What should you do with all that wrapping paper and ugly Christmas sweaters? In our end of the year winter special, we give tips on having a more sustainable holiday season and new year! We also recap what we've learned about recycling, sustainability, and materials science from our special guests in 2019. Listen in for a quick summary from our discussions with Ernie Simpson from TerraCycle, Mattias Wallander of USAgain, Ryan Weinstein of M&M Waste, Inc., Chris Luettgen from the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech, Léa Ikkache and Karelle Siellez from The Whale Shark Project, Scientific Glassblower Elayne Ashley from Georgia Tech, and Hannah Woods.

Even the little guy or gal can have a big impact! That’s why microplastics, while small, are kind of a big deal for plastic pollution in the oceans. We discuss what microplastics are, why they are bad for humans and biodiversity of our oceans, how to test for them, and what people can do to help! Join us for an interview with Léa Ikkache and Karelle Siellez, the founders of the Whale Shark Project, a grassroots plastic-reducing campaign out of Atlanta, GA. The Whale Shark Project will have an interactive sculpture in the Georgia Aquarium in 2020.

Even plastics and other materials need a little help from their friends! Most products are made by combining or blending different materials or plastics together, especially to get really cool properties. This also makes them really hard to recycle. In this episode we talk about composite materials and hear from Ernie Simpson, the Global Vice President of Research and Development of TerraCycle. He tells us about what it takes to recycle, just about anything, but specifically those tricky #7 plastic composites from multi-layer packaging in your Caprisun pouches and chip bags!

Forming a new habit takes about a month. In that same time, an aluminum can can be recycled and back on the shelf! Recycling metal to make new products is not only better for the environment, it’s much more economical. In this episode, we’ll talk about what makes a metal, how aluminum is extracted from the earth, and how it gets recycled. Did you know you can take your used aluminum cans to a scrap metal yard? We learned about the fascinating world of scrap metal recycling from our guest, Ryan Weinstein, Vice President of M&M Waste, a dumpster rental and scrap metal recycling company.

So you’ve got a bag of clothes you don’t want. Some of these clothes are old and worn, while others are almost new. What happens with the clothes you donate? Can you do anything with the items that seem unusable? On this episode, we talk about the recyclability and sustainability of textiles made of various materials. Later, in our conversation with the CEO of USAgain, Mattias Wallander, we learn that the lifecycle of clothing isn’t what you expect.

Glass is all over the place - in windows, storage containers, screens, lenses, and more. But how much do you really know about this highly abundant material? In Episode 3, we talk all things glass, from where it comes from, how it is categorized and how it can be recycled. Stick around for an interview with special guest Elayne Ashley, Southeast section director for the American Scientific Glassblowers Society, to find out more about scientific glassblowing and just how recyclable glass really is.

Q: What do cats and paper have in common? A: They both have nine lives!

Did you know that paper can be recycled over and over on an average nine times before the fibers become too weak to make usable paper? Listen to Episode 2 of Talk Green to Me to learn more about paper recycling and to hear a special interview with 4th generation papermaker, Dr. Chris Luettgen.

Have you ever wondered what the numbers on the bottom of plastic recyclables mean? Wonder no more. In this episode, we discuss everything from categorization to processing of plastic materials and their long-term effects on the planet. Stick around to hear a special interview with Hannah where she talks about some practical ways she has been reducing her use of plastic in everyday life.

Trailer by Talk Green to Me