Jamie takes a trip to the Great Minnesota Get-Together to talk with people and hear their thoughts on recycling, water quality, and products made from post-consumer plastics. He had some great conversations, including a chat with Lauren from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. They discussed how HDPE plastics can be recycled to make products like picnic tables and birdhouses--as well as drainage pipe, which uses a large volume of post-consumer plastic.

Jamie also talked with Ann and Jennifer from the University of Minnesota Extension about the opportunities that exist to educate young people about local water quality, the role that plastic pipe manufacturing plays in recycling efforts, and potential careers in the water management industry.

The last conversation in this episode is with Jacob from By the Yard, a Minnesota-based company that manufactures and sells lawn furniture made from recycled plastic. He and Jamie discuss their shared goal of keeping plastic out of landfills and how rewarding it is to do something good with recycled plastics.

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to the Water Table Podcast
00:35 - Visiting the Minnesota State Fair
01:47 - Recycling plastics into new products
03:07 - From milk jugs to drainage pipe
06:30 - Why water matters locally
08:20 - Opportunities for educating young people
09:45 - Doing something good with recycled plastics
13:16 - Closing remarks

Related content:

• #67 | Sustainability and Resilience - How the Plastic Pipe Industry is on the Forefront
• #05.1 | The Science Behind Making Pipe: Part 01
• #05.2 | The Science Behind Making Pipe: Part 02
• Water Quality resources from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 
• University of Minnesota Extension
• By the Yard Outdoor Furniture

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