1 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 2 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: and iHeartRadio. Guess what, Mary, what's that mango? Do you know? 3 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: There are around two hundred cities on Earth that have 4 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: trash flying underneath them at speeds of up to forty 5 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:39,159 Speaker 1: three miles per hour. What I know? It sounds totally bizarre, 6 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 1: but it is a very real innovation. It's called a 7 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: pneumatic waste collection system and they've been installed in cities 8 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: all over the world Stockholm, Soul, Singapore, Dubai, even Disney 9 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: World uses one. 10 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 2: Ah. Yes, of course disney World one of my favorite cities. Wait, 11 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 2: so how does this work? Exactly? 12 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: So, the systems have these above ground waste inlets, which 13 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: kind of look like pipes or mailboxes, but with round 14 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,040 Speaker 1: doors that people open to insert trash, and there are 15 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: separate ones for recyclables as well. But when an inlet 16 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: gets full, a trap door releases its contents into underground 17 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: pipes and the trash gets sucked through the pneumatic tubes 18 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 1: to a waste station thanks to the force of these 19 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: spinning industrial fans. Isn't that incredible? 20 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 2: It's also a very whimsical way to deal with garbage. 21 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: It also feels like the future, and this tech is 22 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: actually good for the environment. The company that first built 23 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: these tubes, ENVAC, claims that the system can lower the 24 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: distance driven by garbage trucks by ninety percent, and this 25 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: of course reduces air pollution, diesel emissions, and hardest of all, 26 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: especially if you live in a place like New York City, 27 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: local traffic, which gets slowed down tremendously by these trucks. 28 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: According to locals in Bergen, Norway, which began building a 29 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: pneumatic waste collection system in two thousand and seven, it 30 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 1: has also lowered rat sightings. 31 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 2: Well that is a bummer for rat fans though. 32 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: Right, yeah, Well rat fans can always come to New 33 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: York City to get their fixed I think last. But 34 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: these systems are not cheap. Bergen has spent one billion 35 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: kroner on the system so far, which is one hundred 36 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: million US dollars, and they estimate it'll take another thirty 37 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: million dollars to complete it. But the city officials say 38 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: they've already saved twenty two million dollars on waste collection 39 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 1: since the system launched, so in time, actually this investment 40 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: will pay off. 41 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 2: Well, you know, that's really good news because one of 42 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 2: the things I learned in my research this week is 43 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 2: that humans generate two billion tons of municipal solid waste 44 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 2: every year. Now, if we packed that amount of garbage 45 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 2: into standard shipping containers and lined them up, it would 46 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:55,640 Speaker 2: wrap around the equator twenty five times. And yeah, no, 47 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: it gets worse. Municipal solid waste is expected to rise 48 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 2: to three point eight billion tons annually by twenty fifty. 49 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 2: So today on the show, we're talking trash, what we 50 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 2: can learn from it, why we have so much of it, 51 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 2: and most important, what we can do with it. 52 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: So let's dive in. Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to 53 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius. I'm Mongish Articular, and today I'm here 54 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: with super producer Mary Philip Sandy, and over there in 55 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: the booth is our pal and producer Dylan Fagan, who's 56 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: wearing quite the outfit. He's got a long yellow coat, 57 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: red button down, clear tie, yellow pants, and the most 58 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: amazing thing is the silver sunglasses he's wearing. There's no 59 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: way he can see through those, but obviously I think 60 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: he's channeling, right Doc Brown? 61 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 2: Is that right? Very Yeah, that's what it looks like. 62 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: Back to the future as he powers his Delaureate up 63 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: with trash to go exactly, he's going back to the future. 64 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: You know, I wonder if Doc Brown got into podcasts 65 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 2: when he landed in twenty fifteen. I would love to 66 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 2: hear his take on cereal. Actually, I think Doc Brown 67 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 2: would be a reply all fan. 68 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: Right, yeah, I think so too. 69 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,840 Speaker 2: Okay, Well, anyway, here we are in twenty twenty five, 70 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 2: and we are still waiting for some of the inventions 71 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 2: back to the future promised. You know, every year I 72 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 2: think this is it, this is the year we finally 73 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 2: get hoverboards, and every year I'm disappointed. But you know what, 74 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 2: using trash to power cars would be even better than 75 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 2: a hoverboard. 76 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, especially since we generate what would you say, two 77 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: billion tons a year. 78 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, two billion tons of municipal waste a year. But 79 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 2: that term municipal waste, it only refers to waste generated 80 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 2: by individuals, schools, and businesses. You know, things like food 81 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 2: contain used paper, worn out clothes basically the stuff that 82 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 2: you put out and it gets collected by the garbage truck. 83 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 2: And by the way, I mentioned worn out clothes because 84 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 2: textiles are a huge source of waste. Globally, we throw 85 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 2: away an entire garbage truck's worth of clothing every single second. 86 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 3: That is insane, it is. 87 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 2: But here's the thing, Mango, all this municipal waste, it's 88 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 2: actually only three to five percent of the total waste 89 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:28,720 Speaker 2: people create every year. 90 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 1: So so where's the rest of the waste coming from? 91 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 2: So the rest includes waste for mining, farming, construction, not 92 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 2: to mention human waste and pollution. Right, all of that, 93 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 2: and when we factor all of that, in the United 94 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 2: States alone creates around twelve billion tons of waste every 95 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 2: single year. But listen, I could give trash statistics for hours. 96 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,359 Speaker 2: I'm going to cut myself off. Yeah right, let's go 97 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 2: back to the beginning. I know you looked into this, 98 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 2: so tell me when did people start creating trash? 99 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, so there has always been some level of waste 100 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: created by humanity. But I really like the way that 101 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: Wilson Hughes, who is former co director of the Garbage 102 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: Project at the University of Arizona in Tucson, puts it. 103 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: He said, quote, our forefathers created waste with stone chips, 104 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: but it didn't become a problem until they settled down 105 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: and began living in one place. That's when societies had 106 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 1: to start thinking about what to do with it, which 107 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: is fascinating, right, Like you don't think about the evolution 108 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: of garbage. But one place our ancestors settled in was 109 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: this place called Chattel hu Yuk, which is located in 110 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: modern day Turkey. It was a Neolithic settlement and it 111 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: dates back to around seventy four hundred to sixty two 112 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,920 Speaker 1: hundred BCE. This is one of the earliest cities we 113 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: know about, and people tossed waste between their houses until 114 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: those houses merged together, and then they built structures on 115 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: top of that waste, and this practice continued for generations. 116 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 2: That's really I guess that's feasible if your waste isn't 117 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 2: mostly made up of like fast food wrappers and industrial 118 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 2: chemicals like ours. Yeah, yeah, okay, So when did people 119 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 2: actually start doing something to dispose of the trash other 120 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 2: than just throwing it out the door? 121 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 3: You know, I had the same question. 122 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: It turns out people started burying their waste as early 123 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: as three thousand BCE, so we know the Minoan people 124 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: who lived in the city of Naussus on Crete did this, 125 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: and in five hundred BCE, Athens actually created this law 126 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: that waste had to be disposed of at least a 127 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: mile outside of town, which is, you know, kind of 128 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: incredible when you think about it. Still, this didn't immediately 129 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: become the norm. Plenty of historic cities were known for 130 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: their trash and wastefilled streets. You think about places like 131 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: ancient Rome, POMPEII, Victorian London right. In fact, many cities 132 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: today are built on mounds of trash. In sixteen eighty six, 133 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: you could buy what was called a water lot in 134 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: New York City, which actually cost one twenty fifth price 135 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: of landlot. And these water lots got turned into land 136 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: thanks to you guessed it, crash. So builders piled up 137 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: silt and waste from ships and straight up garbage until 138 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: there was land where the river. 139 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 3: Used to be. 140 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: And this actually wasn't a practice just in New York. 141 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: Many US cities use this method to create space, including Seattle, 142 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 1: New Orleans, Chicago, even Oakland. Of course, there was one 143 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: other historic way that New York used to deal with 144 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: trash that I really think is worth mentioning. In eighteen 145 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: forty two, the New York Daily Tribune estimated that there 146 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 1: were ten thousand loose pigs running around the city just 147 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: gobbling up trash. 148 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 2: That is about ten thousand too many loose pigs, if 149 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 2: you ask me. 150 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: I know. But they were so good at eating up 151 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,839 Speaker 1: the garbage is that anytime politicians suggested getting rid of them, 152 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: the public was completely outraged. 153 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 2: Okay, well you got to listen to your constituents, right, 154 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:53,800 Speaker 2: let them have pigs. 155 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: Well, the thing is it was a pretty effective strategy too, 156 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: So by nineteen oh two, about twenty five percent of 157 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: US cities we're getting rid of garbage by feeding it 158 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: to livestock. Not everyone loved the trash pigs though. Actually, 159 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: Charles Dickens visited the US and in his travelog American Notes, 160 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: he devotes multiple paragraphs to the scavenging New York pig. 161 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,680 Speaker 1: He writes, quote, ugly brutes they are having, for the 162 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: most part, scanty brown backs, like the lids of old 163 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: horsehair trunks spotted with unwholesome black blotches, which just feels 164 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: like an esthetic problem more than anything. 165 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 2: His body shaming the pigs. 166 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: It also feels weird that, like with that many pigs, 167 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: like that none of the New York teams are named 168 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:41,959 Speaker 1: after pigs, right, I know, Oh my. 169 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,480 Speaker 2: God, someone needs to do that. Bring back the trash 170 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 2: pigs as a mascot completely. 171 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: But you know, it is worth noting that there was 172 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,439 Speaker 1: way less household trash in the US back then compared 173 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 1: to today, So like, maybe pigs wouldn't be the most 174 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:57,359 Speaker 1: effective solution today. 175 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 2: Right, right, Even one hundred thousand pigs couldn't keep up 176 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 2: with the amount of waste wegenerate now. I mean even 177 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 2: just in my neighborhood. And I assume the reason we 178 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,079 Speaker 2: have more trash now is because our consumption habits have changed. 179 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 1: Right, absolutely, so, until very recently, most Americans couldn't afford 180 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 1: to just toss things out, so things like clothes were 181 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: mended over and over again until they finally became rags 182 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: which you could use or sell. People knew how to 183 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: fix furniture and glassware and tableware, and if they didn't 184 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: know how to fix something, you'd take it to an 185 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: expert for repair. Pretty Much everything got used up. Food 186 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: scraps when to soup or were fed to farm animals. 187 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: Lots of waste could be returned to manufacturers. Even coal 188 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: ashes were mixed with manure and used as fertilizer. 189 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's something really appealing about that kind of lifestyle. 190 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 2: It's like I saw this person on TikTok who had 191 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 2: all of her garbage for a year and fit in 192 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 2: one Mason jar. 193 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah completely, But. 194 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 2: It's really not realistic for a lot of us anymore. Right, Okay, 195 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 2: So as people began buying more stuff and all that 196 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 2: stuff became more disposable, I imagine waste management had to 197 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 2: keep up with it. 198 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this change really took off in the early 199 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: part of the twentieth century. For example, in Pittsburgh, the 200 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: amount of trash in the city rose by forty three 201 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: percent between nineteen oh three and nineteen oh seven. So 202 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: by the early nineteen hundreds, most American cities had implemented 203 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: some forum of municipal trash removal service, which meant pigs 204 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: weren't required anymore. 205 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 2: I love that you found one statistic here, and then 206 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 2: it was just about Pittsburgh. So shout out to Pittsburgh. 207 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:37,720 Speaker 2: I've never been there, but I have always wanted to 208 00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 2: go there. Okay, mag Well, I mean. 209 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,839 Speaker 1: It's land of mister Rogers. It's not far from Falling Water. 210 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:45,599 Speaker 1: I like pittsfrog Yeah, yeah. 211 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 2: The Warhol Museum, if if anyone lives in Pittsburgh, tell 212 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 2: us what we should go see there? Okay, okay, So 213 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 2: obviously the next question is what do you do with 214 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 2: all of this trash once you've picked it up? Well, 215 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 2: incinerators were an early solution, inspired by European ones that 216 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 2: had been around since the eighteen seventies, but that practice 217 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:05,560 Speaker 2: started to decline during the late thirties when we borrowed 218 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,679 Speaker 2: yet another idea from Europe, the landfill, and since then 219 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 2: that's been our primary method of garbage disposal in the 220 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 2: United States. And landfills are everywhere, but unless you live 221 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 2: next one, you probably don't notice them. They're typically located 222 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 2: far outside cities, and they look like these big, treeless 223 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 2: mounds that just blend into the landscape. But do not 224 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 2: be fooled. These boring hills have a serious downside. They 225 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 2: emit landfill gas, which is fifty percent methane and fifty 226 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,560 Speaker 2: percent carbon dioxide, so the bigger they get, the more 227 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 2: they contribute to climate change. One thing we can do, however, 228 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 2: is we can turn landfills into parks with vegetation and 229 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:50,679 Speaker 2: animal habitats, and that's the plan for Freshkills Park in 230 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 2: Staten Island, here in New York. It was once the 231 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 2: world's biggest landfill, and eventually it'll be a two two 232 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 2: hundred acre public park that is three times larger than 233 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:02,439 Speaker 2: Central Park. 234 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 3: That is really incredible. 235 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: Actually, have you been to the Hirley Chisholm Park in 236 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: it's in South Brooklyn. 237 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. 238 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's on a former landfill and it is so gorgeous. 239 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:16,319 Speaker 2: I have not. It's very far from where I live, 240 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:18,319 Speaker 2: but I've heard about. It's the largest state park in 241 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 2: New York. 242 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. We drove out there and it was stunning, Like 243 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: there was stunning bird watching. You can't believe how beautiful 244 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: is and you kind of forget you're in New York. 245 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:30,079 Speaker 3: It's amazing. 246 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, it's a really great use of a former landfill. 247 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 2: And the only problem is this process of converting landfills 248 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 2: to parks. It takes a long time and a lot 249 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 2: of environmental engineering. Landfills can take decades to settle, meaning 250 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 2: their foundations shift over time, and to avoid public health risks, 251 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:50,320 Speaker 2: you need to figure out how to vent the landfill gas. 252 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 2: So you can't just slap some turf on top of 253 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 2: a garbage pile and call it a day. 254 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I'm sure it takes a ton of 255 00:13:57,040 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 1: work to make. But if we want the landfills to 256 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: be small, I'm wondering, like, could we go back to 257 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: burning the waste first and then burying it? 258 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:07,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, that is actually an option. This method has been 259 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 2: adopted in a bunch of places in Europe, where the 260 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 2: process is also used to generate electricity. Right, so that's 261 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,720 Speaker 2: a bonus. So some advocates are calling for the United 262 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:19,840 Speaker 2: States to do more of this too. The problem, of course, 263 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 2: is that burning trash creates air pollutions. It'sually not perfect fix. 264 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 2: So at the end of the day, we have the 265 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 2: same options we've always had for dealing with garbage. We 266 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 2: can toss it on the ground, we can put it 267 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 2: in a hole, we can light it on fire, or 268 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 2: we can find a way to reuse it. And luckily, 269 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 2: some scientists have come up with a way to turn 270 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 2: garbage into something very valuable knowledge. 271 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: No, no, no, it's true, I know, I know. It's amazing. 272 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 2: It's the most valuable product of all. And after we 273 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 2: take a quick break, we'll find out how garbage can 274 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 2: counteract government propaganda, and we'll also talk about some truly 275 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 2: amazing things that have been found in the trash, Go anywhere. 276 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Part Time Genius. In just a moment, 277 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you about one of the coolest 278 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: scientific fields I've ever heard about. 279 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 3: It's called garbology. 280 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: But first I want to remind you to subscribe to 281 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: the show on your favorite podcast app. Please leave us 282 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: a nice rating and review, and if you enjoyed this episode, 283 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: share it with a friend. Okay, So back to garbology. 284 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: The term was coined in the early nineteen seventies by 285 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 1: aj Weberman, and it became a legitimate scientific pursuit in 286 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy three. This is when the archaeologist William Rathge 287 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: launched the Tucson Garbage Project. This involved analyzing over fifteen 288 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 1: thousand samples of trash, which revealed tons of information about 289 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: residents of Tucson, from what they how much alcohol they drank, 290 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: to how good they were recycling and Researchers on the 291 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: project even learned that people tend to report eating a 292 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: lot less junk food than they actually eat. 293 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 2: You know, I actually did a garbology project of my 294 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 2: own in fourth grade. Yeah, I've actually I have actually 295 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 2: studied garbology at a university. I was nine years old 296 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 2: at the time. But I was really into archaeology back then, 297 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 2: and the University of Maine had these weekend classes that 298 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 2: were open to the community. One of them was about garbology, 299 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 2: and I begged my parents to let me do it. 300 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 2: They gave in, and it was just so fascinating. This 301 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 2: is what I did when I was nine on the weekends, right, 302 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 2: everyone else was playing sports whatever. But I had never 303 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 2: thought before about the fact that a lot of what 304 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 2: archaeologists dig up is just ancient garbage, right, like broken pottery, 305 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 2: things that people discarded. So it makes a lot of 306 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,240 Speaker 2: sense that modern garbage can tell us a lot about 307 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 2: modern people. So I got really into it, and then 308 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 2: I got in a lot of trouble for sneaking around 309 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 2: my school and digging through the classroom garbage cans. 310 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:10,879 Speaker 1: I love that they just didn't get your vision. Yeah, 311 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,440 Speaker 1: I mean, if you think about it, scientists study human 312 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 1: activity in all kinds of ways that could seem invasive. Right. Besides, 313 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:21,760 Speaker 1: garbology has a unique ability to reveal super accurate information 314 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: even when we're hiding the truth or covering it up. 315 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,600 Speaker 1: And I can give you example this. So a few 316 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:32,159 Speaker 1: decades ago, historians studying China's Cultural Revolution, realized that they 317 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: could learn a lot from papers and documents that have 318 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: been tossed out by households and also by government officials. 319 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,280 Speaker 1: So they started collecting these artifacts at flea markets, and 320 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: when word got out, locals sifted through trash to find documents, 321 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 1: which they then sold to researchers. And because of this, 322 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 1: historians discovered concrete evidence about things that happened during the 323 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:56,960 Speaker 1: Cultural Revolution, like government officials who deported people from cities 324 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: to rural areas with that whole. 325 00:17:58,800 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 3: Sent down youth stuff. 326 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,240 Speaker 1: Garbology has also been used to track changes in North Korea. 327 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: So if you think about trash that washes up in 328 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: South Korea, like there was a recent increase in more 329 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: colorful candy wrappers, that actually reveals how their culture and 330 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 1: economy has evolved over time. Even corporate America has gotten 331 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: into the garbology game. So before everything we bought was 332 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: easily tracked by barcodes and online shopping, some companies conducted 333 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: dust bin audits to see how well their brands were 334 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: doing well. 335 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 2: Speaking of fascinating finds in the trash, I was really 336 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 2: excited to look into this for this episode, and you 337 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 2: would not believe some of the crazy things people have 338 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:37,679 Speaker 2: discarded and then discovered. 339 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: So give me an example, Okay. 340 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:43,159 Speaker 2: In twenty nineteen, an episode of Antiques Road Show featured 341 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,719 Speaker 2: a man who worked at a dump in England, and 342 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 2: there he found a bunch of artifacts that once belonged 343 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 2: to former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, including a top hat, 344 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 2: a cigar case, and a signed photograph. 345 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:01,560 Speaker 1: That is an incredible three it of it is. 346 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:05,160 Speaker 2: And it gets even better because these items were verifiable 347 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 2: as belonging to Churchill because they were accompanied by two 348 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:13,439 Speaker 2: hundred letters that he wrote to his cook, which it 349 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 2: does seem like a lot of letters to write to 350 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 2: one's cook, doesn't it. Yeah, but the show estimated that 351 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 2: all these items that had just been thrown away were 352 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 2: worth ten thousand pounds. 353 00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:24,840 Speaker 1: I mean, in some ways, it feels like they should 354 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: be worth more than ten thousand pounds, right like Winston 355 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: Churchill's letters to his cook feels like a book that 356 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:32,719 Speaker 1: could deserve more of an advance in that. 357 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know. I think the guy he wrote 358 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 2: a lot of letters though, if you. 359 00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 1: Think about it, right, Yeah, that makes sense. So do 360 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,439 Speaker 1: we know how all of this ended up in the trash. 361 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 2: No, and we will never know because the guy who 362 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,399 Speaker 2: found the stuff refused to reveal the name of the 363 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 2: dump where he wanted to keep it secret. But you know, 364 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 2: ten thousand pounds worth of trash is chump change compared 365 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 2: to this next one. In two thousand and four, a 366 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:02,119 Speaker 2: nurse named Melanie Steve found a plastic cello case with 367 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:05,600 Speaker 2: a cello inside, leaning against a dumpster in the Silver 368 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 2: Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, and so she had this 369 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 2: kind of quirky idea. She decided she'd have her cabinet 370 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,960 Speaker 2: maker boyfriend fix some of the cracks and scratches in 371 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,880 Speaker 2: the cello and turn it into a case for her CDs. 372 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:20,439 Speaker 2: This was two thousand and four. She had CDs. What 373 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 2: she didn't realize was that the cello had been stolen 374 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 2: three days earlier from the front porch of the lead 375 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:31,920 Speaker 2: cellist for the La Philharmonic Organ and it was an 376 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 2: irreplaceable vintage instrument built in Italy in sixteen eighty four 377 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:40,840 Speaker 2: and insured for three point five million dollars. Luckily, Melanie 378 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:43,880 Speaker 2: saw a news report about the theft before her boyfriend 379 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 2: started turning the cello into a CD case, so she 380 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 2: was able to contact a lawyer who helped get it returned. 381 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 2: And that is your lesson. If you ever find a 382 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,159 Speaker 2: priceless cello in the trash, have a lawyer handle it. 383 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm glad we give our listeners tips about 384 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,880 Speaker 1: what to do if they find but you know, maybe 385 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: a rare Italian cello filled with Maroon five CDs would 386 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: have been worth even more. 387 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 2: On the other hand, come on, let's not assume the 388 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:17,719 Speaker 2: worst about Melanie's taste in music. It's not fair, Melanie. 389 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,120 Speaker 2: We know you're better than that. Okay. Here is one 390 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,959 Speaker 2: last story that also has a lesson for you. Always 391 00:21:23,119 --> 00:21:26,399 Speaker 2: double check what you're bringing out to the trash. In 392 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,960 Speaker 2: twenty fifteen, the jewelry store Jay Bernbock Incorporated here in 393 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:34,320 Speaker 2: New York City was undergoing renovations and some workers accidentally 394 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 2: threw away three wooden boxes of diamonds worth five million dollars. 395 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 2: The security guard spotted the mistake, grabbed the boxes, and 396 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 2: brought them into the bathroom. He then put all the 397 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:48,160 Speaker 2: diamonds into one box and walked right out the door. 398 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 2: But the store had surveillance footage from the night of 399 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,680 Speaker 2: the theft, so it was pretty easy to identify the culprit. 400 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,120 Speaker 2: The guard was caught and he was arrested. 401 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 3: Oh man, that is rough. 402 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like the security guard thought he 403 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,719 Speaker 1: had a short thing. It is always fun to hear 404 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: about historical artifacts and stolen diamonds turning up in the garbage. 405 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: And I always love when someone sees a print that 406 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: they think is really beautiful and it turns out to 407 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,640 Speaker 1: be like a famous art piece or whatever. But unfortunately, 408 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 1: most trash is made up of something far less exciting, 409 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:24,639 Speaker 1: and that is styrofoam. So according to one estimate, styrofoam 410 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,879 Speaker 1: accounts for approximately thirty three percent of landfill volume and 411 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: it takes five hundred to one thousand years to decompose. 412 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: But Stanford researchers have found one potential solution mealworms. They 413 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: can live on a diet of styrofoam and other plastic, 414 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:43,480 Speaker 1: which could help break it down faster. And not only that, 415 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 1: but the researchers have also determined that yellow mealworm guts 416 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:52,320 Speaker 1: can break down the toxic chemical additive HBCD without it 417 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:55,399 Speaker 1: building up in their system, which is really incredible because 418 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,879 Speaker 1: that means that these same mealworms that feed on plastic 419 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:02,440 Speaker 1: could still be used for their other common purpose, which 420 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: is as a food for other animals, including chicken, snakes, fish, 421 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: and shrimp. 422 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,160 Speaker 2: What a sad life though, eat a bunch of plastic 423 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 2: and then become someone else's snack. 424 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: Henry had a pet mealworm in kindergarten which he named 425 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: George Harrison, and I felt so sad to lose two 426 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:23,880 Speaker 1: George harrisons of my life. 427 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 2: Rip George Harrison and also George Harrison. 428 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: So here is another upsetting fact for you. Picture this, 429 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:38,360 Speaker 1: if every coastline on Earth had fifteen grocery bags filled 430 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: with plastic trash sitting on each yard of beach. That 431 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: is how much plastic waste goes into the oceans. 432 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:46,359 Speaker 3: Yearly, yearly. 433 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: Isn't that so sad to think about? That is so 434 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,880 Speaker 1: depressing And a lot of the newer waste related innovations 435 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: are focusing on that issue, so this bit will make 436 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: you happy. One of these innovations is called mister trash Wheel. 437 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,360 Speaker 2: Is that an actual person? 438 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,400 Speaker 1: No, Mister trash Wheel is a fourteen foot tall trash 439 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: interceptor that sits in the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, 440 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,960 Speaker 1: and he does exactly what the name suggests. Trash in 441 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 1: the water gets funneled onto a conveyor belt and then 442 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: transferred to a dumpster. It's run by solar and hydro power, 443 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: and this wheel is incredibly strong. It can even suck 444 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: up things like tires or mattresses, so it's pretty formidable. 445 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: The smart folks at the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore decided 446 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: to decorate the wheel with big eyes so it would 447 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,400 Speaker 1: look like a cartoon character gobbling up the garbage. And 448 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: they gave it, or excuse me him, that funny name, 449 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: mister trash Wheel. And because of this great branding, mister 450 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: trash Wheel has become something of a social media celebrity. 451 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,560 Speaker 1: He has over forty three thousand Instagram followers, probably more 452 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: after this episode, but that's not his most impressive number. 453 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:59,160 Speaker 1: Since his debut, he's removed over four point three million 454 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 1: pounds of t debris from the harbor. What's also interesting 455 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: is that his family is expanding. There are now three 456 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: more trash wheels in Baltimore which have contributed another million 457 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: pounds of trash removal. Their names are Professor trash Wheel 458 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:17,919 Speaker 1: who got a PhD, Captain trash Wheel, and Gwinda, the 459 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 1: Good Wheel of the West, who sits at the mouth 460 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 1: of a stream called Gwinn's Falls. 461 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,479 Speaker 2: You know, I don't know how much the people at 462 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 2: the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore get paid, but I do 463 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 2: know it is not enough. 464 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: I agree, it's definitely not enough. Now, if you enjoy 465 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 1: ethropomorphized wheels, I think you're really gonna like this next 466 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: innovation as well. It's inspired by one of my favorite animals, 467 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: the whale sharks. So whale sharks are known for moving 468 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 1: slowly through the water and doing something called filter feeding. Basically, 469 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 1: as they swim, they suck in a bunch of water, 470 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: hoping to nab some food in the form of plankton, 471 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 1: small fish, and fish eggs. And in twenty seventeen, a 472 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: robot inspired by the whale shark called the Waste Shark 473 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 1: was launched into the canals of the Netherlands. Like a 474 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: filter feeder, the waste Shark floats through the water and 475 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 1: collects debris. Unlike a filter feeder, this robot then disposes 476 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 1: of that debris on land. It can help remove about 477 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: a one hundred pounds of unwanted material in the water 478 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: every single day, and it operates autonomously or with a 479 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: person remote controlling it. Now, when the battery is low, 480 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: it heads for its shark pod, where it charges up 481 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: for more crash guzzling, which I just love. 482 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:34,000 Speaker 2: I love that the charger is called a shark pod. 483 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,000 Speaker 2: That's really great idea. But now I'm wondering what other 484 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,040 Speaker 2: animals could we use as inspiration to help deal with waste, right, 485 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 2: Like a litter rat, trash raccoon, a garbage seagull. 486 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,639 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean all those would be incredible, although I 487 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,640 Speaker 1: do feel like a trash raccoon is just a raccoon. 488 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 2: I was just brainstorming. This is a starting point as 489 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:54,399 Speaker 2: we go, you know. 490 00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:55,120 Speaker 1: Well. 491 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 2: As fascinating as these waste disposal innovations are, the fact 492 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 2: is our only way out of a garbage choked future 493 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 2: is by generating less trash in the first place. The 494 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 2: zero waste movement has cut on in many communities, including 495 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:12,320 Speaker 2: the city of Keel, which in twenty twenty four became 496 00:27:12,359 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 2: Germany's first certified zero waste city. They've implemented a bunch 497 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 2: of policies aimed at cutting waste by fifteen percent per 498 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 2: person per year by twenty thirty five. For example, they 499 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:25,959 Speaker 2: give new parents grants of up to two hundred euros 500 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,120 Speaker 2: to buy cloth diapers so they don't have to buy 501 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:32,000 Speaker 2: disposable and garbage fees are based on the weight of 502 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:35,840 Speaker 2: the waste that each household throws away, so residents are 503 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,959 Speaker 2: coming up with their own ways of contributing, like restaurants 504 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,480 Speaker 2: that now give uneaten food away to people in need, 505 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 2: or a local hairdresser who collects hair trimmings and this 506 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 2: is true, turns them into mats that are used to 507 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 2: absorb oil from sewers. 508 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 1: Oh, I love that for a whole city to be 509 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:55,439 Speaker 1: able to create zero waste is remarkable. It does remind 510 00:27:55,480 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: me of the old phrase reduced reuse, recycle, which you know, 511 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,000 Speaker 1: makes me think that we haven't actually talked about recycling yet. 512 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:07,040 Speaker 2: Ah well, don't worry. I learned some truly shocking facts 513 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 2: about recycling and I'll tell you all about it after 514 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:26,440 Speaker 2: this quick break. Welcome back to Part time Genius. Now, 515 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 2: before the break, I was telling you about Kiel, Germany's 516 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 2: first certified zero waste city, and that is an actual 517 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 2: standard that was created by a nonprofit called Zero Waste Europe. 518 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 2: And what I find really interesting about this is Germany 519 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 2: was already known for its commitment to recycling in twenty 520 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 2: twenty one, Germany recycled over two thirds of its municipal 521 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 2: solid waste, more than any other country in Europe, and 522 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 2: according to Bettina aust, the president of the Keiel City Council, 523 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:58,000 Speaker 2: that actually lulled people into a false sense of complacency. 524 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 2: She told her reporter from The Guardian that a lot 525 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 2: of people are so focused on recycling they forget about 526 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 2: reducing the amount of stuff they buy in the first place, 527 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,960 Speaker 2: or finding ways to repair or reuse it. Which is 528 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 2: not to say recycling hasn't helped with the trash problem 529 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:16,760 Speaker 2: right here in the United States, recycling is a relatively 530 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 2: new phenomenon. Curbside recycling didn't become a thing until the 531 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 2: nineteen seventies, when we realized our landfills were starting to overflow. 532 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 2: In the nineteen eighties, about ten percent of municipal waste 533 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 2: got recycled, but these days it's over thirty two percent, 534 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 2: and thanks to recycling programs, we're sending about half as 535 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:37,720 Speaker 2: much waste to landfills as we used to. But here's 536 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 2: the dirty truth. A lot of American recycling just ends 537 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 2: up getting shipped overseas, where it piles up and causes 538 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:44,840 Speaker 2: serious problems. 539 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 1: That feels kind of depressing because we spend so much 540 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: time recycling. I guess what you're saying is that recycling 541 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:53,240 Speaker 1: doesn't get recycled. 542 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 2: Not always. And we could probably do an entire episode 543 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 2: just about this phenomenon. But it has to do with 544 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 2: a global waste trade. So approximately one third of United 545 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 2: States recycling gets sent overseas, and for a long time 546 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 2: most of that plastic and metal scrap went to China, 547 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 2: which used it to fuel manufacturing. But in twenty seventeen, 548 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 2: China banned foreign waste imports, citing public health and environmental concerns. 549 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,720 Speaker 2: With our biggest customer gone, many US municipalities had to 550 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 2: cut back on recycling or they scrambled to find other 551 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 2: places to send stuff. As a result, Malaysia, Indonesia, and 552 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 2: other parts of Southeast Asia were quickly flooded with our 553 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:36,720 Speaker 2: discarded yogurt cups and takeout containers, and it's way more 554 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 2: than they can handle. The author Alexander Klapp, who wrote 555 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 2: a book called Waste Wars The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash, 556 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,720 Speaker 2: described seeing remote areas in the highlands of Java that 557 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 2: he called quote hellscapes of Western waste, toothpaste tubes from California, 558 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:55,920 Speaker 2: shopping bags from the Netherlands, deodorant sticks from Australia, stacked 559 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,920 Speaker 2: knee high as far as the eye can see. And 560 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 2: because it is literally impossible to recycle it all, local 561 00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,080 Speaker 2: Javanese street vendors have taken to burning it for a 562 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 2: cooking fuel, filling the air with toxic fumes. 563 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 3: That is so horrifying. 564 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 2: And it's what former Kenyon president Daniel Larotmoy called garbage imperialism, 565 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 2: and he coined that phrase in the nineteen eighties when 566 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 2: countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America were angry 567 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 2: at the United States because we were dumping our toxic 568 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 2: waste on their land. But as Alexander Klapp points out, 569 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 2: back then it was easy for people to realize that 570 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 2: hazardous waste is bad. Today, the stuff we dump can 571 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,560 Speaker 2: be just as dangerous, but we don't consider that because 572 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 2: if it's labeled recyclable, we think it's good for the planet. 573 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:44,360 Speaker 1: I mean, the truth is we really have to emphasize 574 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: the reduce part of that reuse recycle slogan. 575 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, the words are in that order for a reason. Reduce, reuse, 576 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,120 Speaker 2: recycle is the last resort. 577 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's interesting. 578 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:59,600 Speaker 1: And now for our last resort, why don't we turn 579 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: to the fact off. 580 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 2: I'll kick things off with the Trail of a Thousand Trolls, 581 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,360 Speaker 2: a project by the Danish artist Thomas Dambo which definitely 582 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 2: leans into the reused part of that slogan. Along with 583 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 2: his team, Dambo creates massive troll sculptures made from discarded 584 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:27,120 Speaker 2: items like wooden palettes, old furniture, and wine barrels. These 585 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 2: trolls can be up to forty feet tall. Dambo installs 586 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,000 Speaker 2: them in places like forests, jungles, and grasslands. There are 587 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 2: one hundred and seventy of them now around the world, 588 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 2: everywhere from Australia to South Korea to Chile. And each 589 00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 2: trash troll has its own lore, its own backstory. Yes, so, 590 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 2: for example, Little Bibby, who's located in Dayton, Ohio, comes 591 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 2: with a story about how she wanted to learn to 592 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 2: fly like a bird. The statue of Little Bibby, which 593 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 2: at seventeen feet is not little at all, holds winglight 594 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 2: contraptions and has one like up in the air to 595 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,720 Speaker 2: show that she is about to take flight. 596 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 1: Oh man, I've got to look these offs now, So 597 00:33:06,640 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 1: we talked about garbology, and I'm going to take it 598 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:13,480 Speaker 1: one step further, which is virtual garbology. In twenty twenty, 599 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:16,960 Speaker 1: Jared Hansen published a paper titled quote an Abundance of 600 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:21,240 Speaker 1: Fruit Trees a garbology of the artifacts in Animal Crossing 601 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,320 Speaker 1: New Leaf. So I'm sure people out there know about 602 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:27,760 Speaker 1: Animal Crossing the video game from its massive popularity, especially 603 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,400 Speaker 1: during the COVID nineteen pandemic. New Leaf was the twenty 604 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: thirteen edition of the game for the Nintendo three DS, 605 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: So in his research, Hanson visited a random selection of 606 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: Animal Crossing towns to see which items players had left 607 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: lying around like trash, and he found that the most 608 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:48,160 Speaker 1: likely items to be discarded were fruit with pairs and lead, 609 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,920 Speaker 1: which makes sense if you've ever played the game. There's 610 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 1: definitely a lot of fruit. But he also discovered that 611 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: there wasn't much litter in Animal Crossing in general, and 612 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: he concluded quote, it seems as though the economic systems 613 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:04,680 Speaker 1: of the game, which encouraged the player to pay for 614 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:08,280 Speaker 1: upgrades to their home and public works, lead many players 615 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: to forego conspicuous consumption, and the waste or trashing of 616 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:16,760 Speaker 1: items related to accessories and clothing instead, items of trash 617 00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:20,800 Speaker 1: and garbage are those with utility and economic value instead 618 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: of personal meaning. 619 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 3: Thanks. 620 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 2: Oh, that is so wholesome, unlike my next fact, which 621 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:27,799 Speaker 2: is not wholesome at all. In two thousand and one, 622 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,319 Speaker 2: contractors hired by Procter and Gamble, which makes Panteen and 623 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:35,520 Speaker 2: head in Shoulders shampoo, were caught doing corporate dumpster diving. 624 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:38,640 Speaker 2: They were going through the trash of the Chicago offices 625 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:42,320 Speaker 2: of Unilever, a rival company that also owned haircare brands 626 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:47,279 Speaker 2: like Finesse, and they retrieved eighty pages of confidential planning documents. 627 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:50,920 Speaker 2: Procter and Gamble confessed to the espionage, although they claimed 628 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,600 Speaker 2: that they hadn't used the material the contractors took, but 629 00:34:54,680 --> 00:34:57,840 Speaker 2: either way, the whole debacle culminated in Procter and Gamble 630 00:34:57,880 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 2: paying a ten million dollar settlement. 631 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 3: That's crazy. 632 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: That's in two thousand and one, right, that's nuts, and 633 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:10,120 Speaker 1: it's like a watergate but for Dandriff shampoos well. Another 634 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: rivalry with trash at the center is the one between 635 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:16,759 Speaker 1: Bob Dylan and the New York City writer aj Weberman. 636 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:20,439 Speaker 1: So during the sixties, Weberman became a huge Dylan fan. 637 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:23,480 Speaker 1: In fact, some say he was completely obsessed, but over 638 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,920 Speaker 1: the years he grew dissatisfied with Dylan's music and persona, 639 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:31,400 Speaker 1: saying he turned his back on radical politics. In nineteen 640 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,799 Speaker 1: seventy one, he tried to confront Dylan by knocking on 641 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:36,200 Speaker 1: his door, and Dylan slammed the door in his face. 642 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 1: So Weberman took it to the next level. He started 643 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,720 Speaker 1: going through his trash and if you remember from earlier 644 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 1: that I teased Weberman as the inventor of the word garbology, 645 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: this is actually why. So he started publishing pictures of 646 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:55,279 Speaker 1: Dylan's garbage, including private letters and photographs. He did this 647 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: in an underground paper called The East Village Other Now, unsurprisingly, 648 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: Dylan stopped putting personal items into trash and asked Weberman 649 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,520 Speaker 1: to stop invading his privacy. Weberman alleges that this issue 650 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:09,520 Speaker 1: came to a head with Dylan attacking him on Elizabeth Street, 651 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:12,720 Speaker 1: and he claims the event was memorialized in Dylan's song 652 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,759 Speaker 1: where Are You Tonight. According to Weberman, this lyric is 653 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,360 Speaker 1: about him getting beaten up by Bob Dylan quote, it 654 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,840 Speaker 1: fell out of place, my foot in his face, But 655 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:26,360 Speaker 1: he should have stayed where his money was green Wow. 656 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:28,880 Speaker 1: It's poetic. I guess it is. 657 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:32,400 Speaker 2: I guess okay. I think by bringing our conversation about 658 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 2: garbage all the way around to Bob Dylan lyrics and 659 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,200 Speaker 2: for telling us about mister Trashwheel and his entire family, 660 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:40,160 Speaker 2: you've earned today's trophy. Mango. 661 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:44,880 Speaker 1: I think it's more about mister Trashwheel than anything else. 662 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:48,960 Speaker 1: But okay, I promise I'm never gonna throw this this 663 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:54,080 Speaker 1: trophy away. So that is it for our dumpster dive 664 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:56,279 Speaker 1: into the world of trash. Research and writing for this 665 00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 1: episode was done by our friend Meredith Danko. Thank you, Meredith. 666 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:02,319 Speaker 1: But now we want to hear from you, and specifically, 667 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: we have a very odd question that we need answered. 668 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,480 Speaker 1: We want to know what your favorite or least favorite 669 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 1: type of pasta is. It is for an episode we're 670 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 1: working on. Give us a call at three oh two, 671 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,239 Speaker 1: four oh five, five, nine two five. We want to 672 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: hear your very strong pasta opinions. You can also send 673 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:22,480 Speaker 1: us an email at high Geniuses at gmail dot com. 674 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,920 Speaker 1: Do not hold back. We cannot wait to hear your 675 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:30,040 Speaker 1: hot takes on pasta and big news. Next week we're 676 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:32,200 Speaker 1: going to have five brand new episodes for you. It 677 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 1: is a week long series all about curiosity. If you've 678 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:38,680 Speaker 1: ever wondered why do I wonder so many things? Then 679 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: this is for you. We'll also have daily activities contests, 680 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:45,359 Speaker 1: so follow us on Instagram and blue Sky at part 681 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,840 Speaker 1: Time Genius so you don't miss out on all this fun. 682 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:50,319 Speaker 1: We'll be back on Monday to kick that off, but 683 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 1: in the meantime, From Will, Dylan, Gabe, Mary, and myself, 684 00:37:54,800 --> 00:38:09,279 Speaker 1: thank you so much for listening. Part Time Genius is 685 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: a production of Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio. This show is hosted 686 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:17,560 Speaker 1: by Will Pearson and me Mongashtikler and researched by our 687 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:21,759 Speaker 1: good pal Mary Philip Sandy. Today's episode was engineered and 688 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 1: produced by the wonderful Dylan Fagan with support from Tyler Klang. 689 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,360 Speaker 1: The show is executive produced for iHeart by Katrina Norbel 690 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 1: and Ali Perry, with social media support from Sasha Gay, 691 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:37,200 Speaker 1: Trustee Dara Potts and Viney Shoring. For more podcasts from 692 00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:42,239 Speaker 1: Kaleidoscope and iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 693 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:57,200 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.