Plastics production has doubled in the last two decades, clogging up our oceans and showing up in our organs. The massive growth in plastics production is also increasing CO₂ output and driving up fossil fuel demand.
Meanwhile, only 8% of plastic actually gets recycled, challenging our trust in the waste management system.
But a new set of tools driven by AI, robotics, and material science are helping recycle plastics, steel, textiles, and just about everything else. And a new generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, and engineers are devoting themselves to launching those tools.
In this episode, we examine technology advances that are helping recyclers convert hard-to-recycle waste into a valuable feedstock – and what it means for building a circular economy with a singular goal of radically reducing global waste.
Guests:
- Kate Brandt, chief sustainability officer at Google
- Astro Teller, captain of moonshots, at X, the moonshot factory
- Rey Banatao, project lead at X, the moonshot factory
- Julia Mangin, head of sustainability, Recology
- Emma Lingle, project manager at X, the moonshot factory
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