Science Jun 23 Watch 7:48 Recycling plastic has been an uphill challenge. Could chemical recycling change that? Plastic pollution is a global threat on our lands and seas. Since World War II, we have created over 9 billion cubic tons of it, yet its recycling remains extremely limited. As part of our "Breakthroughs" series, Miles O'Brien looks… By Miles O'Brien
Nation Apr 25 Watch 4:53 Your recycling is not always being recycled—here’s why Recycling rules seem to differ in every municipality, with exceptions and caveats at every turn, leaving the average American scratching their head at the simple act of throwing something away. Jennie Romer, author of “Can I Recycle This?” joins NewsHour… By Christopher Booker, Mori Rothman
Science Nov 26 Watch 4:42 How innovation and small steps can help us solve The Plastic Problem On Wednesday night, PBS will air a one-hour special report, “The Plastic Problem,” that examines how our global dependence on plastic has created one of the biggest environmental threats to our planet. Amna Nawaz hosts the program, and she joins…
Arts May 20 Watch 5:42 This San Francisco art exhibit takes another look at trash In San Francisco, art enthusiasts recently gathered for an exhibition of unusual pieces, in which every material used came from the nearby city dump. The works represented the culmination of an artist residency at Recology, San Francisco’s waste and recycling… By Cat Wise
Dec 21 What to do with all of your holiday trash By Jamie Leventhal Many Americans will toss their mountainous pile of holiday waste into the recycling bin, which can do more harm than good. Here's how to properly dispose of holiday wrappings, decorations and Christmas lights. Continue reading
Oct 11 Watch 8:07 Loss of Chinese export market drives new ideas for repurposing recyclables China’s decision to buy less recyclable material from the U.S. has prompted major questions about how we handle waste in America. What will we do with our abundance of plastic bottles and pizza boxes, if exporting them is no longer… Continue watching
Oct 05 Watch 7:03 Tiny Easter Island deals with giant trash problem By Jeffrey Brown, Mike Fritz Easter Island off the coast of Chile has a major trash problem. It’s near what’s known as a “trash vortex” in the middle of the South Pacific and floating waste is constantly washing ashore. Local officials estimate the growing population… Continue watching
Oct 04 Watch 8:05 Why your recyclables might have no place to go By Paul Solman, Sarah Clune Hartman Until this year, China had been America's -- and the world's -- number one recycling market. But China has shut its doors to plastic waste, which could result by 2030 in more than 100 million tons of trash with nowhere… Continue watching
Sep 26 Watch 9:36 Why it will take more than basic recycling to cut back on plastic By Amna Nawaz, Lorna Baldwin In the 70 years that plastic has been around, humans have created 9 billion tons of it -- most of which still exists. Are the existing strategies for tackling plastic pollution -- namely reusing and recycling -- really making any… Continue watching