Is Your Plastic Actually Being Recycled?

The plastics industry has spent millions of dollars over the past few decades touting recycling as a solution for ballooning amounts of plastic waste. But… are plastics actually recycled? In this episode of Trace Material, Kara Napolitano, education and outreach coordinator for Sims Municipal Recycling Center, breaks down how much of our plastics are actually recycled and offers some sustainable alternatives. Listen to this episode, “The Guilt Eraser,” from Trace Material: Stories from the Plastics Age wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/38C4ZDT Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3s3x6D7 Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3y2V44Z For photos, transcripts, and additional resources from the podcast, head to our website: https://healthymaterialslab.org/podcast Trace Material is a podcast from Parsons Healthy Materials Lab at The New School explores the intersection of our lives and the lives of the materials that surround us. Each season we dig into a material you might find in your home to discover what it can tell us about our shared history and culture. In our second season, we’re telling stories from the plastics age. No single material has had a greater impact on the modern world than plastic. We bring together diverse perspectives to tell the complex and nuanced story of plastics in the US. Through materials like PVC and products like Tupperware, we explore how plastics have transformed our bodies, homes, and environment. ––––––––––––––––––––––– About Healthy Materials Lab: Healthy Materials Lab is a design research lab at Parsons School of Design that is dedicated to placing people’s health at the center of all design decisions, raising awareness about toxic chemicals in building products, and creating healthier places for all people to live. For resources, tools, and guides to healthier materials visit: https://healthymaterialslab.org And keep in touch with us here: Mailing List: https://bit.ly/3N2xHgj Instagram: https://bit.ly/3MW7CQ2 Linkedin: https://bit.ly/3l0Mg80