1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you Should Know? 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: From House Stuff Works dot com. This episode is sponsored 4 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: by go daddy dot com, the world's largest web host 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: and domain name registrart with domains as low as a 6 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: dollar ninety nine and hosting for less than five dollars 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: a month. In a promo code stuff ten at checkout 8 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 1: and save ten percent off your entire order. Get your 9 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: piece of the Internet at go daddy dot com. Hey, 10 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. It's called Stuff you Should 11 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: Know appropriately enough, I'm Josh Clark with me as always 12 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: is who it's Chuck. That's right, Chuck. It's good to 13 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: be back. I know it feels like it's been a 14 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: well Christmas holidays, right. I know that listeners think, through 15 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: the magic of iTunes, that we never leave the studio 16 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:48,440 Speaker 1: at all, but in fact we've been off for a 17 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: couple of weeks and now we're back. Yeah. Do you 18 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: know we've actually gotten um offers to be rescued from 19 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: a couple of our listeners because from Studio one A yeah. 20 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,959 Speaker 1: On our Facebook page, I think I said that we're 21 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 1: not allowed to leave. I got a pretty good response. Nice. Yeah, okay, 22 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: so you asked for pizza or cash, Oh it's coming, Yeah, 23 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,759 Speaker 1: I'm buttering them up. Or shrimp cocktail, your favorite cocktail? Exactly. 24 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: I can finally get the shrimp cocktail. Um, Chuck. Yes, 25 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: do you remember back in the nineties? Maybe a haze 26 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: for you. No, you don't remember the nineties. No, it's 27 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: not a haze. I do, right, Oh, that was a 28 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: weird response college I was studying and such. Okay, so 29 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,279 Speaker 1: so you do remember the nineties. Okay, So, Chuck, you 30 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: are a child of the recycling generation. Do you remember 31 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: when that thing just blew up? It came out of nowhere? 32 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: I do. My brother and I were talking about this 33 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: the other day with the initial Yeah, we were with 34 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: the Crying Indian in the seventies, which was just about littering, 35 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: right when the good old days when you would just 36 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: start trashing like an anchorman. They're walking through the parking 37 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: but just so nuts. Do you ever see anybody in 38 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: their car just throwing something out occasionally and it's just 39 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: boil your blood and it's like, what are you doing? 40 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,639 Speaker 1: How can I be that unaware? You know? I hit 41 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: them with my car. Okay, so you're talking about the 42 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: the Amerindian who is crying because of the trash, right. 43 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: And then later on recycling became like newspapers kind of 44 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: where I remember it starting. It did. As a matter 45 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: of fact, the first curb side newspaper recycling program started 46 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy three in University City, Missouri, I believe, 47 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: or Missouri as my mom would say. But it took 48 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: a little while for it to take off, from nineteen 49 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: seventy three to the nineties. But in the nineties it 50 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: really gained traction and gain ground. And if you remember correctly, 51 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: you used to have to have like all these different 52 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: bins for you know, this colored glass, right, this kind 53 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 1: of plastic or paper, you know, and then then all 54 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: of a sudden it just went away. They're like, just 55 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: throw it all in one bin. And because recycling seems 56 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: so important, I know, I always wondered, like, is this 57 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: stuff really getting recycled. And then when when they went 58 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: to this whole you know, just single bin hodgepodge of everything, 59 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: I was like, well, that's it. I mean, they're not 60 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: even trying to keep it that they're that they're not 61 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: dumping this stuff, right, so UM, it turns out that 62 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: they actually are that you can pretty much guarantee that 63 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: almost all of what you are putting in your recycling 64 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: bin is getting recycled. And the thing that threw us 65 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,959 Speaker 1: off where all of a sudden, we're just throwing everything 66 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: in one bin. It's called single stream recycling. That's a 67 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: result of UM recycling technology, which is awesome because it 68 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: made it a lot easier for people that maybe wouldn't 69 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: be prone to recycle because they didn't want to separate everything. Yeah, 70 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: so yeah, it was awesome. It was a pain, it 71 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 1: was definite pain. And now you just throw it all 72 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: in one bin. They come and get it. And back 73 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: in the day there there used to be a lot 74 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: of human contact with your garbage that was being recycled. 75 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: But these technological advances, so imagine that's okay. There's like 76 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: a uh, this conveyor belt that your recyclables are dumped 77 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: onto and they go through this weird gauntlet where there's 78 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: like magnets that attract like tin cans and then drop 79 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: them into into bins. Lasers lasers always you know, a 80 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,159 Speaker 1: personal favorite of mine. They they're they're infrared lasers that 81 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: are used to scan the wavelength that's emitted by um 82 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: different types of plastic, and then they're appropriately taken off 83 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: the conveyor belt. And then there's there's others that have 84 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: puffs of air that can only get like, um, like cardboard, 85 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: like a toilet, paper, paper towel roll, just puffs it off. 86 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: All your stuff going through this is being assaulted. And 87 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: you know the way it reacts to these assaults, they're 88 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: gonna end up in the right kind of bin. So 89 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: you need very little human contact, or much less than 90 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: you did before. So um that that should put the 91 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: single stream fear to rest, right. Sure, I I've heard 92 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: well I never really doubted it too much, but I 93 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: do know people that think it's a liberal conspiracy and 94 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 1: that nothing is being recycled. So well, actually, there's a 95 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: there's an economist I can't remember his name, but he 96 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: went to the trouble of proving that recycling is actually 97 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: more harmful than good. Yeah, um, as far as like 98 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: an environmental cost benefit, it's actually more harmful because I 99 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,280 Speaker 1: think he took into account like all the gas that 100 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: the trucks burn, that kind of thing, uh, and in 101 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: the electricity used in the recycling plants, and he came 102 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,279 Speaker 1: to the conclusion that's actually more harmful than good. I 103 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: I don't necessarily subscribe to that, right was I'm sure 104 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: he was contradicted by more than one person. Yeah, but 105 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: he was a respected economist. He wasn't just you know, 106 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: some crack potter Joe Schmoy economists. No, right, exactly. But 107 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: he he may have very well been a conservative economist because, 108 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: as you said, recycling is a big liberal conspiracy in 109 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: some people's eyes. Exactly. Few, I would say, probably a 110 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: lot of people on board now and in the two 111 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: thousand's exactly. But I was having a conversation with my 112 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: father the other day, and he is the herbal Elvis exactly. 113 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: He was down, actually was he was kind of you know, 114 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: at the at the equilibrium point, which is good. So 115 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: he's very lucid. Um. And he uh, he and I 116 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: were talking. He said that the people at his recycling center, uh, 117 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: they don't have curbside pickup where he lives out in 118 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: the sticks. Um, they take their their stuff to the center, 119 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: and that they were told by one of the employees 120 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 1: that works there, um that there they don't recycling or 121 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: they just take all the stuff to the dump. Yes, 122 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: and I told him that the man at the recycling 123 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: center was a total idiot, and uh, basically Dad wanted 124 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: to know why, as is his one um, and I 125 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: told him that that's just an awful business model. So 126 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: think about this. There's this thing called it tipping fee. 127 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: And in two thousand eight, the tipping fee is what 128 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: you pay to dump your stuff at a landfill, and 129 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: it's usually per ton. In the US, in two thousand eight, 130 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: it was about forty two bucks on average for per 131 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: ton of everything anything you wanted to come dump. They 132 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: weigh it by ton and then you pay forty two 133 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: bucks to Have you ever been to a landfill? Yeah? 134 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: I know they actually have been to some that are 135 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: kind of tranquil, quite nice. Yeah, they have like ponds 136 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: and stuff, so you would never ever want to swim in. 137 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: But there's like rolling hills filled with garbage, but it's 138 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: grass over it. I've been to somewhere they're actually going 139 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: to the effort to make it look decent. But yeah, 140 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: and then you turn around there's like some rest of 141 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: refrigerator with like a corpse in it or something. So 142 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: they can be depressing places. Okay, but there's there's that 143 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: tipping fee. Right, So you drive up and there's a 144 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: scale that's embedded into the ground. It weighs you, and 145 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: you pay appropriately. Some states are are more than others. 146 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: I think ver Months tipping fee. The average tipping fee 147 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: in the state's nineties six bucks a ton, and then 148 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: I think Oklahoma is on the low end, it's like 149 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: fourteen or seventeen bucks a ton. So clearly, the more 150 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,480 Speaker 1: you charge and tipping fees, the more people are going 151 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: to recycle exactly. But the point is is that there 152 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: because you have to pay too dump this stuff. Sure, 153 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: and you're not charging anybody money to come drop off 154 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: their recyclables. All you're doing is throwing your money out 155 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: the window. You might as well empty out your bank 156 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: account into a dump truck and back it into a landfill. 157 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 1: Did you explain this to your father? I did. Yeah, 158 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: this is actually you don't know this, but you are 159 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: trapped right in the middle of a recreation of this 160 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: conversation we had, um. So that's number one. The other 161 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,959 Speaker 1: thing is that you you can actually get money from 162 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: recyclables their commodity. So what I mean, what happens when 163 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: you take your recyclables to uh to a recycling center 164 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: and they're they're diverted from the dump, thank god, to 165 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: you know, a recycling plant. What happened? I mean, what 166 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: do they get turned into? Well, they get turned eventually 167 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: back into the original raw material, which is a commodity. 168 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 1: It's worth money, like you said, so they have every 169 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: incentive to recycle. So like that mixed office paper is 170 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:18,679 Speaker 1: being turned into um cardboard maybe you're old newspapers Actually 171 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: are really very commonly used for cardboards, stuff like that. UM. 172 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: Or you know, plastic bottles are being turned into um 173 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: like a fleece jacket. And actually there's a plastic bottle 174 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: you want to avoid if you ever tip it upside 175 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: down and you look, that's where you're gonna find your 176 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,679 Speaker 1: recycling symbol, right and the number correct. Yes, So if 177 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:44,080 Speaker 1: you see a triangular recycling symbol with a three inside, 178 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: you should actually do this while you're at the store. 179 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: Look at the bottle and if you see a three, 180 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: put it back and keep looking until you find, you know, 181 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: the laundry to churchen or whatever you're you're looking for 182 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: that doesn't have a three, and it has a one 183 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 1: or a two or something like that. UM. And then 184 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: all of a sudden that one with the three will 185 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: go away eventually like PC. And that's because it's is 186 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 1: it impossible to recycle or it's not hard. It's very 187 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 1: very The the ways you can recycle or the things 188 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: you can recycle into a very very limited, like maybe 189 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: a plastic park bench or something like that, because there's 190 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: so many additives and plus it there. It's actually um. 191 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:27,840 Speaker 1: There's there's whole websites and organizations dedicated to getting rid 192 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: of PVC. Wh There's number one, it's it's impossible recycle. 193 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: So just that does generally end up in the dump 194 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: unless you take it to a specialty recycling plant. UM. 195 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:42,120 Speaker 1: And number two it contains thalamites, and thalamites are UM. 196 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: It depends on the plastic. Thalamites are like a softener 197 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 1: to to soften plastic. So like your vinyl shower curtain 198 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: that has thalamites in it, when you put it in 199 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: and it starts smelling weird, that's the thalamites. And they're 200 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: actually really harmful that children's toys, like the kind of 201 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: mouthble ones that they chew on. Bad news. PVC thallamites 202 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: not good stuff. So if you start doing this at 203 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,440 Speaker 1: the store, if you start, if you stop buying things 204 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: that are made in or delivered in PBC containers. PVC 205 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 1: is gonna go the way of the dinosaur pretty quick. Um. 206 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: But okay, so you want to look what you want 207 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: to look out for PVC? Right, Oh, I know what 208 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 1: we're talking about, raw materials. Back to raw materials, back 209 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: to raw materials. So recyclables are commodity because they're broken 210 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: back down into their original composition basically, right, okay, and 211 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: then they're sold for for big dough. It can be 212 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: big dough. Actually, I was reading an MPR article and um, 213 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: the price per ton that wholesale purchasers of of recycled 214 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 1: mixed office paper we're paying in this this past summer, 215 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 1: it was like ninety bucks a ton, big money. And 216 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: these are these are companies that are buying hundreds of 217 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:00,160 Speaker 1: thousands of tons a month um. So it was big 218 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 1: business to recycle. And by the fall it had dropped 219 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: to nothing because even you know, recycling is subject to 220 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: inflation and gas fuel prices. Well, not just that, but 221 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 1: the economy. People stop buying goods, so less goods were manufactured. Um. 222 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 1: But it's also because it's it's it's subject to economic whims. 223 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: It's also subject to consumers. Right, So like if you 224 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: if you only buy um products that are sold in 225 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: recyclable or recycled materials, that are made from recycled materials. Um, 226 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: you the people who make these things are going to 227 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: start buying more and more recycled stuff, okay, because that's 228 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,319 Speaker 1: what the consumers want. And if you stop buying stuff 229 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: that's made with you know, virgin raw materials, all of 230 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: a sudden, these trees are being saved or more plastic 231 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: isn't being made. And it's so it's kind of cool 232 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: to know that you can have this each person. Yeah, 233 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: you can also have an effect by making sure or 234 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: doing your best to make sure that everything that you 235 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 1: putting your recycling ben gets recycled. And one of the 236 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 1: ways you can do that is by cleaning the stuff. 237 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: I know that I know you referenced Minnesota in the article, 238 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: and I believe it's the same here in Georgia. About 239 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: pizza boxes, I've heard that pizza boxes they won't recycled 240 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: because they have you know, cheese and grease and stuff 241 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: on it. Actually just throw mine away, now, do you. Yeah, Yeah, 242 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:32,840 Speaker 1: it's probably good idea, And um, I I do a 243 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: real good job about cleaning out all my glass products 244 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: just because it stinks and you don't want, you know, 245 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,319 Speaker 1: the barbecue sauce smelling after a few days. So that's 246 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 1: the reason I do it. But it turns out it 247 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 1: has a better chance of getting recycled. It does and 248 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:47,040 Speaker 1: if you kind of look at it, like your your 249 00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: bottle of barbecue sauce. If you look at it, you 250 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: will see that it's not just a bottle of barbecue sauce. 251 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: There's several components to it, the lid, maybe that little 252 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:59,199 Speaker 1: ring that held the lid in place, to the safety 253 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: seal um that's not just kind of dangling around the 254 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: neck of the bottle of the label. If you break 255 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: this thing down into its parts, you're increasing its chances 256 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: of being recycled as well, because if you think about 257 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: the labels paper, but the bottles glass and the cap 258 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: is plastic. So you separate it, you're making it easier 259 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 1: for the people at the recycling plant, or I should 260 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,000 Speaker 1: say the magnets and lasers at the recycling plant. And 261 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,160 Speaker 1: it's it's going to be likelier to be recycled, right, 262 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: it won't become a residual, which I believe that is 263 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: what the refuse is called it. They cannot recycle correct, right, 264 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: and they want to any any recycling company would want 265 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:38,240 Speaker 1: to cut down on residual, right because that's just lost money. 266 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 1: So they're gonna do a lot to kind of make it, 267 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:44,480 Speaker 1: UM get as much money as possible by recycling as 268 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: much ASTU as possible. But you can definitely help, right, Yeah, 269 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:51,320 Speaker 1: that's great. I agree. So does that take us too? 270 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: Plastic and where that might end up? Yeah, you know, 271 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: plastic is kind of a big problem, right, and not 272 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: just PBC, but you know there's some play stick that's 273 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: a lot easier to recycle than others, UM, but it 274 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: doesn't always get recycled, and when it doesn't get recycled, 275 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: it can end up in some really screwed up places, right, 276 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: most specifically the ocean. Yes, a lot, a lot of 277 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: this stuff ends up in the ocean. And I have 278 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: a stat for you if you if you're into that, 279 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: you know, I'm into your stats. Uh. The the u 280 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 1: N did a little study their environmental program and they said, 281 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: in two thousand six, every square mild ocean has forty 282 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 1: six thousand pieces of floating plastic in it. Not awful, 283 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: forty six thousand pieces per square mile, And of the 284 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: more than two hundred billion pounds of plastic that we 285 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: produce each year all over the world is not United States, 286 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 1: about ten percent of that ends up in the ocean, 287 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: and a lot of that ends up on the floor 288 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,200 Speaker 1: of the ocean. Well, not just a lot of it's 289 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: seventy of it ends up on the floor of the ocean. 290 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: So if every square mile has forty six thousand pieces floating, 291 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: that's thirty of what's actually in the ocean. The rest 292 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: is on the ocean floor, right, all right, So plastic 293 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: is it's well, it's plastic, right, It's super wonderful material. 294 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: It's so useful. But yes, it doesn't biodegrade. It does 295 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: break down, it photo degrades, but it doesn't break down 296 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: molecularly into simpler compounds that can be absorbed by nature. 297 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces of 298 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: the same thing, conveniently bite sized pieces, which is one 299 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: of the big problems. What they're called mermaids tears or nerdles. Yeah, 300 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: that's probably the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life. 301 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: It is. It's almost as bad as the American Indian crying. Yeah, 302 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: some mermaids here. Uh so yeah, what happens is the 303 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: stuff ends up in the ocean and filter feeders like 304 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: our friend the whale, shark and catfish they take the 305 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: stuff in because they think it's food. Uh, seagulls, albatross 306 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: they eat the stuff and uh it ends up you know, 307 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 1: killing a large chair. Yeah yeah, but wait, there's more 308 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: aside from the choking hazard or you know, any problems 309 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: digestive problems that can occur. Um. These little mermaids tears 310 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: actually have this added property of attracting toxins like a sponge. 311 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: So like the anything, any toxin it comes in contact 312 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 1: within the ocean, it can actually draw stuff to it. 313 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,760 Speaker 1: It soaks it up, absorbs it, hangs onto it, and 314 00:17:22,760 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 1: then when it's eaten, little poison pills. Basically pretty much 315 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: shooting and sinking any ocean. And this is all over 316 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: the place, but there's actually there's this. There's a place 317 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 1: in the Pacific Ocean. This is startling to me. There's 318 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: a place in the Pacific in between Japan and California, right, 319 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:47,240 Speaker 1: and it is called the North Pacific subtropic gyre okay um. 320 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: And basically a gyre is just it's a circulating area 321 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: of water. But this is this isn't like a funnel, 322 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:58,119 Speaker 1: it's it's much more wide than that. Actually, one of 323 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: these gyres is twice the size of Texas. This this 324 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: subtropic gyre, the one in the North Pacific is actually 325 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: there's two, and they're connected by a six thousand long 326 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 1: subtropical convergent zone miles of basically trash and other things 327 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: making its way from one to the other. This is 328 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: where the garbage goes. This the the garbage that if 329 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:23,920 Speaker 1: you have a cigarette lighter and it goes out or 330 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: it comes out of your pocket because you had it 331 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:30,240 Speaker 1: in your bathing suit when you jumped in it, it 332 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 1: will likely end up in this huge garbage patch. There 333 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,440 Speaker 1: is a garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean that's twice 334 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: the size of Texas, and it's just kind of slowly 335 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 1: sitting there turning. There's actually there's there's two versions. There's 336 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 1: a western in the eastern right, and just one of 337 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:50,360 Speaker 1: them is twice the exactly and that's they're connected by 338 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: the little trash trail on the six thousand mile trash trail. 339 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: And this is having you could say, something of an 340 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:00,879 Speaker 1: impact on some of the Island, the island chains in 341 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: the area right Hawaiian Islands, some of the wine islands, 342 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: some of them are Some of them have beaches that 343 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: feature um five to ten feet of trash ten ft 344 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: deep and the plastic sand is what they call it. Yeah, 345 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:17,920 Speaker 1: bads tears that that turned into these really tiny tiny 346 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: bits that you just can't do anything about. It comes 347 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,880 Speaker 1: and mixed in with the beach. So it's bad news. 348 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: The the there is one heartening thing to all this, 349 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: to the great Pacific garbage pat It can be it 350 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,120 Speaker 1: can be reduced. And the reason it can be reduced 351 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,040 Speaker 1: is because I think eight percent of the trash and 352 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: the ocean it starts on land. This isn't like ocean 353 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,880 Speaker 1: going vessels going out and dumping you know in this 354 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,000 Speaker 1: jy or anything like. It's it's pulled there and it's 355 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: usually from land. That was good to hear. I mean, 356 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 1: it's sad in a way because it's coming from us, 357 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,959 Speaker 1: but it's good to know that, you know, something can 358 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,400 Speaker 1: change about that, right because it's everyday people who are 359 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,360 Speaker 1: doing this. It's not you know, some faceless corporation. It's 360 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: not the people who are duping us into thinking that 361 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,480 Speaker 1: where our stuff is being recycled and they're actually taking 362 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: it and dumping it in the Pacific. There's something you 363 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,920 Speaker 1: can do, Like you can not UM use plastic grocery 364 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,159 Speaker 1: bags anymore. It's a great ice very popular. UM. You 365 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,959 Speaker 1: can recycle absolutely everything. UM. You can. You can if 366 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 1: you have eco anxiety, which we've talked about, you can follow. 367 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: You can walk up and down the street and pull 368 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: the aquafina water bottles out of the trash and you 369 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: can do theirself sure, or you could charter a helicopter 370 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: and have them fly you out to the gyre and 371 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: get to work. That's so that's just the tip of 372 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 1: the iceberg. On the on the on you know, recycling 373 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:42,280 Speaker 1: in the World's Biggest landfill, which is the Great Pacific 374 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,119 Speaker 1: garbage paths and it is UM and we've got a 375 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: couple of articles on them. Coincidentally, this is a dual podcast. 376 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 1: This is a bonus street It was Yeah, it's our 377 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,679 Speaker 1: first time ever. We hope you liked it. UM. You 378 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 1: can read both of these articles by going to our 379 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: handy search bar and typing in world Biggest Landfill or 380 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: recycling reality and you can do that at how stuff 381 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: works dot com and Chuck we have a little listener 382 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,120 Speaker 1: mail we do my favorite part of the show, mail time. 383 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,639 Speaker 1: So today Josh, we have I'm gonna start off with 384 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: some corrections. Actually I'm gonna start off end end with corrections. 385 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,239 Speaker 1: I have a few. We had a recent podcast on 386 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:30,160 Speaker 1: body armor which was a special request from a soldier, 387 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: Donald Anderson and Iraq. And um. First correction is Donald 388 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: actually wrote us back because we didn't have his We 389 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,119 Speaker 1: found out his rank as a sergeant and it's a 390 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,200 Speaker 1: sergeant part of the fourth Squadron, third Armored Calvary Regiment, 391 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: and he works on the Age sixty f D turbine engine, 392 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:49,880 Speaker 1: which I did a little googling, and that's in the 393 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 1: Apache helicopter. He's got a very cool job. And he 394 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,439 Speaker 1: thanked us for the for the podcast. And um, some 395 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: people wrote in because we were talking about the spider 396 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:04,399 Speaker 1: silk being made from the goat and we couldn't conceive 397 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: of how that would happen exactly. We thought of it 398 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 1: coming out of its dairy air or right right, what 399 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:14,360 Speaker 1: was it? We said, let's listen, yealysis. Yeah, they've actually 400 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,680 Speaker 1: genetically engineered goats to produce spider silk. That is, and 401 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: I take it maybe their hair grows like that. I 402 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: have no idea because I don't know where the silk 403 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: would come out of the poor goat, so we did 404 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,800 Speaker 1: not know. We put the call out to our our listeners, 405 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: and because they're really smart and awesome, we had a 406 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,199 Speaker 1: bunch of people right in. And it turns out that 407 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 1: the spider silk is actually created in their milk, the 408 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 1: goats milk, and uh, it's very strong and apparently it's 409 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: compatible with the human body, so it can also be 410 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: used for artificial limbs and stuff. Now, so I just 411 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,120 Speaker 1: have a few names just to give people their due. Uh. 412 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: Nick McCracken of Waynesville, North Carolina. Kimberly Fletcher of Campbell, California. 413 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: Jeff Buell of the Earth Wow, not see where he 414 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: was from. II leaned forward whole stage from California. Michael 415 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 1: Barressitch h Matt Jensen of New York. Sean cash In 416 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: who just wrote in like literally ten minutes before we 417 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: went on the year, and one final person was unnamed 418 00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 1: and he's my favorite because or she because the email 419 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:23,040 Speaker 1: simply said the one so it may have been from 420 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,639 Speaker 1: God himself. Wow. Well, thank you God and all the 421 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,440 Speaker 1: rest of you for that. Correct and you've got some more. Well, 422 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:32,400 Speaker 1: just one more small quick correction. We did have a viewer, 423 00:23:32,480 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: I'm sorry listener mail on a recent podcast, and we 424 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 1: butchered the name and ginger this person Costs cos said 425 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 1: something like Bitch Tall of Wisconsin. And it's actually a female. 426 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: I think we said Costs. Yeah, we're really sorry about that, Costs. 427 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: I don't know why we just automatically assumed you were mad. 428 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: And so it's actually, uh Coss Bates Stall and she's 429 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: a girl and we're very happy for him, and where 430 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: we apologize. Yeah, thanks in a snow pop and uh. 431 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:03,280 Speaker 1: If you want to let us know how to pronounce 432 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 1: your name and tell us your gender, talk about goat's milk, whatever, 433 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: you can send us an email at stuff podcast at 434 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com for more on this and 435 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Does it how stuff works dot com. 436 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: H brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 437 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 1: It's ready, are you