WEBVTT - Is recycling a complete scam? (PART 1) 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:03.240 What's up nst heads. So, this right here is part 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:06.240 one of a two part episode. The second part is 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:08.200 out now as well, but this is the one you 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:11.000 should listen to first. It is part one, so enjoy 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:12.760 and make sure you tap into part two to finish 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:16.040 the story and without further ado. Part one of two 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:31.920 on the Big Truths and Big Lies about recycling. I'm Manny, 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:34.240 I'm Noah, this is Devin and this is no such 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:36.400 thing the show where you settle our dumb arguments and 0:00:36.520 --> 0:00:40.800 yours by actually doing the research. This week, does recycling 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:43.960 even work? If it turns out to be the case 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:47.160 that this is not really doing anything, I'm gonna be 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:49.040 writing a very strongly worded letter. 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:53.000 I No, There's no no such thing. 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:54.920 No touch, thank. 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:58.080 Touch, thanks. 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:00.920 Touch, thank. 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:07.959 Thank so. 0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:12.760 This week is a topic that we've been thinking about 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:15.280 for a while, and a listener of ours also had 0:01:15.280 --> 0:01:19.800 the same question recently. Liz asked this, does recycling do 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:21.600 anything or does it just make us feel better when 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:23.760 we put things into the bin and send it away. 0:01:24.600 --> 0:01:26.720 This is one of those topics that for years I've 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:29.600 thought about, and you know, every few months I feel 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:31.360 like I would see a news story a headline come 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:36.040 by that said basically like the truth about recycling, and 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:39.760 I hadn't read them until now. Yeah, now we're doing 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:42.200 a podcast about it. Before we get into that, I 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:45.000 want to introduce our special guest co host and someone 0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:46.840 who actually worked on one of these pieces that I 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:51.160 skipped over years ago, is our fourth Mic Naima Raza. 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:52.560 Hi, guys, nice to see you. 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:53.880 Mind introducing yourself. 0:01:53.960 --> 0:01:56.600 I do a podcast called Smart Girl Dumb Questions, which 0:01:56.640 --> 0:01:58.840 I'm realizing there's no such thing as a. 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:01.360 Ormo. 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:06.760 But yes, years ago, I did write or actually it 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:08.640 was a video with The New York Times the Great 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:12.000 Recycling Con. I can't claim to be a recycling expert, 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:14.480 and I can't say that that has changed my behavior as. 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:17.600 Much as it should have. So yeah, so don't spoil anything. Yeah, 0:02:17.919 --> 0:02:18.880 we'll get into that later. 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:20.200 Except for the word con. 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:22.320 I do have that out. 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:26.560 That's okay, that's just that's a New York Times editorializing. Yeah, 0:02:26.720 --> 0:02:29.400 to begin, how do we all feel about recycling? 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:31.919 Well, how do we feel about it? Yeah? 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:35.400 Like emotionally, yeah, I mean do you do you enjoy it? 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:36.040 Do you do it? 0:02:36.320 --> 0:02:38.440 I don't even have any guilt about not doing it. 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:40.400 No, I do I do it. I think. 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:43.160 I think I try to recycle too many things. I 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:45.640 feel like most of the things i'm quote unquote recycling 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:48.360 or putting in a recycling man probably don't get recycled, 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.960 but in my mind I have to do it. 0:02:52.200 --> 0:02:53.959 Everyone. Once in the blue, I'll. 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:56.120 Get like a plastic container from like a takeout place 0:02:56.160 --> 0:02:59.120 and throw it in the regular garbage and I feel, 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:02.720 you know, like you just killed really shouldn't do that. 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:03.919 But recycling is annoying. 0:03:03.960 --> 0:03:07.320 The most annoying thing about recycling is that the recycling 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:09.120 can is never as big as the garbage can. But 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.280 then the recycling stuff takes up so much more space, 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:14.200 so it's like, yeah, so it's like a big inconvenience 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:16.920 in like your home, all right, And then you're like, 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:18.640 why am I even like does this even work? 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:20.800 And how when you're sorting, how are you sorting? How 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.680 much sorting are you doing? Just recycling bin for everything. 0:03:24.440 --> 0:03:26.000 I have one recycling bin for everything. 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:29.679 My apartment building does not short in anything, so I'm 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:32.120 not shorting stuffcause y'all all short stuff. So that's when 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:34.760 you go downstairs to put into the bins. There's just 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.760 recycling bins' just supposed to be cardboard and paper supposed 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:40.000 to be separated from the plastic. But they don't do that, 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:43.680 so I'm not doing it either. Yeah, somebody, somebody will 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:44.480 figure it out at some. 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:46.920 Point or not. 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:51.560 Job creating your job exactly, I'm creating a shorter but 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:53.240 I try to, you know, I try to fold up 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.160 my boxes and do that sort of thing. I guess 0:03:56.200 --> 0:04:00.720 my overall emotion around recycling is I I think it's fake. 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:05.480 I don't think it is actually happening, But I do 0:04:05.480 --> 0:04:07.520 do it because I feel like I don't want to 0:04:07.560 --> 0:04:08.760 be you know, you're not going to be the one 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:11.520 who's I'm not problem exactly. I'm doing what I'm supposed 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.280 to do. If down the line y'all aren't doing what 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:17.000 y'all supposed to do, that's on you. But we talked 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:20.960 about my big recycling. Beef is a weird recycling stuff, right, 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:24.560 So I use brit of filters. I don't know, mostly 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.520 just because it's like a water container in my fridge. 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:29.760 I don't believe it actually does anything, but. 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:30.679 I was I was looking. 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:36.279 I was looking at the filtering. 0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:38.720 Exactly, but I was gett you know, it was time 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:40.520 to replace the filter. So I'm looking at the filter, 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:42.479 they'd be like, can I recycle this? And then I 0:04:42.560 --> 0:04:44.560 read the box and it's like, oh, you can recycle 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:46.440 it if you put it in a box and ship 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.320 it to wherever and then we'll recycle it for you. 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:52.040 And I was like, this is the dumbest thing I've 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.400 ever seen. I have to ship something so you can 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.920 recycle it. Doesn't that offset the whole purpose of recycling? 0:04:57.040 --> 0:05:00.279 If not overc It's like, it's not like a drop 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:00.839 off location. 0:05:01.200 --> 0:05:02.680 No, it's like in New York City. 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:04.839 You gotta you gotta mail it off, mail off my 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.320 filter to get recycled. I think the carbon footprint of 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:10.360 me mailing it offsets me recycling, and they. 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:11.839 Don't send you a new one or something. It's not. 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:16.360 For me recycling. 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:20.560 What about when you have like takeout and you're rinsing 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:23.120 the things to recycle them, when you're using so much 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:25.479 water and you're like, does this thing even recycle? I 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:27.359 gott to rinse it because you can't put your dirty 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:27.880 debris in that. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:31.200 Yeah, you gotta clean it up. 0:05:31.240 --> 0:05:33.719 I was dealing with this just last night because Monday 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:38.000 is garbage and recycling, and my basic view is that, Like, 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:41.400 I want to be a good citizen, but they make 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:46.800 it too difficult. Every week I'm pulling up bag. Yeah, 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:48.880 and so I just found myself doing this last night 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:50.720 and I was like, this is terribles. I don't want 0:05:50.720 --> 0:05:52.640 to do this anymore. The drop off location for my 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:55.840 Brita filter is the garbage can. I'm not doing any 0:05:55.839 --> 0:06:01.080 extra work. I think the government should make it a 0:06:01.120 --> 0:06:01.880 little bit easier. 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:05.080 But if they gave you a replaceable filter for free, 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:06.839 if you recycled yours, what do you recycle it? 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.600 Like? Would I ship it and you get a replacement. 0:06:09.120 --> 0:06:11.080 As opposed to spending nine dollars? 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:11.640 I don't know. 0:06:11.720 --> 0:06:14.719 I'm also not good with money. I'll just buy like 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.479 I should just that would be the smart thing to do. 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:19.839 Yeah, but I'm a timers money guy to yah where 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:21.680 I'm like, oh, I got it, like print a label 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:23.160 and like I'll s throw it out. 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:28.440 The British should come with a package that you mail 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:30.159 it out, and it should come with two so that 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:33.760 way you you know you always have one immediate. 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:38.160 All right, Chief Strategy Britt is listening, and you know 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:39.440 I don't need to do this anymore. 0:06:39.560 --> 0:06:42.479 I'll the sponsor I'm very aligned with you all where 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.479 it's like I separate, I put the things in the bin. 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:48.880 My garbage areat my building is not separated at all. 0:06:48.960 --> 0:06:51.839 So it's just like it's going with God. From the 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.400 little headlines I taken in. Yeah, I don't think this 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.880 is going anywhere. At some point I thought, Okay, they're 0:06:56.880 --> 0:06:58.880 sending it to China, and maybe China's doing it. 0:06:58.960 --> 0:06:59.360 Mm hmm. 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:04.120 I don't know this with absolutely zero knowledge about what 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:07.719 happens after I do my recycling. 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:10.920 Yeah, but it does make me feel better about buying 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:12.040 glass bottles of coke. 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:13.520 You have a plastic bottle coke there. 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.040 It doesn't taste as good and doesn't recycle as well apparently. 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:20.000 But but here's an anti feminist moment, which is to say, 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.280 I actually, really, when I'm in a relationship, don't deal 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:25.280 with recycling or trash. I feel like those are man 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:26.320 duties in a home. 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:30.320 I'm not going to saying the case in. 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:38.200 My home, right, Yeah, well, like I'm not getting canceled. 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:41.120 We'll be canceled by my wife. 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:43.920 He doesn't want to get canceled from his new Brida job. 0:07:45.240 --> 0:07:47.040 Job. And then I think we should also say this 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:49.760 varies right like city by city and state by state, 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:53.200 like in New York, I mean, are super like I've 0:07:53.200 --> 0:07:57.040 gotten in trouble multiple times for recycling something incorrectly, and 0:07:57.080 --> 0:07:58.840 then my super will be like, look, if you keep 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:00.000 doing this, we're gonna get fine. 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:03.400 Yeah, buildings are supposed to get fine for cycling correct. 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:06.440 So now I'm recycling so that he doesn't get fined, 0:08:06.600 --> 0:08:09.800 not necessarily to save the earth. I remember there's also 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:11.640 some stuff where you're supposed to put all their cycling 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:14.520 in a clear bag for slack bags for. 0:08:14.480 --> 0:08:15.960 The trash so they can sort through it. 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:17.480 And then you know, I've heard other people say their 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:20.400 buildings are definitely on them about this, and then it 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:22.760 obviously varies so much where it's like this can't be 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:25.080 that big of an issue if and a lot of 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:25.920 buildings aren't doing. 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:28.200 This, But in other countries all over the world, like 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:30.840 it's very in the UK they will actually find you 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:33.560 if you if you don't compost, like they'll find you 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:36.120 as the owner and or the unit. 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:37.920 And in Europe, I mean, they're. 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:39.680 Just they're much like I think, they're just much better 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:41.200 about these kinds of common good. 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:42.640 Problems and separate bins and stuff to. 0:08:42.720 --> 0:08:44.680 I've noticed even in Australia's like there's a water shortage, 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:46.839 showers are going to be like six minutes. Imagine telling 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:48.720 Americans they can only shower for six minutes. 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:52.520 Don't tell me that we've already for three amount of 0:08:52.559 --> 0:08:53.040 time than we do. 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:53.560 Yeah. 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:58.800 Three, not for water, not for water, not for. 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:00.720 For antibacterial reasons, yeah, and just health washing away your 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:03.000 naturally like what you need versus what you want. 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:09.080 Go away to put it like that shower thing just 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:14.199 comes up every episode. It sounds like we're all aligned. 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:16.960 But let's do a vote. Does anyone here think recycling works? 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:22.280 And I would like to believe it's doing something, But 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:25.600 in your heart of hearts, uh, you know, I throw 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:27.600 this out. What's happening? You gotta be doing something right. 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.400 They're putting it in a different place than your garbage, 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:31.520 is what I think is happening. 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:35.200 I think a very small percentage of stuff. Actually. 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:37.280 I think in the beginning, when we were like in 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:39.640 elementary school, when we were recycling, I feel like that 0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:40.360 was the golden age. 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:42.160 I think feel like they were really psychling. 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:44.079 Do you think that's because you were in middle school? 0:09:44.160 --> 0:09:47.040 No, I think that they were actually doing stuff back then. 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:58.319 Around down to the c I feel like where he 0:09:58.640 --> 0:09:59.240 was doing. 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:00.440 The issue now. 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:04.400 Back then, not everything was recyclable, and we weren't, you know, 0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:06.160 like we had a limited amount of things that we 0:10:06.160 --> 0:10:10.920 were recycling. Now every single thing is recyclable. Yeah, which 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:13.480 there's just too much stuff. We're not using this much. 0:10:13.920 --> 0:10:15.760 When I was a kid, it really felt like just 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:17.040 like soda cans. 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:18.760 In Santa Claus was a live guys. 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:22.720 I mean, I have to say, I don't know that 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.160 the technology has gotten worse with time. 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:27.200 No, I'm not saying it's gotten worse. I think we 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:29.800 just have more things that we're trying to recycle. 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:33.160 We used to, like recycle those plastic bags from Zachermarkets 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:34.839 and stuff. I think it existed, we just weren't the 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:38.920 ones consuming them and we didn't. I feel like it 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:44.199 works with glass and aluminium, but when it comes to plastic, 0:10:45.360 --> 0:10:47.360 I think it's like I forget the number and I 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:48.800 don't want to scoop it. 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:54.520 Like I feel, Yeah, my guess is material by material, 0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:58.199 there's a variance. But I think kind of what I 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:00.240 guess what Devin is saying is because there's so many 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:02.559 things we're expected to try to recycle, and I think 0:11:02.600 --> 0:11:04.120 that complicates matters even more. 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:06.520 But when you're when we're kids, I do think I 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:09.200 thought recycling was magic. Like I thought, if you have sneakers, 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.440 they will one day become a basketball court, you know, 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:14.400 or like if you have a plastic bag one day 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:16.720 become a park that and like everything was beautiful because 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:17.800 Captain Planet. 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:19.360 You just put it in and it comes out something new. 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:22.160 But I will say this for the purposes of this episode. 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:24.439 If it turns out to be the case that this 0:11:24.520 --> 0:11:27.440 is not really doing anything, I'm going to be writing 0:11:27.440 --> 0:11:30.040 a very strongly worded letter like we are doing so 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:38.480 much work to or Mudania, all right, why we're well, 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:40.160 I mean we're doing so much work at home. I 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:42.240 would be devastated to find out that it's not really 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:42.920 doing anything. 0:11:43.040 --> 0:11:46.199 But what if we find out I think this episode, 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.199 outside of the laundry episode, has the biggest chance to 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:51.960 change my personal behavior. Yeah, because if it turns out 0:11:52.160 --> 0:11:55.040 it's not doing anything, then I'm not reciting what do anymore? 0:11:55.520 --> 0:11:56.800 Throwing the garbage, It's all going to be in the 0:11:56.800 --> 0:11:58.640 black bag. Yeah, they're not gonna be black check. 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:03.640 Maybe you should over your ears for the rest, will 0:12:03.679 --> 0:12:04.840 you stop buying stuff. 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:06.560 That's I think, like, that's. 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:08.959 Gonna be my story when my super comes around, I'm 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:11.280 gonna be like, actually, I don't purchase anything to recycle. 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:12.840 That's why you're not seeing any recycling. 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:18.840 I'm a real environmentalist who writes strongly worded letters. 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:20.559 Yeah, on Tuesdays. 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.280 Well, why don't we answer some of these questions after 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:29.960 the break, we're gonna hear from an advocate against the 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:31.440 big plastic industry. 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:39.480 Oh all right, fellas, I need you to help me 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:41.520 with a problem that I got. You know, usually we're 0:12:41.520 --> 0:12:43.800 the ones helping other people with their problems. But I'm 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.520 about to go abroad and I'm going to watch Met games. Noah, 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:47.400 how can I watch them? 0:12:47.440 --> 0:12:48.000 That's a tough one. 0:12:48.040 --> 0:12:50.280 Maybe get a really large telescope. 0:12:50.320 --> 0:12:52.240 I don't think that's the best way to do it. Manny, 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.120 do you have any solutions on how I can watch 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:54.600 Mets games? 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.400 You broad I think I've got a slightly more practical 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:01.120 solution for you, Devin. If you use nor VPN, you'll 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:04.280 be able to change the location of your laptop's IP 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:07.640 address and watch the content with no problem. What about 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.520 my privacy online? I'm worried someone's watching me. First of all, 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:13.240 no one is watching you, Noah, but in case someone 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:18.240 was watching you, NordVPN provides you with privacy online, leaving 0:13:18.360 --> 0:13:21.920 no digital footprint by hiding your IP address. It's like 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:24.960 wearing an invisibility cloak while you're surfing the web. 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:25.720 Sounds comfy. 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:28.840 So many I've heard about these VPNs and how they're 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:29.560 super slow? 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.679 How do I make sure my internet is not throttling? 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:35.360 If you want to use a VPN without slowing down 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:38.360 your internet, Devin, You're gonna want to use NordVPN because 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:41.360 whenever I use it, I don't see any buffering or 0:13:41.480 --> 0:13:44.280 lagging while I'm streaming my favorite content. 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:46.480 How do I get NordVPN, Devin? 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:49.240 If you or our listeners want to get the best 0:13:49.240 --> 0:13:52.880 discount off of your NordVPN plan, go to NordVPN dot 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.880 com slash nst. Our link will also give you four 0:13:57.000 --> 0:14:00.040 extra months on the two year plan, and there's no 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:03.160 risk because Nord has a thirty day money back guarantee. 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:06.520 The link is in the show notes. That's NordVPN dot 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:22.720 com slash nst We are back. I'm Manny, Noah, am 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:28.200 I allowed to say my name is now you are, yeah, 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:33.840 and we are figuring out the truth behind recycling. Wow, 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:38.880 is it a lie? I spoke. I spoke to someone 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:40.120 who's done a lot of work on this. 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:44.040 So my name is Davis Allen. I'm an environmental historian 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:48.240 by training. I work as an investigative researcher at the 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:54.200 Center for Climate Integrity, where we provide support for communities 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:58.080 that are holding big oil accountable through litigation. 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:01.720 So Davis Allen has working on this for years. His 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:05.160 group has put out a bunch of really in depth 0:15:05.160 --> 0:15:10.480 reports investigating plastics and recycling and kind of some of 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:14.120 the what they would say are lies of the big 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:17.200 oil industry. We're mainly focusing on plastics recycling for the 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.560 purpose of this. The main kind of thesis is that 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:23.600 recycling as we know it is basically essentially a pr 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:29.640 campaign made by and sponsored by big oil. Plastics come 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.200 from oil, and basically this is a way that they 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:34.080 can kind of clean up their image by saying, Hey, 0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:36.840 this isn't just like trash. It's going to be reused 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:37.360 and make. 0:15:37.240 --> 0:15:37.720 You feel better. 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:39.800 But throwing the stuff in the garbage. 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.160 Who do you think packed for all those ads used 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:43.080 to as a kid when you're a hunky doory recycling. 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:47.600 All we check the credits to Captain Planet. 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:49.040 I don't know. 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:56.120 It's green heartbreaking. If there's something sinister behind Captain Planet, 0:15:56.200 --> 0:15:59.520 I don't know. I think they're well, yeah, I will 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:02.240 look at that. Quick side note here, I did look 0:16:02.280 --> 0:16:04.840 into it, and Captain Planet is innocent, so don't worry 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:05.320 about that. 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:08.040 Greenwashing. Greenwashing. 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:11.520 Yeah, I didn't know about this, so first I opened 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:13.440 up with a big one. I asked Davis. One of 0:16:13.440 --> 0:16:17.200 the most common misconceptions about recycling that it does anything, 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:27.400 it works, Yeah, that exists. 0:16:28.880 --> 0:16:33.280 I think the biggest misconception really is the idea that 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:40.360 because of recycling, a disposable consumer economy is not a 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:47.200 major environmental problem, because it perpetuates a feeling among people 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:51.720 using these products that there isn't really a major environmental 0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:55.920 impact because whatever the product is just getting cycled back 0:16:55.960 --> 0:17:00.480 through system and turning into a new product. And that's 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.400 unfortunately just not how recycling works. In the vast majority 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:07.320 of cases. There are some materials that are recycled, it 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:11.199 are much more efficiently recycled, so something like aluminum, a 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:15.159 much higher percentage of the aluminum actually gets turned into 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:18.159 a new illuminim product. But even in that kind of 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:21.119 case where ninety nine percent of the material is getting 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:24.520 turned into a UKN or whatever, there are still a 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:30.440 lot of environmental costs in that process that make it 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:37.440 far less efficient than some kind of reusable approach. So basically, 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:40.480 I think the biggest misconception is that the whole idea 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:45.720 of a circle being not a problem when really any 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:50.199 disposable product is ultimately more of a straight line where 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:53.600 you're having a lot of environmental costs in that process. 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:05.639 So basically there's a misconception that recycling is offsetting some 0:18:05.760 --> 0:18:10.639 of the more gross things we do with consumer products. 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:13.680 But in reality, it's just like what like a drop 0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:17.200 in the bucket compared to Yeah, and basically like kind 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:18.840 of what Naima was saying, where we have this image 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:21.040 from middle school where it's like you put the thing 0:18:21.080 --> 0:18:22.480 in the bin and then it comes out as a 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:26.719 new product. Totally you don't lose anything. Yeah, just like 0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:30.080 this perfect one to one replacement. That's just not true 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:33.640 based on the costs and other factors of actually doing 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:34.480 the recycling. 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:39.000 So the biggest problem with things not getting recycled is 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:41.359 just that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense 0:18:41.440 --> 0:18:45.240 to recycle the vast majority of plastics, recycled plastic, once 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:48.719 you have it as a new sort of material, a 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.719 new raw form of plastic to be turned into something 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:56.119 is pretty low quality. It's well suited for things like 0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:01.359 trash cans, ironically, recycling bins, plastic crate that holds the 0:19:01.680 --> 0:19:05.040 materials that are getting shipped, things like that, but it's 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:09.040 not the kind of plastic that is useful. 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:10.000 For most applications. 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:12.439 The reality is, when we're using all these plastic products, 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:15.879 they have pretty particular specifications for what they need it 0:19:15.920 --> 0:19:19.520 to be able to do, and recycled plastic doesn't meet 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:20.920 most of those specifications. 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:24.840 So that's basically how recycling does or doesn't work these days. 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:26.520 It's a scam. 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:28.199 Way did this story from the New York Times. It 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:28.960 was like twenty nineteen. 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:30.639 But it's like the cost of making a new plastic 0:19:30.640 --> 0:19:33.080 bag from like a plastic bag is much higher than 0:19:33.119 --> 0:19:35.720 just making a new plastic bag, So why would a 0:19:35.760 --> 0:19:38.600 company then make a plastic bag from an old plastic 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:42.120 bag or whatever the case may be in sir, So, yeah, 0:19:42.119 --> 0:19:44.960 it enables consumption because we feel so virtuous, we have 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:47.119 like a little halo. This guy is going to take 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:48.080 the halo off our head. 0:19:49.440 --> 0:19:52.520 Truly. Yeah, Ask what are plastics and where do they 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:52.840 come from? 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:53.679 Yeah? That I don't know. 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:58.399