WEBVTT 00:00:02.170 --> 00:00:05.430 line:1 What actually happens to the stuff you put in the recycling bin? 00:00:05.430 --> 00:00:07.410 I’ve always been curious, 00:00:07.410 --> 00:00:10.630 so I decided to collect the recycling from our office and 00:00:10.630 --> 00:00:12.710 bring it to a recycling plant to find out. 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:15.965 line:1 Follow me. We’re going to find out the life of our recyclables 00:00:15.965 --> 00:00:17.550 line:1 as they go to a recycling plant. 00:00:17.675 --> 00:00:21.655 line:1 [upbeat music] 00:00:23.555 --> 00:00:25.790 When I got to Sims recycling plant in Brooklyn, 00:00:25.790 --> 00:00:28.160 I found a huge warehouse 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.560 where 800 tons of recyclables from all over New York 00:00:31.560 --> 00:00:34.340 are dropped off by barge and truck every day. 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:36.522 The plant was built in 2013, 00:00:36.522 --> 00:00:38.192 and it is state-of-the-art. 00:00:38.440 --> 00:00:42.050 It handles materials like: metals, glass, and hard plastics. 00:00:42.050 --> 00:00:45.030 And after those materials are dropped off, they’re sorted. 00:00:45.660 --> 00:00:48.150 So we take all of those unsorted recyclables 00:00:48.150 --> 00:00:51.580 and push it through our processing system, nearly all automatic. 00:00:51.850 --> 00:00:55.120 line:1 It's about two and a half miles worth of conveyor belts, magnets, 00:00:55.120 --> 00:00:57.730 line:1 cameras all sorts of other machines 00:00:57.870 --> 00:01:00.610 dedicated to just sorting out different materials. 00:01:00.610 --> 00:01:03.130 The sorting machine is very high-tech 00:01:03.245 --> 00:01:05.800 and sorts 14 kinds of materials, 00:01:05.800 --> 00:01:09.040 like glass, aluminum, cartons, and different types of plastic. 00:01:09.230 --> 00:01:11.380 Once enough of a material is collected, 00:01:11.380 --> 00:01:14.030 it's compressed into a 1,000 to 1,500 pound 00:01:14.030 --> 00:01:15.437 block called a bale. 00:01:15.437 --> 00:01:17.344 After the bales are sorted, they’re sold 00:01:17.344 --> 00:01:18.820 to 3rd party companies. 00:01:18.820 --> 00:01:21.020 For example, a bale 00:01:21.020 --> 00:01:22.990 of aluminum might sell for $800. 00:01:23.110 --> 00:01:26.410 Buyers then take the raw material, clean and process it, 00:01:26.410 --> 00:01:28.110 and turn it into something new. 00:01:28.110 --> 00:01:30.780 This process saves way more energy 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:32.440 than mining for virgin materials. 00:01:32.440 --> 00:01:34.510 With the same amount of energy it takes 00:01:34.510 --> 00:01:36.960 to make a new can of aluminum, you can make 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:39.470 20 cans from recycled aluminum. 00:01:39.950 --> 00:01:42.310 And using one ton of recycled plastic 00:01:42.310 --> 00:01:44.690 saves 16 barrels of oil. 00:01:45.697 --> 00:01:49.160 You have to think about all this stuff as coming from the earth, right? 00:01:49.160 --> 00:01:51.840 There’s natural resources, oil in all of these plastics, 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:54.700 and once you put it in the trash, it goes to a landfill 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:56.240 or it’s going to an incinerator. 00:01:56.240 --> 00:01:58.400 You’re never going to use that material again. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:01.300 So it’s important we’ve got limited resources on this planet, 00:02:01.300 --> 00:02:03.800 to use these kinds of materials 00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:05.940 as much as we can in the best way as possible. 00:02:08.220 --> 00:02:12.230 Despite the great set-up at Sims there are still a lot of issues with recycling. 00:02:12.230 --> 00:02:15.280 First of all, Americans kind of suck at it. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:19.780 According to the EPA, about 75% of all our waste is actually recyclable. 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:24.230 Yet, our recycling rates hang around 34%, nationally. 00:02:24.230 --> 00:02:27.950 That basically means that only a third of every single thing we use and throw out every 00:02:27.950 --> 00:02:29.900 day is making it to the recycling bin. 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:35.110 And don’t get me started with New Yorkers. We only recycle 17% of our waste. 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:38.530 This is a garbage can right outside of our office and you can see there’s paper 00:02:38.530 --> 00:02:40.990 and there’s some cans in there, cups. 00:02:40.990 --> 00:02:45.660 All of these thing are recyclable and they’re in the trash, right when there’s a recycling 00:02:45.660 --> 00:02:47.370 bin right next door. 00:02:47.370 --> 00:02:51.610 Only about 50% of recyclables in New York City are getting recycled right now. 00:02:51.610 --> 00:02:55.530 And I think that's largely a result of maybe a lack of public education. 00:02:55.530 --> 00:02:58.850 The fact that the rules have changed over time. 00:02:58.850 --> 00:03:01.540 Maybe some people just don't care enough or don't know why they should care. 00:03:01.540 --> 00:03:05.100 And I think all of those kind of issues can really be addressed through education. 00:03:05.100 --> 00:03:09.500 For their part, Sims offers daily educational tours of their plant, in an effort to boost 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:11.190 our low recycling rates. 00:03:11.190 --> 00:03:16.010 Low rates aren’t the only issue though. Sam also told me about another problem called 'wish-cycling'. 00:03:16.010 --> 00:03:18.540 That’s when people put trash into the recycling bin, 00:03:18.540 --> 00:03:22.290 hoping it can be recycled when, in fact, it can not. 00:03:22.290 --> 00:03:26.620 I would say it’s about 10%-13% of what we get is not something we want to receive. 00:03:26.620 --> 00:03:31.550 Those kinds of materials are extra plastic bags, plastic film, maybe little bits of food 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:33.400 scraps mixed in with those containers. 00:03:33.410 --> 00:03:38.140 Wish-cycling wastes a lot of energy and fuel because items are shipped to a plant like Sims 00:03:38.140 --> 00:03:41.550 sorted, and then eventually just sent to the dump. 00:03:41.550 --> 00:03:45.030 I wanted to see if my coworkers and I were guilty of any wish-cycling 00:03:45.030 --> 00:03:47.680 so I convinced Sam to go through our bag with me. 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.020 We’re not wearing gloves because, 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:51.020 is that okay with you? 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:52.730 Yeah, we do this every day, this is fine. 00:03:52.730 --> 00:03:55.730 By looking through our bag, I learned we made some mistakes. 00:03:55.730 --> 00:03:57.880 Like putting paper towels in the recycling bin. 00:03:57.880 --> 00:03:59.220 They’re actually compostable. 00:03:59.410 --> 00:04:03.790 He also told me important tips, like cutting down on plastic straws. 00:04:03.790 --> 00:04:06.840 A lot of sort of single use disposables that are really small, 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:11.430 it's better to use less of these then to even try to recycle them because a lot of small 00:04:11.430 --> 00:04:13.630 plastics sort of fall through the cracks in the system. 00:04:14.070 --> 00:04:15.050 Reduce. 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:15.310 Exactly. 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:20.000 Sam told me that another huge misconception about recycling are plastic bags. 00:04:20.110 --> 00:04:26.770 We get about 18 tons of plastic bags here every day, ideally we would be getting nothing. 00:04:26.770 --> 00:04:31.130 Plastic bags are a low quality kind of plastic, which makes them really hard to resell. 00:04:31.140 --> 00:04:34.980 For example, in SIMS case, they actually have to pay another company to to come 00:04:34.990 --> 00:04:37.240 to pick up the bags and recycle them elsewhere. 00:04:37.250 --> 00:04:40.300 On top of that, the bags get stuck in the machine and can break it. 00:04:40.310 --> 00:04:43.400 So if you want to recycle your plastic shopping bags, 00:04:43.400 --> 00:04:46.160 go to a plastic bag drop-off at a retailer like Whole Foods. 00:04:46.170 --> 00:04:50.250 Or better yet, skip the plastic bag all together and bring a reusable bag. 00:04:50.280 --> 00:04:54.970 It’s important to note that every city is different so look up what your city’s recycling 00:04:54.970 --> 00:04:56.040 plant accepts. 00:04:56.050 --> 00:05:00.260 Sims is one of the most inclusive recycling plants on the East coast and accepts more 00:05:00.270 --> 00:05:05.280 materials than many recycling plants. But Sam told me to abide by the general rule, 00:05:05.290 --> 00:05:09.130 'If it’s a hard plastic, put it in the recycling bin'. 00:05:09.270 --> 00:05:13.230 Seeing the 800 tons of recyclables at SIMs was insane. 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:19.090 But that’s nothing compared to the 12,000 tons of trash residents of New York City throw 00:05:19.090 --> 00:05:20.280 out every day. 00:05:20.290 --> 00:05:25.000 I know seeing that made me more conscious of what I use every day and inspired me to 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:26.260 cut down on single-use plastics. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.230 But let’s be real, plastic is still a part of our everyday lives 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:32.250 and it’s hard to avoid it completely. 00:05:32.260 --> 00:05:36.190 However, I’ve realized we can have a say in where it ends up, 00:05:36.200 --> 00:05:40.620 and while we’re at it, help our environment and create a more sustainable future.