Episode 4: Dumping is not Donating

Explicit content warning

06/13/20 • 73 min

We touch base with Zero Waste Trash Talk family member Jess Johnson to discuss her experiences with donations as a home organizer. In addition to asking what each organization is accepting before just dumping items on them, she finds out what they do with the items they can't use.

Then we have a chat with the amazing Leah Sherry from Turnip Green Creative Reuse. Her organization's goal is to divert usable materials from the landfill and from being recycled. Reuse is their mantra and their facility is an amazing resource for educators, artists and anyone doing any kind of project. If you donate but don't buy from thrift or reuse stores you are not participating in a sustainable system.

Previous Episode

Down In The Dumps with The Story Of Plastic

In Episode 3 we talk about watching the new documentary The Story of Plastic on Amazon Prime and we interview our friend John Hawkins, a Nashville waste diversion specialist and musician, to get his take on the problems with recycling.

We discuss if we should stop recycling since it's broken and I think Michael might've even encouraged armed insurrection "John Wick Style". Did we mention that this isn't your normal Zero Waste Podcast with tips about crafting your garbage and stuffing everything into a jar? Oh wait, next week is about donating to TGCR who makes cool art with stuff that can't be recycled. Sustainability is complicated and as we say in Episode 1, Nothing Goes Away.

Next Episode

Episode 5: Interview with Nashville Metro Public Works

Jenn Harrman, the Nashville Public Works Waste Reduction Program Manager, answers our questions about what's recyclable in Nashville and where does it go? Like many cities, Nashville has had to adapt to a changing markets for recyclables. The rules for what plastics can be recycled have changed twice in the last year, causing some confusion. Listen to this episode to get to the nitty gritty of how things work at our Materials Recovery Facility and how the private contractor, Waste Management, fits into the picture.

We also discuss glass for home pickup and what the city is doing about the huge amounts beer bottles generated from Downtown Nashville Honky Tonks. The legality of putting cardboard in your trash bin and how to bag your yard waste are also covered. At the wrap up Michael asks the question: "Should we even be recycling plastics".