most responsible way to dispose of them? Are they safe to put in worm compost, other compost? [as an aside, I helped a middle school club do an experiment along these lines - we buried wrappers that were labeled as biodegradable and the conventional wrappers from the same company in soil and also in a plastic bag in soil. We only intended to leave them for 180 days which is what the company told us was the estimated time to break down but then this thing called COVID happened so they ended up staying buried for 597 days, after which both of the conventional plastic wrappers (one in soil, one in a plastic trash bag) appeared as good as new; the biodegradable plastic that was in soil was in so many flecks and pieces we couldn't even recover most of it; and the biodegradable plastic that was in a plastic trash bag was somewhat broken down and very moist. Not the most scientific or rigorous study but it was really fun to try to answer these questions ourselves. But now I ask the expert - Whats the deal with biodegradable plastic???]

Krista Jones

How much worse is throwing stuff in the garbage than recycling? Is your standard neighborhood recycling legit or does it end up in the same place?

Penny Loader

Ooooooh baby! Is the future of materials recycling larger regional facilities or those at the neighbourhood level? Does the mushroom that eats plastic have a role to play in this? How do we get people to CARE about sorting their waste? Is there anywhere in world that is exploring alternatives to conventional sewerage disposal and treatment? When can I expect to be able to buy a household biodigester at Bunnings and will I be able to hook it up to my gas stove because that is the ONLY gas service I am interested in keeping? And are there any plans to regulate or label products with the bad forever chemicals because I learnt recently that sponges are BAD but it took me a couple of month to find an alternative (FYI the Who Gives A Crap dream cloths are amazing)? Sorry I know that's a lot! I just really care about responsible waste management!

Meredith Levine

Can I throw away batteries? If so, what kinds? If not, how do I dispose of them? What about misc. cables that don't work, or I don't remember what they go to? What defines e-waste vs regular waste?

Meredith Levine

I heard that recycling just gets co-mingled with trash in the USA. What actually gets recycled vs. thrown out regardless of the bin we put it in?

Rachel M

Does all our trash just go into landfills? Have there been any advances for using fungi or microbes to break down our trash in a more environmentally friendly way?

James Wallis

How much methane does the average landfill produce? Has one ever exploded?

Pascal Perron

Adding my voice to the people that want to know about the plastic eating mushrooms! Also: Should we have lots of mini landfills or just a big one for an area?

Natasha Page

When do you expect we will start mining our landfills for all the resources stowed away in them?

Natasha Page

Also, what exactly happened to Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout when she finally did put the garbage out? 😄

Teresa Gleason

CA has apparently mandated that all food was be allowed in green water containers to be composted rather than sent into landfills. I know people from many different areas of CA , even close by, where this is not happening. Is it not really a mandate? Will this be implemented across the entire state? Is it something that the whole country could do to make a difference?

Kristen Rosenblum

Do big companies like Terracycle actually recycle the things you send in? If they do, then how are they recycling the niche items, like razors, contact lenses capsules and coffee pods?

KJ

My housemate works in hazardous waste management and I asked if they have any questions. Credit for these questions goes to Fern: I work in hazardous waste management and am curious as to what you find in municipal waste. How often do you see hazardous waste materials in munipical waste? What kind of items do you see? Ex: chemicals, needles, lighter fluids, batteries, biohazards like dead animals and blood, etc. How can states work closer with waste agencies to prevent dumpster/landfill fires and soil leaching? What PPE do trash workers have? What is the workplace like? What are the health risks to working in this field? Where are the majority of landfills located? Edges of towns, low income areas, etc.? How much waste do we divert to energy? How much do we ship overseas to other countries? How much is landfilled?

Rachel Selby

What is the history of the disposal of garbage? I’m guessing that landfills haven’t always been around (but I literally have no idea).

Sharon Rietveld

What is the difference between trash and garbage? How am I supposed to throw away old knives??

April Desjardins

First time asker!😊😊😊! How can we control the amount of garbage we have. There has to be a better way

Charlotte Fjelkegård

This! Clean before, or not? Fresh water is a precious limited resource, but I also want to do my best when it comes to recycling.

Specs Owl

Why are they only happy when it rains?

Specs Owl

Is it true that much of what gets put in the recycling bins doesn't actually get recycled?

Sarah Endres

What happens when we run out of space for all the garbage we make…?

Lena Gwen

How big is 'the waste/garbage problem'?

Victoria Oetting

Can we shoot trash into space? Cause it don’t look like companies are slowing down on creating excess waste anytime soon

Victoria Oetting

Apparently PFAS from Teflon and other waterproof stuff has leached so much into groundwater that it has gone through water cycle so now rain contains PFAS. Are we doing anything to try and contain the PFAS from landfills and can we do anything about the existing PFAS in environment? I heard planting sunflowers may decrease soil concentration of PFAS because sunflowers are bioaccumulaters. But what do you do when you pick the sunflower? You can’t throw that away right? Cause that’d defeat the purpose of that whole process.

Meredith Snowlander

Are those bags for your laundry to stop microplastics from getting in the water any good or are they flimflam?

Meredith Snowlander

Are garburator sink garbage disposal thingies okay or actually terrible for water systems?

Meredith Snowlander

Has anyone ever quantified how much people going through municipal trash to pick out refundable bottles or dumpster-diving generally helps reduce waste?

Meredith Snowlander

Is it true that organic waste doesn’t really decompose in landfills?

Sam Bringman

I’ve heard we should cram our smaller trash into bottles to attempt to keep it more contained. Would this make an actual difference if everyone was doing it or is it wishful thinking that it would keep some trash out of the waterways ?

Nanci Davis

Glass. Why isn't glass widely recycled?? It pains me to throw it into the trash. Also, I wish more people recycled, repurposed or regifted their unwanted but perfectly good items. Grr

Lucian Stern

What are the most promising ways to ecologically dispose of plastic? Even after it breaks down, there must be a bunch of hostile chemicals in the ground. Do we have any solutions?

Jess Swann

When I wash my hands I always worry about the energy consumption of the air dryer vs. adding paper to landfills. Any idea which option is ultimately best for the planet?

Jess Swann

My local recycling organization says that anything under two inches gets dropped out and trashed - what kind of technology do we need to change that?

Dicken Crane

How much of garbage is packaging? How much is actually recycled? How much could be recycled if we had laws, regulations or other incentives to design packaging to be efficiently recycled?

Jess Swann

Where are we on developing chemicals to safely break down plastics and other things that can't be recycled or composted?

Leah Anderson

I grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where they burn the county's garbage to power the area's electric grid. They have a process where they remove all recyclables first. Why isn't this done everywhere in the U.S.?

Jess Swann

Are there dangers to living on land that was formerly landfill?

Scot Nickels

I’ve read about new fungus strains being studied that can break down difficult things like plastics. Is this true? And how can we expand and support this use? Also, where is “away”… as in, “just throw it away”?

Adam Foote

I'm curious about garbage-based disasters for October! In Western New York we have the Love Canal: A chemical waste site in downtown Buffalo that went about as well as you think. I don't think many people know about this disaster, which makes me think about what other garbage and disposal disasters have happened that we simply don't know about?

Maren Prophit

Is there some sort of book or guide on how to dispose of odd or dangerous objects? (Batteries, medical waste, electronics)

Maren Prophit

What is your preferred system for recycling and how can we make less garbage as a whole?

Aeriel Belk

Why do you think Oscar prefers the garbage so much? Is it because he's grouchy or is he grouchy because of the existential dread associated with constant exposure to so much waste?

Aurora Rogers

I know in Sweden they use their garbage and turn it into energy. What are the pros and cons to this and is it something the rest of the world should consider?

Handrea

what percentage of the planet is covered in garbage?

Handrea

what would it take for the US to get on Germany's level with recycling?

Kent Wang

When does garbage incineration make sense? I know some places are doing it and using the heat for electricity generation.

Kent Wang

What do you think about eliminating single-household garbage bins and only having big bins on every block, like in Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. It seems better for households (no need to roll out your bin every week), and cheaper for the city to collect

cuxjmber

Besides the obvious reduce/reuse/recycle, what can I do to decrease how much landfill waste my household contributes?

cuxjmber

I've heard that lots of the stuff we think we're recycling ends up in the landfill anyway. Is that true, and if so, why?

Han Rabinovitz

When are we (humans) going to drown under our garbage? What the due date for us to really go over the top with the garbage we produce? As far as I know, recycling, using and upcycling are only scratching the surface in terms of the volumes they can take out of burning and landfilling... and sorry for the doom day question

Tatum

Is recycling plastic actually eco-friendly?

Emma

I have a friend who works in sustainability who says, "We don't have a waste problem, we have an emissions problem." What's your take on this statement?

Tatum

Which is better for the environment, plastic or paper bags?

Tatum

What are some things we can do to reduce waste in our own homes?

CuttleCuddle

Are “compostable” plastic products a scam? Some of my favorite local businesses serve their to go items in compostable plastic packaging. I know they’re trying to do the “right” thing and are probably paying a premium to do so. Unfortunately, our community doesn’t have the industrial composting facilities required to actually compost any of these materials so they’re supposed to go into the garbage. If people accidentally put them in recycling they risk contaminating plastics that are actually recyclable so they would wind up in the garbage too. Seems like a bad outcome from good intentions. :( Also annoyed by paper cups that people think are recyclable but are actually lined in plastic so also have to go in trash. :(

Sir Monkeyboy

Very new patron, please pick me! I try so hard to be green! I’m in Australia we have recycle bins (and general rubbish and greenwaste bins.) The recycling bin takes cardboard, glass, formed plastic and other assorted items. How do they separate them all? Where does that waste go? Who re-uses it?

Pauline Depierre

How many bodies are found on average per year in the US? Any other weird stuff found in the dumpster?

Grandma Theresa

What about recycling. I hear it still mostly ends up in the land fill. Is there any way we can be sure what we recycle actually gets recycled.

Isabelle Leclerc

What is the most surprising animal that has been spotted scavenging in a landfill? And how bad is our waste to those amimals that do scavenge our waste sites?

Alex Glow

It feels like we should have a better way to deal with our waste than digging a hole and filling it garbage and covering it up. Why are we still doing the same solution a 5 year old would think of?

Alicea Halsted

It feels like we create so much garbage everyday, will our world end up looking like the Earth in WALL-E with just piles and piles of garbage? And are landfills as bad as they seem to be? (first time question asker : ) )

Jamie Spring

Why don’t we all use compostable garbage bags!!???

Katie Munoz

What are some of the weird things found in the garbage? And has it ever happened that someone threw away something really valuable and tried to find it again in the dump?

Olivia Anderson

When does something start to be considered garbage? Like ones mama trash is another man’s treasure

Lucy Ramos

Aside from things like batteries and electronics are there any things we shouldn’t throw out that seem innocent?

Leah K

How much of what Americans try to recycle just ends up in a landfill? Is it better to throw plastic in the trash? I know only a small percent of plastic that gets sent to a recycling center actually gets recycled so what is the best way to dispose of it?

Trevor Durning

What's the biggest hindrance to establishing a public compost program?

Lee O'Reilly

yes! what is the deal with recycling in the US & Canada right now? does plastic ever actually get recycled? if not - is it better just to put it in the garbage so it doesn’t impede actual recycling? or keep hoping and sticking it in the blue bin?

FLRabbit

This! I'd really like to know more about the end products of what we send to recycle. I know a lot gets thrown away, especially things that people put in recycle that aren't really recyclable under the current systems we have (In FL they call it "wishcycling.") But are the end products of the recycling process actually getting used? I think sometimes people don't have confidence in what happens, so they don't bother.

Sar Ellis Lewis

I visited Sweden this summer and my host was bragging about how Sweden has no landfills because they recycle so much and incinerate the rest to make "clean energy" - if this is an option, why isn't everyone doing it?

Sar Ellis Lewis

Like so many others here, I want to know how much of what we "recycle" ends up in the trash, or perhaps would be better off as trash, because of the environmental impact of shipping things around the globe to be recycled. I really want to believe that recycling and sorting trash matters, but I'm wondering about the most effective things I can do to reduce global warming/climate change/risk for zombie apocalypse.

James L

What's the coolest/most valuable/most unique thing you've found that someone has thrown out in fhe garbage?

Natalie

What happens when lithium batteries end up in a landfill. How do we actually dispose of them safely?

Justin Saucedo

How many body parts come through the system? Fingers, toes, and larger items.

Alice Rubin

Can landfills that are more than 50 years old be register as historical places of significance? I mean we love pre-hisoric garbage piles. Even some strategically placed historic piles of trash become exciting.

The Awkward Cactus

Is it possible for us to mass compost foodstuffs? Essentially filtering out all the plastics and other materials that cannot be composted, recycling them, and then allowing the natural compost process to happen? I can’t imagine that just burying garbage is healthy for the earth - there must be a better way of doing it

Jeanette-o-saur

Let's please talk about the effectiveness of recycling and compost programs. What are the best ways to stop piling up trash that will take eons to decompose. How can we make landfills better? (More efficient, greener, etc) What is the number 1 way to reduce the amount of garbage going to landfills in the first place? Or maybe your top 3 because 1 is limiting. Can old landfills/dumps ever be properly reclaimed?

Bridget White

I have lots of guilt surrounding garbage and consumer packaging. Is packaging most of our garbage problem and is there a solution.

Bridget White

Please talk about underground trash fires. Garbage is too hot for it's own good.

Marie

I teach children and they struggle to see overconsumption and problem with waste, do you have a fun fact or a good line to make people think of their use and garbage disposal

Susie Shipman

To piggyback and build on questions/comments of Justin Saucedo and Alice Rubin... I was previously a county resource recovery (recycling) manager and we worked with the state on cleanup of illegal dumpsites as a part of that... and one dump site was from a former state hospital operating in the early-mid 1900's. Sooo... the takewaways: there was no plastic (mostly glass and metal) and that was just amazing to experience; there were amazing historical medical items (suture material (animal gut...) in intact glass vials! These looked as good as new!); and there were bones... human bones (typically one end natural, and one end cut off - so many amputations... golly).

Emma Doyle

I toured a landfill once and they had pools full of leachate, the water that had passed through the garbage. The worker said that she has seen turtles living in the pools, is that safe for them or are they going to become actual mutant ninja turtles?

Elis

Is recycling essentially a greenwashing lie?? I’ve been told that it just gets shipped to other countries and dumped and it broke my heart please say it ain’t so (also love you poddad you’re the best)

Elis

Do you think it’d be genuinely possible all things considered to go back to being a plastic-free planet, or do you think we’re past the point of no return? Both in terms of dealing with the unfathomably huge amount of plastic waste we’ve already accumulated and ceasing to produce any more. I feel like since we were plasticless less than 100 years ago it should be conceivable but also, capitalism :( love you dad Ward!

Kelly A McConnell

Why do I have to have a home inspection to get garbage pick up service at my off-grid tiny home in the woods (on our own family owned land)? Driving (& paying sometimes, the staff generally give me a pass for my 2 household bags) to the city dump, in lines trucks with very different use cases, is annoying & a time waster. (Tiny home -26ft x 8 on wheels is a zoning violation, so can’t get a pass to get trash; recycling at city parks is free so That’s done)

Kelly A McConnell

This applies to my issue! I’m in a tiny home on wheels (8x26ft trailer) so zoning violation so no home inspection so no trash service (or electrical or … I’m mostly solar, grey water to a planter, composting, etc.)

Gabrielle

Is there an actual sustainable way to handle our garbage and reduce waste or is this a “wicked problem”. I’d like to think there is some magical way to reuse every last bit of garbage but how is this feasible for society?

Savannah Glenn

what items are actually reusable/recyclable that most people just throw away? i hate the feeling i get every time i have to throw something away in a garbage can and not a recycling bin 😩

Celiaxolotl

How can I request and support more sustainable sanitation and recycling methods in my city?

Celeste

Do you agree that the trash trinity is raccoons, opossums, skunks? Should there be an alternative set of patron saints of garbage?

Kirsten Silvey

In Denmark, gas collection systems have been established at about 29 landfills primarily to produce electricity and reduce methane emissions. Could your guest comment on efficacy of this as a sustainable energy source?

Michael

First time question asker, How much trash is in the ocean?

Isaac Raabe

An friend had a gig blowing glass in a glass hotshop using the methane games emitted by a covered dumpster, in NC. I am a lifelong dumpster diver and feel a strange connection to detritus. Wouldn't it be cool if we had a food recycling bin ? Might just be creating two piles from one big smelly pile, but figured you might like the idea.

Joe Wilkie

what are some effective methods of reducing trash consumption on both personal and systemic scales?

Katie Murray

Does an investigator or police have to have a warrant to look through someone’s trash just like they’d need a warrant to search someone’s apartment?

christine

If plastic was never invented, would there be an issue with our waste?

Ebony Maldonado

Why are there only certain plastics that can be recycled? Since the US is the capital of food waste, do you think it is a good idea to get people into the habit of having a compost bin? If so, what do we do with it? Would it help reduce waste in landfills and help the decomposition process with non- food items?

Art of life Acrylic painting and art

We study old societies by finding their trash piles, what will future peoples find/ know about us in hundreds or thousands of years ( polyesters clothes?)

Maisie Lopez

what are your thoughts on the zero waste movement? is it having negative affects on progressing garbage and sanitation innovation?

Dylan V

How much land is available for landfills? Will we ever run out? We obviously need a lot of it for energy, food, housing, natural spaces...

Scarlet P

I know often it is the poorest communities who have to live near garbage and toxic waste dumps. Any good case examples out there where a jurisdiction has been successful in making the siting of garbage dumps more equitable in their own communities?

Kirsten Silvey

I would mention “mudlarks.” Mudlarking is an English pastime. Waterways of olde were often the garbage dumps, and you can find centuries old pottery shards, Roman clay pipes, occasional coin. My mum’s favorite find was a glass stopper to an old perfume vial in the shape of the plume often associated with the Prince of Wales.

Kirsten Silvey

Anthropologists / archeologists love old garbage piles. They often contain the old tools of the time.

Elizabeth Reed

I’ve been told that garbage is sold to other companies who make money off of it. Is this true? And if so, how much of our collective garbage in the US is sold?

Abir Rashid

hellloooo alie! first time question asker :D what the hell happens to our garbage? does it get packed into tiny cubes? burned? are there mountains of trash just lying around?? what’s the ideal way to dispose of our garbage? which counties/states/countries have the most eco friendly and efficient garbage and sanitation processes? singapore?!?

Shannon O'Grady

how the hell do I make my garbage less smelly? I've already started composting to get rid of the smell and there are just still smelly things!

Beatrice Lesser

In NYC, we have paper, glass, metal and plastic recycling. The instructions for how to recycle guaranty that no one will understand what can and cannot be recycled. So the sorting cannot be managed. People are willing to recycle but the instructions are not clear, especially about plastic, removal of paper labels from containers, and how much cleaning of the containers is necessary. There are no instructions re once you screw off the top on a water bottle, must you also remove the little plastic ring that remains behind. Must I keep rinsing until there’s no detergent left in the detergent container?

Emma Parks

Do we have long term plans for waste management? Like how long is there going to be space for? What are we going to do? And is there hope for eliminating some of the waste already in dumps in a healthy/sustainable way that doesn’t harm the earth & ozone?

Darius

Thanks for this public service episode Alie! For years, I acknowledged the sanitation workers for their excellent & essential work. A few years ago, I was approached by the editor of a local newspaper to share my insight on sustainable & off-grid living, and on at least one of my columns I encouraged everyone to recognize the amazing work that these folks do, In the heat of the summer, the cold of the winter and everything in between.