The Future of Waste

Show #113 | Guests: Bea Johnson is the author of Zero Waste Home, and the blog of the same name. She endorses living simply and with minimal waste through the 5R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot. Grand Prize winner of The Green Awards, she speaks at universities, corporate events and conferences internationally, and opens her home to educational tours and the media. The New York Times dubbed Johnson “The Priestess of Waste-Free Living.” She is a French native who lives in Mill Valley, CA. Jo Zientek is Deputy Director of the Environmental Services Department at the City of San Jose. She’s provided strategic leadership for San Jose environmental utility services and programs and played a key role in developing the City’s Green Vision, adopted by City Council in October 2007 and comprised of ten aggressive goals related to jobs, energy, water, waste, trees, and transportation. Jo serves on the steering committee to implement these goals by 2022. Under her tenure, San Jose won the 2013 and 2009 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award. | Show Summary: Recycling is such a norm in some cities it’s easy to think that’s true all over the US. But some cities still don’t have curbside pickup. And for those that do, questions and conflict about. Residents might be surprised to find out how many “recyclables” end up in landfills. Emphatic critics of popular “all in one bin” collection see it as more harmful than helpful. Then there’s the untapped potential of trash-as-resource. Can the tons of refuse produced worldwide realistically be a source of energy or reclaimed resources? Do landfills harbor buried treasure?