How Recycling Actually Works | Plastic Planet with Zanna Van Dijk | BBC Earth Explore

Zanna Van Dijk talks us through how to recycle correctly with the professionals that take care of our waste.

Welcome to BBC Earth Explore! We make films about the incredible natural world, we investigate the conundrums, quirks and beautiful science of our amazing planet, delving into the BBC vaults and mixing it up with our own stuff to take a brand new look at Earth.

[johnrouse]

This video was only half the story. After this sorting facility, there is no guarantee that these materials will be recycled into anything. The sorting facility employee mentioned markets for a moment but that was never explored further. I think it would be really useful for viewers to understand how markets for recyclable materials work and I would love to see BBC Earth produce a video about that. Here is the US the markets for plastics, metals, and cardboard materials are fairly weak and so recyclable materials are being stockpiled until prices for these materials rebound, instead of actually being made into anything new. For example, Its currently cheaper to make new virgin aluminum products than to make aluminum products from recycled materials.

[leaL]

How Recycling Actually Works: Sort it all into neat piles. Send it all abroad so it can be dumped in someone else' sea.

[epsospremium]

Recycling systems is a very good industry for our planet. One can be very rich by selling recycling systems to cities.

*Sorting the trash at home* does speed up the sorting in the factory. It helps with paper, plastic and glass.
At least sorting the paper and glass is a good thing. Metal is sorted out very well with magnets.

[chrisk]

Up until very recently we were very meticulous in our home about separating waste. No one's said anything but, now it goes in to whichever bin is nearest because it all goes into the sea or to other countries dispite our efforts....still spoiling the world.

[becky]

I had no idea that the "energy from waste" facility even existed! Obviously not the only solution, but still so cool! 💚

[MegaMementoMori]

I don't understand what's the deal with saying that something can be recycled X amounts of time. As far as I know, the recycling process involves melting thousands of units into new ones, and the melted units came from other instances of melting, so how is it possible to determine how many times was something recycled?

[shreedhar]

You’re asking a waste sorting facility if consumers sorting their recyclable waste in separate bins would help them. Of course, it won’t help them. It will put them out of business. Lol. Even the interviewee seemed dumbfounded when she was presented the question. At least she was quick enough to dodge it by saying it works for London.

[stephendoherty]

So that's 10000 tons of the 70k that cannot be sold on (every day?) and what happens to the burnt waste ash after incineration?. Note how much of the recycle depot has to be shipped to Asia. Waste to energy plants have a low fuel to power conversion unless the waste heat from the hot gases can be reused via a district heating network which is almost non existent in the UK

[MikeMusicandMotivation]

My city doesn't even want to go plastic free

[yanakano]

I prefer this type of yellow jacket to those in France.

[zhubajie]

We need to require the producers to recycle their waste. Then they would factor in the externalities of the waste stream that has been passed on to the public and reduce the amounts of materials used, the type of materials used and the economics of the recyclability taken into account in the design which the consumer and the waste collector has no control over.

[goldwolf]

How about plastics get treated like plutonium and only authorized dealers can get it like medical devices. Make the public go back to using glass and paper cups, cotton bags, wood furniture, metal hangers, leather or cloth shoes, paper scotch tape etc...

[michaelhalim]

Are you guys gonna make a video feat. Maddie again? I like her british accent

[manus]

this it not recycling. in recycling the value of the product or material is transferred to an other product. burning plastic is downcycling at its worst.

[tehsimo]

What on earth is she wearing? Bring back Maddie

[optc-aaronjackson]

this is okay but we can reduce and re-use all we want but if other countries don't do the same then we wont see the real benefits of it.

[Threelegs]

I couldn't care less but I'm watching it for the hot blonde

[chrisk]

Ps. This video is government lip service.

[Butane-ljtr]

Ask the manufacturers in the food industry to stop plastic and you solve and big part of the issue is treated. Come on ms May you can do it! Like you did with brexit...

[makemeasandwich]

who else is here for the milk carton's situated firmly on her chest 😳😂