Skeptoid #932: Is Recycling for Real?

The actual wayfinding methods used by the ancient Polynesians to navigate between islands and settle the entire Pacific Ocean. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices 

Skeptoid Adventures will set sail on the world's largest sailing vessel, the SV Royal Clipper, from Malaga, Spain, to Nice, France this April. We'll have a mini-conference aboard and we'll stop at amazing ports of call -- all while on the coolest full-rigged sailing ship you've e ... Show More

Nearly as much mythology as science surrounds the wayfinding techniques used by early Polynesians to navigate the South Pacific. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices 

We talk about the over-reliance on recycling rather than reducing the use of plastics 

For many, recycling feels like a tangible way to personally combat climate change and to positively affect the environment. But after a years long investigation, NPR correspondent Laura Sullivan finds that reality is generally the opposite: Only a small fraction of plastic is ult ... Show More

Waste, trash, garbage – whatever you call it, unwanted materials have become a major presence in many of our lives and our environment. Every year it is estimated that humans around the world produce 2 billion metric tonnes of waste. Listener Clare from Devon in the UK wants to s ... Show More

An estimated 32% of the recycling we send off to sorting centers actually gets recycled. Why is this? The nature of sorting recycling by hand is time consuming, messy, and dangerous, and the human error involved in this process is enormous. Enter AMP Robotics, a Denver-based comp ... Show More

Recycling most plastic doesn't work. It never has. In 2020, we ran an episode showing how big oil companies misled the public into thinking plastic would be recycled. That episode just won a duPont-Columbia award. Here it is. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here. Learn more ... Show More

It’s been about a decade since Josh and Chuck last checked in on recycling and since then a lot has changed. A global commodities market dealing in recyclables has developed and recently crashed. Jump back into the fascinating world of recycling.  Learn more about your ad-choices ... Show More

Recycling plastic has never worked very well. So who convinced us this was a good idea? In this episode, we might have the answer. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here. 

Could recycling to save money be the answer to saving the planet? For decades, wealthy countries have been shipping their waste to China for sorting and recycling. Now China is getting wealthier, it no longer wants to be a dumping ground. So could we take another look at the cold ... Show More

Recycling has come a long way since its debut -- and so have landfills. In this twofer HowStuffWorks podcast, discover the realities of modern recycling and find out why the world's largest landfill might be more aptly described as an "oceanfill." Learn more about your ad-choices ... Show More