Rome Was Not Recycled in a Day

Sometimes the simple act of recycling has much more impact than we know. That’s exactly what we explore on this episode. Get ready to get inspired with Keith and Mollie as they’re joined by Lisa and Michelle from Community on the Rise, a Birmingham organization that not only recovers #5 plastics but also helps people to recover their lives. Their stories will make you think twice before throwing away #5 plastics that the workers at Community on the Rise turn into beautifully crafted pieces of jewelry like the ones you see pictured here with Lisa. Check it out, and make sure to visit Community on the Rise’s website for ways to get involved. And if you’re inspired by today’s show and want more, we’ve got you covered. With this episode, we’re participating in the fourth annual Podcasthon. Thousands of podcasts around the world will dedicate one episode of their show to a charity of their choice and will release these episodes simultaneously, in a coordinated effort, mid-March 2026 creating a massive and international wave of inspiring audio content.

If you’re like Keith, you’ve found yourself standing in the checkout line at the grocery store more than once when you realized you forgot your reusable bags… again! Now, you’re taking home those plastic grocery bags that can’t be curbside recycled, and you have to remember to bring them back to the store to recycle next time which, well… if you could remember that, you wouldn’t have forgotten your reusable bags in the first place, right? The real Problem is that hard-to-get-rid-of flexible plastic. And look around next time you’re at the store: it goes a lot further than plastic grocery bags. On this episode, Keith and Mollie are once again joined by their friend Meredith to learn how somebody’s finally doing something about this problem! No, Meredith’s not calling Keith to remind him to bring his reusable bags, although that certainly wouldn’t hurt. Tune in to learn about the Flexible Film Recycling Alliance, an industry-wide group working to find ways to keep this stuff out of the landfills. Meredith inspires Keith and Mollie to think about what they buy as well as what they recycle to do their part in dealing with flexible films, and we hope she’ll inspire you, too. As always, we’d love to hear your own ideas on our contact form.

The holidays are nearly upon us! That means time for shopping, wrapping, decorating, and of course wading through stacks of Amazon boxes and packing materials trying to figure out where you left the scissors and tape. Happy holidays! While Keith and Mollie can’t help you with your annual holiday tradition of hunting for the scissors, they’re super excited about their own newest holiday tradition. Welcome to the first annual Green Gift Guide! Settle in with that mug of hot chocolate while Mollie helps you find ways to be good to the environment. We hope this episode inspires you to make this a reusable holiday. Hey, if it’s reusable enough, we might even have a second annual Green Gift Guide next year! And if you have your own suggestions for environmentally friendly giving, why not share them on our contact form? After all, it’s the season of sharing, right?

Decomposing food is kind of gross, right? If that thought brings on the “ick factor” then this episode might just be for you. Throwing away food scraps is the easy route, but what happens to that banana peel when you throw it in the garbage? How about that chicken bone or that container of Chinese food that sadly went bad before you could eat it? In the landfill, not a whole lot! So, what’s the environmentally friendly way to deal with those things? On this episode, Keith and Mollie dig into food scraps. No, not literally! They’re joined by Scott Smithline from Mill to learn about the amazing world of food scrap recycling. How does it work? What can go in, and what comes out? And how can you give that banana peel a better existence than decades in the landfill? Give this episode a listen to find out. And if you’d like to learn more afterwards, check out the US Composting Council page on Food Scrap Dehydrators, Scott’s post to the Mill blog on what food recyclers do, and facts about food waste from ReFED. Hungry for seconds? Learn what Mill says about the many uses for food grounds and their plans to expand beyond home kitchens. And if you have your own stories about food scrap recycling or overcoming the “ick factor”, we’d love to hear from you.

If it’s on the grocery store package, it must be true, right? Well, maybe! On this episode, Keith and Mollie dive into the murky waters of greenwashing! Yeah, that’s a scary word! Environmentally friendly, recyclable, low carbon impact… Sounds great! But are those things really as they seem, or are they just marketing propaganda? Our friend Meredith joins the show once again to help us make sense of all of this. Tune into learn how to do what’s best for the environment instead of letting that grocery store package decide for you. And if you have suggestions to add, don’t forget to send us a comment.

Glass is a pain! No, really! We’ve talked about that before here in Rome. On this episode, Keith and Mollie talk to someone who has decided to do something about it. Moriah Fordham is the owner of Phoenix Glass Recycling, bringing glass recycling to Huntsville, AL and the surrounding county. Even if you don’t live in Huntsville — not everyone can be a rocket scientist — you can learn a lot by listening to the interview with Moriah. She’s an entrepreneur who cares about the environment and wants to fill a much needed spot in the recycling world. Her company is a member of 1% for the Planet, the Glass Recycling Coalition, and the Alabama Recycling Coalition. But Moriah has a lot more to share than just a business with memberships. She’s got great ideas for keeping glass out of the landfill, whether you have a glass recycling program in your neighborhood or not. And if you’re still looking for more, learn about what really happens to recycled glass and what recycled glass can be turned into after it leaves the bin. Oh, and check out the new bigger glass crusher that Phoenix Glass Recycling has ordered. We’re pretty sure Mollie’s hoping Santa brings her one of these, too. And if you have glass recycling or reusing ideas of your own, make sure to add a comment below. This episode might not make glass recycling crystal clear, but we sure hope it at least manages to break the glass!

You’ve heard of recycling, and you’ve possibly even heard about upcycling, but have you tried funcycling? On this episode, Keith and Mollie dive into how to make recycling more fun! Yes, it’s really true. You actually can take good care of the environment and have fun at the same time. To help figure this out, return guest, funny man, and birthday boy Ben joins this episode with his own jokes, ideas, and, well… you’ll just have to listen to find out. And after you take in these ideas as a starting point, why not share a few of your own? Let us know how you make the task of recycling more fun by leaving a comment! Or at the least save us with some better jokes!

The times they are a chingin’! Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but Keith and Mollie are certainly all worked up on this episode. The city of Homewood, AL that we call home here at Rome Was Not Recycled in a Day is making some big changes to our curbside recycling program. City council person Jennifer Andress joined us for an episode in late 2021 to say that these changes were in the works. Even if you don’t live in Homewood, your curbside program might also be moving to a “mixed stream” program with a single bin for garbage and recycling. Give this episode a listen to learn about the changes coming, understand what RePower South is doing with our garbage and recycling, and help us ponder some of the many questions we have about this new system. We’re even wondering if The Gasp Group can help address some of our concerns about the idea of garbage being burned for energy. Perhaps most importantly, get some ideas how we can work with this new system without throwing some of our good recycling practices in the garbage! And if you have ideas of your own or can answer any of our questions, please comment below or hop over to our contact form. We’ll all figure this out together!

It’s summer vacation season! As you’ve hit the pump before hitting the road this year, your wallet has probably felt the pain. Gas prices may not be at an all-time high, but they ain’t what they used to be. Keith and Mollie have noticed that electric and plugin hybrid vehicles have become quite the thing these days! On this episode, they’re joined by an engineer from an electric utility company, John Murray, to explore the question: is it time to get one? Do they really make it worth it? What are the hidden costs, both to the owner and to the environment? And should we all rush out and buy one today? Before you plug in, tune in and hear the facts. And after you listen, we’d love to hear your own thoughts on these new kinds of cars that might save you a little at the pump… but might not be right for everyone yet.

It’s spring time at last! The time when we throw off the winter blahs, get outside, enjoy the birds singing and the flowers blooming, and start a compost bin! Okay, maybe composting isn’t on your spring wish list. Maybe you just can’t get into it because it’s too hard! If you listen regularly, though, you knowthatthis podcast is all about making recycling easier. Keith and Mollie are here to help. On this episode, they’re joined by Matt Nesbitt from Field Culture Compost, a community-sourced composting company. Listen to learn Matt and Mollie explain composting made easy. And if it’s still more than you can do, learn about the services that Matt’s company offers. You might even get inspired enough to get started on that spring cleaning that you’ve been putting off! And let us know your own composting tricks by leaving us a comment.