Nikolaus Geyrhalter follows waste to the shores, mountains, and ocean…
Racing To Zero
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Only one third of the waste in the United States is recycled or composted. Why? Industry, through its practice of planned obsolescence, plays a major role; our lives are almost totally dependent on unrecyclable petroleum products. In order to reach zero waste, we need to change our relationship to garbage and view the things we discard as resources, rather than waste.
RACING TO ZERO examines our society's garbage practices in terms of consumption, preparation, use and production, and discovers some amazing solutions in San Francisco, which is successfully taking the necessary steps to reach zero waste. Cities all over the United States have instituted zero-waste policies of their own, and it is through these mandates that we are challenged to think differently about not only how we handle our garbage, but what it can become.
'Informative and inspiring. It reminds us that nothing in nature is waste, only food for another cycle. By highlighting the culture of zero waste developed in San Francisco we can see that another world is possible. We just need the determination and vision to make a zero waste world a reality. As a professor in environmental policy and sustainability, this film demonstrates the innovation and public policy that is possible when we tackle complex environmental problems like garbage.' Anna Baptista, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management, The New School
'In this inspiring and path-breaking film, Diana Fuller and Christopher Beaver not only address the most profound issues raised by the waste we produce, they also tell us with great accuracy what we can do about it. How we can best re-use and re-purpose our waste without being imprisoned by it. It opens up important new conversations if we are to become a more sustainable society.' Dr. Helene Cherrier, Associate Professor of Economics, Finance and Marketing, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University
'Racing to Zero is a remarkable story of the economy, technology, and multidisciplinary strategies needed to address the pressing need to reuse and recycle waste. An insider's peek into the recycling, compositing, re-purposing industry will provoke discussions at a variety of scales in the fields of environmental studies, resource management, architecture, engineering, biology, and chemistry. The film challenges us to think about the life cycle of all raw materials and products.' Dr. Alison G. Kwok, AIA, LEED-AP, Professor of Architecture, University of Oregon, Co-author, The Green Studio Handbook
'Viewers will get a sense of where the discards we throw into garbage, recycling, and compost bins go, and the environmental implications of choosing to discard into those bins...Education is vital to effective recycling and composting, and this film gives a clear and accessible set of instructions to facilitate successful resource reclamation. Viewers also get a sense of the hard work often anonymous people do to reclaim value from the discards. Racing to Zero conveys the crucial message that discarded material is not worthless trash but rather potentially valuable resources.' Carl Zimring, Associate Professor of Social Science and Cultural Studies, Pratt Institute, Author, Cash for Your Trash
'Encouraging and inspiring...I recommend this film for city planners and other officials thinking about implementing sustainability goals, for entrepreneurs wanting ideas of how to turn recycling into a career path, and activists who want to activate new ideas and energy for their organizations...Quite helpful for business, economy, or political science students.' Cherice Bock, Whole Terrain Journal
'This well-done film encapsulates of many of the issues of importance in modern-day waste management...It presents potential solutions according to the philosophy of 'zero waste,' a hopeful movement that seeks to reuse-recover-recycle all objects and materials in use in modern day American society, especially as they are being implemented in San Francisco.' David Tonjes, Assistant Professor of Technology and Society, Stony Brook University
'Racing to Zero reframes the conversation--not around what waste is--but what waste can be--a resource to us all. As a guy who has made a beautiful home out of an old rusty dumpster I've seen how these sort of transformational conversations in education can be the impetus towards a new awakening--one that can impact the largest challenge we face as humans. Zero waste is a journey as much as a destination and students would enjoy watching this film only second to taking a dive into a dumpster, litter-ally.' Dr. Jeff Wilson, Dean and Environmental Studies Professor, Professor Dumpster of The Dumpster Project, Huston-Tillotson University
'What you will learn from this video is very valuable: that waste is an increasingly complex material, that there is a tremendous amount of science and human effort needed for reusing and recycling it, and that--despite such difficulties--it is possible to make great strides in getting it out of our air, soil, water, and bodies. Optimistic but not naive.' Dr. Zsuzsa Gille, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Author, From the Cult of Waste to the Trash Heap of History: The Politics of Waste in Socialist and Post Socialist Hungary
'Racing to Zero is an inspirational overview of San Francisco's progress towards closed-loop solid waste management. The video details a comprehensive approach that goes beyond municipal solid waste and food waste by demonstrating implementation of e-wastes, plastics, and clothing reprocessing. San Francisco's program is an excellent example for other cities.' Dr. Thomas DiStefano, Chair and Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bucknell University
'Both instructive and inspirational, Racing to Zero offers an honest and hopeful portrayal of one city's dream of rebirth and a possible end to America's waste nightmare. Including interviews with scholars, waste workers, small businesses, politicians and farmers, this film will be an invaluable resource to educators and environmental reformers alike.' Joshua Reno, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, SUNY- Binghamton University, Co-editor, Economies of Recycling: The Global Transformation of Materials, Values and Social Relations
'This video is excellent...Congratulations to San Francisco for daring to be idealistic and hats off to this film team for showing us how a dream can become a practical reality.' Dr. Paul Connett, Author, The Zero Waste Solution: Untrashing the Planet One Community at a Time, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Chemistry, St. Lawrence University
'Inspiring...eye-opening...The film moves along at a brisk pace, introducing a wide range of public and private individuals - including policy makers, entrepreneurs, residents, waste management workers, and researchers. Each plays a part, and the film clearly demonstrates how each contributes to the city's goal of zero waste.' Jen Wong, Educational Media Reviews Online
'Rousing film exhorts us to join in...Even turning rubbish into art, these innovators zero in on new possibilities for greater sustainability.' Carol Harada, Mill Valley Film Festival
'An informative and optimistic film...Racing to Zero shows that it takes a tremendous effort of manpower, technology, and political will but that reducing the waste output of modern society is possible...maybe even all the way down to zero.' Jack David Eller, Anthropology Review Database
Citation
Main credits
Beaver, Chris (film director)
Fuller, Diana (film producer)
Other credits
Editor, Maureen Gosling; original music, Dan Wool.
Distributor subjects
Anthropology; Art/Architecture; Business Practices; Climate Change/Global Warming; Conservation; Design; Ecology; Engineering; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Global Issues; Government; Green Building; Law; Local Economies; Materials Sciences; Natural Resources; Pollution; Public Administration; Recycling; Science, Technology, Society; Social Psychology; Sociology; Sustainability; Urban Studies; Urban and Regional Planning; Waste ManagementKeywords
San Francisco, zero waste, carbon footprint, planned obsolescence, unrecyclable petroleum products, relationship to garbage, resources not waste, increased recycling, creative repurposing, composting, recycling organics, changes in living and consuming patterns, redwood landfill, recycling construction debris, recycling tour of city hall, inspection of bins, neighborhood recycling, glass recycling, apartment recycling, event recycling, composting in Chinatown, making compost, electronics recycling, plastics recycling, producer responsibility, textile recycling, biological hazard materials, toxic materials, non-incineration biogas for energy, corporate responsibility for compost, cradle to cradle, art from trash, garbage as resource, zero waste and climate change. school children lead the way, Robert Haley, William Rathje, garbology, Robert Shaffer, Mayor Edwin Lee, Wastebusters, Green Citizen, Goodwill, Ruihong Zhang, Recology; "Racing To Zero"; Bullfrog Films,doc,env; science
WEBVTT
00:00:04.459 --> 00:00:07.959
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:01:09.501 --> 00:01:11.958
- We like to make geologic
features out of our trash,
00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:14.249
build mountains out of
it or, in this case,
00:01:14.250 --> 00:01:20.999
fill in an epic wetlands
landscape with trash.
00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.041
We landfill more
than pretty much
00:01:23.042 --> 00:01:25.125
any other developed
country on the planet.
00:01:28.375 --> 00:01:32.625
- At one time, the bay was
lined with approximately 28
00:01:32.626 --> 00:01:33.375
landfills.
00:01:33.376 --> 00:01:36.542
And they\'ve all been closed
except for Redwood Landfill.
00:01:39.501 --> 00:01:44.082
So we\'re talking about legacy
materials that are in there...
00:01:44.083 --> 00:01:48.082
All your toxic paints,
your lead, your mercury.
00:01:48.083 --> 00:01:49.999
It\'s been sitting
here for 60 years,
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:55.458
and it\'s just rotting and
leaching into this bay.
00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:58.417
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:02:13.375 --> 00:02:16.958
- You can see we\'ve already
got some tomatoes in there...
00:02:16.959 --> 00:02:19.208
- We want a city
that\'s going to be
00:02:19.209 --> 00:02:23.041
the first city in the whole
country, if not in the world,
00:02:23.042 --> 00:02:27.374
to go to 100% recycled,
100% no waste.
00:02:27.375 --> 00:02:30.958
And there\'s a reason why we
have someone named Robert
00:02:30.959 --> 00:02:33.875
Haley as a Zero Waste Manager.
00:02:33.876 --> 00:02:36.541
Because we\'re 78% there,
but that\'s not good enough.
00:02:36.542 --> 00:02:37.459
Right, Robert?
00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:41.458
- San Francisco has a goal
of zero waste by 2020.
00:02:41.459 --> 00:02:44.750
We\'re a good part
of the way there.
00:02:44.751 --> 00:02:47.999
But we\'re still landfilling
over 400,000 tons a year.
00:02:58.334 --> 00:03:01.042
This is where most of San
Francisco\'s trash comes.
00:03:03.626 --> 00:03:05.542
Nothing like the
smell of garbage, huh?
00:03:16.125 --> 00:03:20.500
We\'ve cut our landfilling
in half since the year 2000,
00:03:20.501 --> 00:03:22.998
and we\'re at the lowest level
of landfill on record in San
00:03:22.999 --> 00:03:24.458
Francisco that I can find.
00:03:24.459 --> 00:03:27.583
Our records go back
to the early \'70s.
00:03:27.584 --> 00:03:30.083
But the future would
be, it\'s empty.
00:03:32.959 --> 00:03:34.541
We want to try to
keep everything out
00:03:34.542 --> 00:03:37.666
of the landfill,
no incineration.
00:03:37.667 --> 00:03:40.666
Reduce, reuse, recycle,
compost everything.
00:03:40.667 --> 00:03:43.374
Can we get all the way to zero?
00:03:43.375 --> 00:03:44.750
Well, that remains to be seen.
00:03:44.751 --> 00:03:46.334
But we\'re going to
go as far as we can.
00:03:52.876 --> 00:03:56.333
You can just barely see the
tip of the Golden Gate way
00:03:56.334 --> 00:03:58.458
off in the distance.
00:03:58.459 --> 00:04:01.666
And you can kind of see the
part of the dome of City Hall
00:04:01.667 --> 00:04:02.875
right here.
00:04:02.876 --> 00:04:06.374
We\'ve got the University of San
Francisco, the towers up there.
00:04:06.375 --> 00:04:07.998
There\'s a lot of
commercial buildings.
00:04:07.999 --> 00:04:12.082
There\'s a school,
there\'s offices.
00:04:12.083 --> 00:04:16.500
There\'s over 800,000 people
living in San Francisco.
00:04:16.501 --> 00:04:23.082
There\'s maybe 50,000
businesses, 350,000 households.
00:04:23.083 --> 00:04:25.166
Every person has
to take everything
00:04:25.167 --> 00:04:29.750
that they touch,
consume, discard,
00:04:29.751 --> 00:04:32.998
and deal with it properly
for us to achieve zero waste.
00:04:32.999 --> 00:04:34.375
It\'s going to take all of us.
00:04:38.417 --> 00:04:41.208
- So all I\'m going to ask is
you don\'t break the fence line,
00:04:41.209 --> 00:04:42.334
and stay inside the cones.
00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:49.458
We\'re advocates of waste
reduction and recycling.
00:04:49.459 --> 00:04:52.541
We\'ve been exceeding
goals since they
00:04:52.542 --> 00:04:53.709
started establishing goals.
00:04:56.834 --> 00:04:59.124
100% of the concrete
will be recycled.
00:04:59.125 --> 00:05:00.958
It\'ll be put into
trucks and driven
00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:03.249
to crushing and
recycling facilities
00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:05.374
where it will most likely
become aggregate base
00:05:05.375 --> 00:05:08.082
for new construction.
00:05:08.083 --> 00:05:10.208
It\'s almost like a rebirth.
00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:11.042
You take it.
00:05:11.043 --> 00:05:12.249
It doesn\'t go to a grave.
00:05:12.250 --> 00:05:14.541
It gets transformed
into something else.
00:05:14.542 --> 00:05:17.583
And now it takes on a new
life in another building,
00:05:17.584 --> 00:05:18.998
another sidewalk,
another street.
00:05:18.999 --> 00:05:20.708
And people walk on
this all day, and they
00:05:20.709 --> 00:05:23.750
don\'t realize you could be
standing on a building that\'s
00:05:23.751 --> 00:05:24.751
100 years old.
00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:42.166
- This is construction
and demolition debris.
00:05:42.167 --> 00:05:44.500
This is the heavy stuff.
00:05:44.501 --> 00:05:47.082
Sometimes a building
just gets knocked down.
00:05:47.083 --> 00:05:48.750
Sometimes it gets deconstructed.
00:05:48.751 --> 00:05:53.500
When you deconstruct, you can
really utilize the material.
00:05:53.501 --> 00:05:56.959
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:06:28.250 --> 00:06:31.958
This is just construction
demolition material
00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:35.958
from this morning
at this facility.
00:06:35.959 --> 00:06:38.374
Sometimes it\'s a
person doing it,
00:06:38.375 --> 00:06:40.541
sometimes it\'s a
machine doing it.
00:06:40.542 --> 00:06:41.999
It kind of takes a bit of both.
00:06:45.334 --> 00:06:51.333
So the wood\'s going in these
two sides, cardboard down there.
00:06:51.334 --> 00:06:53.167
Toilet seat, everything
comes through here.
00:07:01.584 --> 00:07:07.208
When I was growing up in the
\'60s, I grew up in fields.
00:07:07.209 --> 00:07:09.666
There were endless hills
of chaparral and places
00:07:09.667 --> 00:07:12.041
to play all around our house.
00:07:12.042 --> 00:07:16.458
By the time I left San Diego,
I literally saw all of those
00:07:16.459 --> 00:07:20.041
get developed with
tract housing.
00:07:20.042 --> 00:07:22.166
It kind of got deep in me
that what we were doing
00:07:22.167 --> 00:07:24.042
was not really in touch
with the environment.
00:07:25.834 --> 00:07:27.333
This is our beautiful City Hall.
00:07:27.334 --> 00:07:29.791
Maybe we can get in there
and see what\'s going on.
00:07:29.792 --> 00:07:32.833
I really had this sense I
had to do one of two things:
00:07:32.834 --> 00:07:35.958
either do something
for people, or do
00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:37.999
something for the environment.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:39.751
And I think they\'re
inextricably linked.
00:07:42.334 --> 00:07:44.166
It\'s not just a job.
00:07:44.167 --> 00:07:46.998
What I do is who I am.
00:07:46.999 --> 00:07:48.083
And it\'s really satisfying.
00:07:49.709 --> 00:07:53.666
This is just a little cafe,
mostly drinks and some snacks.
00:07:53.667 --> 00:07:56.500
Some of the things are packaged
a little better than others.
00:07:56.501 --> 00:07:58.416
You know, these
kinds of containers,
00:07:58.417 --> 00:08:00.541
they can be recycled
pretty well.
00:08:00.542 --> 00:08:01.542
The stirrers are wood.
00:08:01.543 --> 00:08:02.750
Those can be composted.
00:08:02.751 --> 00:08:04.791
This kind of stuff\'s a
little harder to deal with.
00:08:04.792 --> 00:08:06.541
It\'s multilayer packaging.
00:08:06.542 --> 00:08:07.998
Straws...
00:08:07.999 --> 00:08:10.708
not a big fan of
straws, personally.
00:08:10.709 --> 00:08:14.917
We were talking about zero
waste back in the 1990s,
00:08:14.918 --> 00:08:17.333
and we actually
passed resolutions
00:08:17.334 --> 00:08:21.166
in San Francisco setting a
goal of 75% landfill reduction
00:08:21.167 --> 00:08:24.041
by 2010 and zero waste by 2020.
00:08:24.042 --> 00:08:28.666
We can recycle or compost
pretty much everything here.
00:08:28.667 --> 00:08:32.291
That was around 2001, 2002.
00:08:32.292 --> 00:08:35.458
So we took basically what
was a philosophy, an ideal,
00:08:35.459 --> 00:08:38.249
and made it into an actual
city policy end goal.
00:08:38.250 --> 00:08:40.167
- If you can make it, pull up.
00:08:44.083 --> 00:08:47.124
- We\'ve got a whole
bunch of keys here.
00:08:47.125 --> 00:08:50.917
And you got to know which one
goes where and what day they\'re
00:08:50.918 --> 00:08:53.541
supposed to pick up
because if you forget,
00:08:53.542 --> 00:08:54.999
they\'re not too happy.
00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.416
Nobody\'s happy when you\'ve
got to leave their garbage.
00:08:57.417 --> 00:08:59.875
Harvey, leave this sack right
there on the ground, please.
00:08:59.876 --> 00:09:00.876
Bring its holder.
00:09:08.209 --> 00:09:10.708
They got a chute here, so
all the apartment buildings,
00:09:10.709 --> 00:09:13.750
they can throw their garbage
in one area and it goes down.
00:09:13.751 --> 00:09:16.082
See, someone wrote on here
Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
00:09:16.083 --> 00:09:17.875
That\'s when they have service.
00:09:17.876 --> 00:09:19.833
Let it heavy on me.
00:09:19.834 --> 00:09:20.834
Just let it go on me.
00:09:23.292 --> 00:09:26.250
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:09:38.125 --> 00:09:40.917
Make my bed for the night.
00:09:40.918 --> 00:09:43.625
There she goes.
00:09:43.626 --> 00:09:49.041
Dump it back in here like that.
00:09:49.042 --> 00:09:50.042
Pick it up.
00:09:52.542 --> 00:09:54.999
I feel like backdoor
Santa Claus here.
00:10:02.584 --> 00:10:05.583
- When you put material
in your black trash bin,
00:10:05.584 --> 00:10:08.958
it goes straight
to the landfill.
00:10:08.959 --> 00:10:11.998
We\'re not sorting those
containers at this point.
00:10:11.999 --> 00:10:13.708
So what you do at
the street level
00:10:13.709 --> 00:10:14.792
really makes a difference.
00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:21.374
We created a very
convenient, simple program.
00:10:21.375 --> 00:10:25.374
Three streams: recycling,
composting, and trash.
00:10:25.375 --> 00:10:28.416
We\'ve got recycling in
virtually every building in San
00:10:28.417 --> 00:10:29.999
Francisco.
00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:34.541
Virtually every residential
building, apartment building,
00:10:34.542 --> 00:10:36.833
virtually every business,
every institution
00:10:36.834 --> 00:10:39.166
has recycling in place.
00:10:39.167 --> 00:10:41.374
We passed mandatory
recycling and composting,
00:10:41.375 --> 00:10:45.374
which says you have to have
recycling and composting.
00:10:45.375 --> 00:10:46.833
But it\'s really
been about working
00:10:46.834 --> 00:10:50.998
with the people who believe
in it and care about it
00:10:50.999 --> 00:10:52.083
and can facilitate it.
00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.458
It\'s actually a split truck.
00:11:02.459 --> 00:11:04.333
So on one side is
the recycling...
00:11:04.334 --> 00:11:07.333
You can see it says \"recycling\"
and one side is the trash.
00:11:07.334 --> 00:11:08.833
It says \"garbage\" there.
00:11:08.834 --> 00:11:11.750
And so each of these
doors opens separately
00:11:11.751 --> 00:11:13.209
at the right place
at the facility.
00:11:19.375 --> 00:11:22.124
This is coming from basically
all the bins in San Francisco
00:11:22.125 --> 00:11:23.125
out on the street.
00:11:32.626 --> 00:11:36.374
He\'s loading this
material into the hopper
00:11:36.375 --> 00:11:38.541
so that it can go up the
conveyors onto the sorting
00:11:38.542 --> 00:11:39.042
line.
00:11:39.043 --> 00:11:44.666
And there\'s something in here
that shouldn\'t be in there.
00:11:44.667 --> 00:11:47.626
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:12:04.999 --> 00:12:09.166
The purpose of this facility
is to pull the wrong things out
00:12:09.167 --> 00:12:11.458
and separate the right
things into categories
00:12:11.459 --> 00:12:13.750
that can be sold to
places that are going
00:12:13.751 --> 00:12:14.958
to make it into new products.
00:12:14.959 --> 00:12:17.834
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:12:24.542 --> 00:12:28.124
For every ton you see
here, by recycling it
00:12:28.125 --> 00:12:32.082
we can save maybe 70 tons of all
the logging slash, the mining
00:12:32.083 --> 00:12:33.833
tailings, all the
waste that comes
00:12:33.834 --> 00:12:36.833
from producing oil and energy.
00:12:36.834 --> 00:12:37.834
These are resources.
00:12:42.584 --> 00:12:45.666
So this is kind of
the end of the line.
00:12:45.667 --> 00:12:48.998
It\'s where they\'re trying to get
some of the last little bits:
00:12:48.999 --> 00:12:53.082
the broken glass, the small
lids, things like that.
00:12:53.083 --> 00:12:57.917
This rotating belt
magnet is pulling metal
00:12:57.918 --> 00:12:59.541
off this conveyor.
00:12:59.542 --> 00:13:00.998
The items going
into this bin right
00:13:00.999 --> 00:13:04.625
here are, like,
small metal lids.
00:13:04.626 --> 00:13:06.166
This is just from this morning.
00:13:06.167 --> 00:13:08.249
It just keeps coming in.
00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:10.416
You\'ve got to get it
out of here every day.
00:13:10.417 --> 00:13:12.500
You can\'t let it pile up.
00:13:12.501 --> 00:13:15.959
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:13:21.792 --> 00:13:25.625
Some of this is white
office paper or office pack.
00:13:25.626 --> 00:13:27.666
Most of our paper goes to
Asia, especially China.
00:13:27.667 --> 00:13:30.958
That\'s where most of the
paper consumption is.
00:13:30.959 --> 00:13:33.374
And by consumption, I mean
they\'re making products
00:13:33.375 --> 00:13:37.333
and exporting products to us.
00:13:37.334 --> 00:13:40.791
You can also see some
beautiful bales of aluminum.
00:13:40.792 --> 00:13:42.792
Now, these are actually
worth some money.
00:13:50.959 --> 00:13:56.374
- There\'s green, brown,
plastic all colors,
00:13:56.375 --> 00:13:57.999
and cans all colors.
00:14:04.918 --> 00:14:07.458
- Recycling is a 24-hour thing.
00:14:07.459 --> 00:14:09.958
It\'s not just a whole bunch of
people pushing shopping carts
00:14:09.959 --> 00:14:11.708
and digging through trash.
00:14:11.709 --> 00:14:14.625
It\'s really a collection
and money type
00:14:14.626 --> 00:14:16.249
business for everybody.
00:14:16.250 --> 00:14:19.374
All day and all night,
every recyclable container
00:14:19.375 --> 00:14:20.375
is being processed.
00:14:22.918 --> 00:14:25.291
- This place has been
here since the 1970s.
00:14:25.292 --> 00:14:29.041
It\'s been in this particular
location 34 years.
00:14:29.042 --> 00:14:30.958
It\'s because of efforts
of people like this
00:14:30.959 --> 00:14:33.082
that we have a Department
of Environment,
00:14:33.083 --> 00:14:35.958
that we have the ability
to negotiate these issues
00:14:35.959 --> 00:14:37.751
on a political level at all.
00:14:42.667 --> 00:14:47.458
Recycling centers contribute
to the overall zero waste
00:14:47.459 --> 00:14:48.167
initiative.
00:14:48.168 --> 00:14:50.917
And there\'s no way we\'ll achieve
zero waste without recycling
00:14:50.918 --> 00:14:51.918
centers.
00:14:55.584 --> 00:14:57.082
- We\'re going to be
100% pretty soon.
00:14:57.083 --> 00:15:00.958
It\'s inevitable that there\'ll
be outlets to recycle everything
00:15:00.959 --> 00:15:01.959
that we use.
00:15:12.999 --> 00:15:15.666
- This is buy-back center
glass, very high quality,
00:15:15.667 --> 00:15:17.875
easy to recycle, easy
to process for us.
00:15:17.876 --> 00:15:19.541
It\'s the kind of glass
that works really
00:15:19.542 --> 00:15:21.750
well for making new containers.
00:15:21.751 --> 00:15:23.041
I see money in this pile.
00:15:23.042 --> 00:15:26.209
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:15:37.959 --> 00:15:39.998
Glass works with recycling,
it\'s cradle to cradle.
00:15:39.999 --> 00:15:41.374
You can take the
same wine bottle,
00:15:41.375 --> 00:15:42.998
make it over and
over and over again.
00:15:42.999 --> 00:15:44.791
If it\'s consumed
locally, whether it\'s
00:15:44.792 --> 00:15:47.666
San Francisco or Oakland,
it\'s recycled locally,
00:15:47.667 --> 00:15:49.958
And they make new
bottles in Oakland.
00:15:49.959 --> 00:15:52.042
So it\'s just a kind of
a closed loop system.
00:15:53.334 --> 00:15:56.124
- I\'ve heard that some of
the glass in the Bay Area
00:15:56.125 --> 00:15:59.041
could even have glass from
as far back as the gold rush,
00:15:59.042 --> 00:15:59.667
theoretically.
00:15:59.668 --> 00:16:00.958
- Yeah, it\'s certainly possible.
00:16:00.959 --> 00:16:03.375
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:16:14.083 --> 00:16:15.333
- This is processed material.
00:16:15.334 --> 00:16:18.333
This is ready to go
to make new bottles.
00:16:18.334 --> 00:16:19.750
So this is green.
00:16:19.751 --> 00:16:21.959
If you do it the right way,
it never becomes garbage.
00:16:23.542 --> 00:16:25.000
- From sand and back to sand.
00:16:29.999 --> 00:16:32.166
Plastic bags...
00:16:32.167 --> 00:16:33.167
urban tumbleweeds.
00:16:37.083 --> 00:16:39.875
You use things like financial
incentives to encourage people.
00:16:39.876 --> 00:16:42.166
And when you have to, you
pass laws that just say,
00:16:42.167 --> 00:16:44.124
\"This is what you have to do.\"
00:16:44.125 --> 00:16:45.833
But short of that,
what you want to say
00:16:45.834 --> 00:16:48.291
is, \"This is the culture
of San Francisco.
00:16:48.292 --> 00:16:50.999
In San Francisco, this
is what people do.\"
00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:53.124
And then people will
tend to naturally follow
00:16:53.125 --> 00:16:55.500
that social more.
00:16:55.501 --> 00:16:58.166
This is all part of
the education process.
00:16:58.167 --> 00:17:01.875
We\'re looking
exactly at this cart
00:17:01.876 --> 00:17:04.876
and what\'s there, and leaving
a very targeted feedback.
00:17:06.792 --> 00:17:12.124
- I\'m here just to audit these
bins at this resident\'s house,
00:17:12.125 --> 00:17:14.750
educate these guys, making
sure they put the right things
00:17:14.751 --> 00:17:18.082
in each of their bins.
00:17:18.083 --> 00:17:19.083
- This is contamination.
00:17:22.959 --> 00:17:26.958
Now I need to tag this bin,
letting know that people,
00:17:26.959 --> 00:17:28.542
they need to fix that problem.
00:17:32.459 --> 00:17:34.374
- To keep the recycling
and composting clean,
00:17:34.375 --> 00:17:36.708
it\'s important that everybody
put it in the right place
00:17:36.709 --> 00:17:37.833
to start with.
00:17:37.834 --> 00:17:40.875
That\'s the most
efficient way to do it.
00:17:40.876 --> 00:17:44.958
The trick about paper is,
if it\'s wet or food-soiled
00:17:44.959 --> 00:17:47.249
you should compost it.
00:17:47.250 --> 00:17:49.584
If it\'s clean, you
should recycle it.
00:17:56.292 --> 00:17:57.708
- Yeah, so as you
can see, we have
00:17:57.709 --> 00:17:58.999
a lot of food scraps in here.
00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.333
So I\'ll leave a friendly
reminder saying,
00:18:01.334 --> 00:18:03.999
you know, please
remove food scraps
00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:07.541
from landfill to the compost.
00:18:07.542 --> 00:18:11.958
Copy, take it back
to the office.
00:18:11.959 --> 00:18:13.250
Copy for my residents.
00:18:21.959 --> 00:18:23.876
This is what I pretty
much do every morning.
00:18:26.292 --> 00:18:29.333
- And that tag will actually
generate an evening outreach
00:18:29.334 --> 00:18:30.374
team.
00:18:30.375 --> 00:18:32.958
We\'ll get a copy of that tag
brought back to the office.
00:18:32.959 --> 00:18:34.374
Folks will receive
that, and then they\'ll
00:18:34.375 --> 00:18:36.750
come back and knock on the
door to speak to the resident
00:18:36.751 --> 00:18:37.292
face-to-face.
00:18:37.293 --> 00:18:38.917
- This is good.
00:18:38.918 --> 00:18:40.834
- Door to door, throughout
the entire city.
00:20:04.083 --> 00:20:06.042
- and who\'s here for the Earth?
00:20:16.792 --> 00:20:18.998
- Zero waste is a goal.
00:20:18.999 --> 00:20:20.583
It\'s a direction.
00:20:20.584 --> 00:20:22.626
And that\'s the direction
we\'re taking this event.
00:20:24.167 --> 00:20:26.875
We\'re not actually going
to get zero trash...
00:20:26.876 --> 00:20:28.082
Zero landfill waste... today.
00:20:28.083 --> 00:20:30.334
But we\'re hoping to get
over 90% diversion at least.
00:20:32.542 --> 00:20:35.958
- Where do cardboard cups go?
00:20:35.959 --> 00:20:38.374
- Cardboard cups in compost.
00:20:38.375 --> 00:20:40.041
These we can recycle.
00:20:40.042 --> 00:20:42.541
- That can be recycled?
00:20:42.542 --> 00:20:45.666
- This one can in San Francisco.
00:20:45.667 --> 00:20:48.082
It gets really confusing
when you have an event
00:20:48.083 --> 00:20:51.666
and you have people coming
from all over to one place.
00:20:51.667 --> 00:20:53.458
And then they don\'t
know what goes
00:20:53.459 --> 00:20:56.750
where because it\'s different
from their own county.
00:20:56.751 --> 00:20:58.708
There are just so many
little things, you know?
00:20:58.709 --> 00:21:02.625
You\'re like, where does gum go?
00:21:02.626 --> 00:21:05.750
Because out of sight is
not really out of mind,
00:21:05.751 --> 00:21:06.959
we come to find out.
00:21:12.375 --> 00:21:14.751
- So we\'re just doing
some basic sorting here.
00:21:20.125 --> 00:21:22.998
- So that all goes in compost.
00:21:22.999 --> 00:21:24.958
- And then those
are compostable.
00:21:24.959 --> 00:21:28.625
- Chopsticks made from
a tree... compost.
00:21:28.626 --> 00:21:32.958
Soy sauce packet goes into
the landfill for hundreds,
00:21:32.959 --> 00:21:33.959
thousands of years.
00:21:36.751 --> 00:21:39.124
- You learn to face your
fears after a few diapers
00:21:39.125 --> 00:21:40.083
that spill open.
00:21:40.084 --> 00:21:41.998
- Yeah.
00:21:41.999 --> 00:21:45.041
Get some juice in your
face, It\'s just kind like...
00:21:45.042 --> 00:21:46.958
OK.
00:21:46.959 --> 00:21:51.082
- Your threshold for what
you find gross definitely
00:21:51.083 --> 00:21:54.750
changes a lot when you
face this kind of thing.
00:21:54.751 --> 00:21:57.124
It\'s really just about being
responsible for your resource
00:21:57.125 --> 00:21:58.042
consumption.
00:21:58.043 --> 00:22:00.875
And once you kind of lead
the way for other people
00:22:00.876 --> 00:22:03.333
and they recognize, \"Oh,
this isn\'t that bad\",
00:22:03.334 --> 00:22:04.875
they start to do it, too.
00:22:04.876 --> 00:22:08.999
- I think it also helps when you
don\'t really see it as trash,
00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:11.458
but you see it as
actual resources.
00:22:11.459 --> 00:22:14.417
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:22:55.501 --> 00:22:57.541
- Composting is really critical.
00:22:57.542 --> 00:23:00.208
It\'s where recycling
was 20 years ago.
00:23:00.209 --> 00:23:02.708
It\'s where we have to move
now, especially with food
00:23:02.709 --> 00:23:04.958
scraps and soiled paper,
other kinds of compostables.
00:23:04.959 --> 00:23:07.918
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:23:09.751 --> 00:23:12.708
- This restaurant
is 93 years old.
00:23:12.709 --> 00:23:15.374
See the arch?
00:23:15.375 --> 00:23:18.333
They\'re 93 years old.
00:23:18.334 --> 00:23:22.333
- This restaurant, the
compost and recycle percentage
00:23:22.334 --> 00:23:26.208
is almost 90%.
00:23:26.209 --> 00:23:29.999
The boss and the
management are really
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:33.708
into environmental
kind of issues.
00:23:33.709 --> 00:23:37.292
- This is blue for the
cans and the bottles.
00:23:40.083 --> 00:23:44.167
- When the boss cares,
the staff will care.
00:23:46.834 --> 00:23:49.666
They have signage
all over the place,
00:23:49.667 --> 00:23:51.917
and everybody knows what
they\'re supposed to do...
00:23:51.918 --> 00:23:53.458
- And blue go in this.
00:23:53.459 --> 00:23:56.958
- and what they\'re
supposed to put in each can.
00:23:56.959 --> 00:23:57.959
It helps.
00:24:02.209 --> 00:24:04.959
- So this is what\'s
in the green bins.
00:24:06.626 --> 00:24:09.750
There\'s some things we don\'t
want, like the aluminum can,
00:24:09.751 --> 00:24:11.708
the juice box.
00:24:11.709 --> 00:24:16.875
But I\'m seeing mostly food,
yard trimmings, soiled paper,
00:24:16.876 --> 00:24:19.374
compostable plastics.
00:24:19.375 --> 00:24:22.166
These green ones are
all compostable bags,
00:24:22.167 --> 00:24:24.458
so we\'re seeing
people using a lot
00:24:24.459 --> 00:24:26.208
of compostable plastic bags.
00:24:26.209 --> 00:24:28.291
Compostable plastic,
compostable plastic.
00:24:28.292 --> 00:24:30.583
That is not a compostable bag.
00:24:30.584 --> 00:24:33.542
Good material, but once again
it\'s trapped by a plastic bag.
00:24:36.584 --> 00:24:41.542
This is like 99% compostable.
00:24:43.918 --> 00:24:46.082
It may not look that great
right now, but by the time
00:24:46.083 --> 00:24:48.750
it\'s processed it\'ll
look like black dirt.
00:24:48.751 --> 00:24:51.667
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:24:54.584 --> 00:24:56.625
- Compost is so ironic.
00:24:56.626 --> 00:24:59.082
It\'s just full of mystery.
00:24:59.083 --> 00:25:01.166
It\'s dark.
00:25:01.167 --> 00:25:02.625
It\'s extremely valuable.
00:25:02.626 --> 00:25:06.750
It\'s loaded with life, even
though you can\'t see it.
00:25:06.751 --> 00:25:09.791
This is magic.
00:25:09.792 --> 00:25:13.124
- We\'re a very dense city,
and we don\'t have places here
00:25:13.125 --> 00:25:14.458
to do the actual composting.
00:25:14.459 --> 00:25:17.583
So we have to export
our compostables.
00:25:17.584 --> 00:25:19.999
Fortunately, we\'re surrounded
by farms and vineyards
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:21.374
not too far away.
00:25:21.375 --> 00:25:24.416
So we send the material out
to composting facilities
00:25:24.417 --> 00:25:26.833
on the perimeter
of San Francisco.
00:25:26.834 --> 00:25:29.833
It gets made into very high
quality organic compost,
00:25:29.834 --> 00:25:32.541
and then it goes back to
the farms and vineyards
00:25:32.542 --> 00:25:35.625
and comes back as food
and wine to the cities.
00:25:35.626 --> 00:25:41.082
So we\'ve created, essentially,
a closed composting loop.
00:25:41.083 --> 00:25:43.333
- Soils become hardened
if you don\'t feed them
00:25:43.334 --> 00:25:44.750
enough organic matter.
00:25:44.751 --> 00:25:46.791
Soils become unhealthy.
00:25:46.792 --> 00:25:48.500
And so we need...
Literally need...
00:25:48.501 --> 00:25:52.416
Compost as part of our whole
cultural practice to keep soils
00:25:52.417 --> 00:25:56.208
in the kind of condition where
we can produce healthy food.
00:25:56.209 --> 00:25:59.374
I became interested in health,
and I felt like at one point I
00:25:59.375 --> 00:25:59.918
couldn\'t...
00:25:59.919 --> 00:26:02.041
right or wrong, I felt like
I couldn\'t find anything
00:26:02.042 --> 00:26:03.541
in a store that
was healthy to eat.
00:26:03.542 --> 00:26:06.291
So I started to raise my
own food and within a year
00:26:06.292 --> 00:26:08.958
I realized, well, I
think I\'m a farmer.
00:26:08.959 --> 00:26:14.917
And so I became involved
in farming for health
00:26:14.918 --> 00:26:16.750
and then found out that
I like compost more
00:26:16.751 --> 00:26:17.999
than I like farming, actually.
00:26:20.542 --> 00:26:23.958
And I work as a consultant.
00:26:23.959 --> 00:26:25.791
- I like the tools of farming.
00:26:25.792 --> 00:26:30.291
I like turning the earth,
I like what it smells like
00:26:30.292 --> 00:26:34.333
and that it\'s an ongoing
creation all the time.
00:26:34.334 --> 00:26:36.750
That\'s what I love
about farming.
00:26:36.751 --> 00:26:40.708
- So what happens here that is
very beautiful and interesting
00:26:40.709 --> 00:26:43.249
is we take a piece of
material that\'s food,
00:26:43.250 --> 00:26:44.500
and then we turn it into this.
00:26:44.501 --> 00:26:46.041
How does that happen?
00:26:46.042 --> 00:26:49.249
This is the red wiggler,
if you will... earthworm.
00:26:49.250 --> 00:26:53.249
Without these guys, we
can\'t get that job done.
00:26:53.250 --> 00:26:55.416
The earthworm\'s taking
in this material
00:26:55.417 --> 00:27:00.541
that has protein-rich bacteria
on it, consumes those,
00:27:00.542 --> 00:27:03.041
and what passes out is a manure.
00:27:03.042 --> 00:27:06.998
It\'s like having cows or pigs
or chickens manuring your soil.
00:27:06.999 --> 00:27:11.458
In fact, the soil is a
product of a microbe\'s gut.
00:27:11.459 --> 00:27:13.833
All of this dark material
that we\'re looking at,
00:27:13.834 --> 00:27:16.208
believe it or not, has come
through the gut of a microbe
00:27:16.209 --> 00:27:18.500
at one time or another.
00:27:18.501 --> 00:27:21.750
That\'s what we want.
00:27:21.751 --> 00:27:23.833
So this is the full
cycle, if you ask me,
00:27:23.834 --> 00:27:26.666
on why we want this
not in the dump.
00:27:26.667 --> 00:27:30.541
We want it to come back to us as
farmers so we can decompose it
00:27:30.542 --> 00:27:32.791
into a simple material
called humus that goes back
00:27:32.792 --> 00:27:35.625
out into soils that we\'ve
lost during farming operations
00:27:35.626 --> 00:27:37.708
over 100 years.
00:27:37.709 --> 00:27:39.833
- By the cooperation
of the cities
00:27:39.834 --> 00:27:41.958
and the compost companies
and the farmers,
00:27:41.959 --> 00:27:45.666
it\'s just driven compost
prices down wonderfully.
00:27:45.667 --> 00:27:47.958
And we can offer our product
for a little bit less
00:27:47.959 --> 00:27:48.542
than otherwise.
00:27:48.543 --> 00:27:49.626
So there\'s a full circle.
00:27:53.751 --> 00:27:55.998
- In nature, there\'s no waste.
00:27:55.999 --> 00:27:58.041
All waste is food
for something else.
00:27:58.042 --> 00:28:00.416
And that\'s the way it should
be in an industrial economy,
00:28:00.417 --> 00:28:01.417
as well.
00:28:10.542 --> 00:28:16.750
- The water heater
here, a microwave, fan,
00:28:16.751 --> 00:28:20.958
old-style toaster,
Christmas lights.
00:28:20.959 --> 00:28:23.541
Most people don\'t know there\'s
a global dumping crisis
00:28:23.542 --> 00:28:24.625
in e-waste.
00:28:24.626 --> 00:28:25.998
I didn\'t know.
00:28:25.999 --> 00:28:29.082
I was in the computing
industry for 20 years.
00:28:29.083 --> 00:28:31.124
It\'s really not the
right way to do it,
00:28:31.125 --> 00:28:33.750
to throw it away because
electronics contain
00:28:33.751 --> 00:28:38.082
toxic materials such as lead,
cadmium, bromide, retardant,
00:28:38.083 --> 00:28:42.291
plastics, as well as
the precious metals.
00:28:42.292 --> 00:28:44.708
When it\'s not done
properly, 80% of this
00:28:44.709 --> 00:28:46.583
is going somewhere
to kill somebody.
00:28:46.584 --> 00:28:50.042
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:29:00.459 --> 00:29:03.249
This is actually a documentary
that changed my life.
00:29:03.250 --> 00:29:08.124
I saw a piece of this clip in
the PBS program by Bill Moyers.
00:29:08.125 --> 00:29:10.583
And, as I said, I didn\'t
realize that we are
00:29:10.584 --> 00:29:12.125
causing so much global dumping.
00:29:14.876 --> 00:29:17.124
- After they have
dismantled the computers,
00:29:17.125 --> 00:29:19.500
they burn the useless parts.
00:29:19.501 --> 00:29:21.667
Every day, villagers
inhale this dirty air.
00:29:24.918 --> 00:29:27.750
- I\'m looking at this, and this
is a pretty shocking story.
00:29:27.751 --> 00:29:30.834
It\'s like I couldn\'t
get this out of my mind.
00:29:32.375 --> 00:29:35.208
- But although the drinking
water is no longer drinkable
00:29:35.209 --> 00:29:38.082
and the air smells foul,
the populace of Guiyu
00:29:38.083 --> 00:29:40.998
is still largely ignorant of the
health impacts of the imported
00:29:40.999 --> 00:29:41.999
poisons.
00:29:45.959 --> 00:29:47.333
- The idea is
almost like you saw
00:29:47.334 --> 00:29:49.750
a person about to
die on the street
00:29:49.751 --> 00:29:52.791
and you walk a few blocks down.
00:29:52.792 --> 00:29:55.249
Am I going to just
let it go like that?
00:29:55.250 --> 00:29:56.918
Or am I going to do
something about it?
00:30:00.751 --> 00:30:03.458
So this is an example
of a customer.
00:30:03.459 --> 00:30:04.958
We have a lot of
building customers.
00:30:04.959 --> 00:30:07.833
We service every single
tenant in the building.
00:30:07.834 --> 00:30:08.834
These are our buildings.
00:30:08.834 --> 00:30:09.667
That\'s our building.
00:30:09.668 --> 00:30:11.500
That\'s our building.
00:30:11.501 --> 00:30:12.876
Basically, which one I not?
00:30:18.709 --> 00:30:22.583
Here\'s an example of our kiosks.
00:30:22.584 --> 00:30:25.124
People are putting this
down, and then our staff
00:30:25.125 --> 00:30:26.167
will come and pick it up.
00:30:37.292 --> 00:30:38.833
This is the Burlingame hub.
00:30:38.834 --> 00:30:43.416
This is where we ship all
items back from our eco-center,
00:30:43.417 --> 00:30:45.958
and this is where
we do the sorting.
00:30:45.959 --> 00:30:50.333
We decide what items can be
salvaged for responsible reuse
00:30:50.334 --> 00:30:53.082
in the US, what
items can be fixed,
00:30:53.083 --> 00:30:54.999
what items need
to be dismantled,
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:58.082
and what items need
to be recycled here.
00:30:58.083 --> 00:31:02.333
So when an item comes in, if
there\'s an item that\'s reusable
00:31:02.334 --> 00:31:04.666
it will be put on
this conveyor belt.
00:31:04.667 --> 00:31:06.541
- As you can see
with this one here,
00:31:06.542 --> 00:31:10.374
it actually doesn\'t display
anything but it powers on.
00:31:10.375 --> 00:31:11.833
So it\'s still worth some money.
00:31:11.834 --> 00:31:17.458
- There is a CD drive, speakers.
00:31:17.459 --> 00:31:20.082
Everything can be
recycled in the world.
00:31:20.083 --> 00:31:22.625
It\'s a matter of how
much of a cost it is.
00:31:22.626 --> 00:31:25.708
How much do you have to
process it to recycle it?
00:31:25.709 --> 00:31:30.875
21% of items, we are able to
fix for responsible reuse...
00:31:30.876 --> 00:31:33.458
Whether as a whole
unit or as a part.
00:31:33.459 --> 00:31:37.541
A cracked iPhone 4 screen.
00:31:37.542 --> 00:31:40.709
The other 79%, we
basically take it apart.
00:31:48.083 --> 00:31:53.333
There\'s RAM, there\'s mixed
copper, there\'s the CPU board.
00:31:53.334 --> 00:31:55.209
Over here you can
see the aluminum.
00:31:57.334 --> 00:32:00.791
The better the sorting, the
cleaner the stream you get,
00:32:00.792 --> 00:32:03.208
the higher percentage of
recycling you can get.
00:32:03.209 --> 00:32:06.083
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:32:17.792 --> 00:32:20.791
- Now they are going to
be taken to be shredded.
00:32:20.792 --> 00:32:23.751
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:32:29.083 --> 00:32:31.666
- This is old
shredded electronics,
00:32:31.667 --> 00:32:33.333
after some of the
base metals have been
00:32:33.334 --> 00:32:35.500
recovered by another recycler.
00:32:35.501 --> 00:32:40.208
- Some kind of a sliding block,
and a gear, and some circuit
00:32:40.209 --> 00:32:42.875
boards, and a battery.
00:32:42.876 --> 00:32:46.750
- For so long, we looked
at this as a waste.
00:32:46.751 --> 00:32:50.791
But if I\'m a miner, this is an
incredibly valuable resource
00:32:50.792 --> 00:32:54.374
if you look at this as an ore,
as a raw material ore, which
00:32:54.375 --> 00:32:56.374
is exactly how we look at it.
00:32:56.375 --> 00:32:59.876
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:33:00.834 --> 00:33:04.666
- This is basically large,
mixed, rigid plastic
00:33:04.667 --> 00:33:05.958
from San Francisco.
00:33:05.959 --> 00:33:09.167
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:15.541
For us, the really hard stuff
are the assembled products,
00:33:15.542 --> 00:33:18.750
the composite
items, the plastics.
00:33:18.751 --> 00:33:20.249
And this is the kind
of facility that
00:33:20.250 --> 00:33:22.458
can help us crack that nut.
00:33:22.459 --> 00:33:24.959
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:33:30.918 --> 00:33:33.958
- I think plastics are
a really cool material.
00:33:33.959 --> 00:33:35.208
We can make cool stuff with it.
00:33:35.209 --> 00:33:36.791
You can do many things with it.
00:33:36.792 --> 00:33:38.333
It makes our life safer.
00:33:38.334 --> 00:33:41.124
It makes our cars lighter,
our planes lighter.
00:33:41.125 --> 00:33:42.958
And it makes the
bottles that we drink
00:33:42.959 --> 00:33:44.958
many beverages out of
unbreakable and cheaper
00:33:44.959 --> 00:33:45.417
to ship.
00:33:45.418 --> 00:33:47.583
So there\'s many
advantages to plastics,
00:33:47.584 --> 00:33:50.583
which used to be called \"the
space-age material\", right?
00:33:50.584 --> 00:33:53.041
Now we\'re not so much
sure we love it anymore
00:33:53.042 --> 00:33:55.082
because we find
it in our oceans,
00:33:55.083 --> 00:33:56.958
it\'s hurting our sea life.
00:33:56.959 --> 00:33:59.998
We see it scattered
throughout the environment.
00:33:59.999 --> 00:34:03.875
And we\'re not so sure we like
it as much as we used to.
00:34:03.876 --> 00:34:05.918
And I came to the same
conclusion 20 years ago.
00:34:07.834 --> 00:34:10.374
- There\'s literally
hundreds of kinds of plastic
00:34:10.375 --> 00:34:14.082
when you talk about the resins,
the colorants, the additives,
00:34:14.083 --> 00:34:16.082
the different subproperties.
00:34:16.083 --> 00:34:17.917
You can\'t just mix
plastics together.
00:34:17.918 --> 00:34:20.292
You can\'t even necessarily
tell what they are very easily.
00:34:23.125 --> 00:34:25.875
- We have to deal not only with
segregating them by the family,
00:34:25.876 --> 00:34:30.541
by the type... so polyethylene
or polypropylene or ABS.
00:34:30.542 --> 00:34:34.666
There\'s hundreds and thousands
of grades of plastics.
00:34:34.667 --> 00:34:36.541
There\'s high density,
there\'s medium density,
00:34:36.542 --> 00:34:38.375
there\'s low density,
there\'s linear low.
00:34:42.918 --> 00:34:46.500
After we\'ve separated the
plastics by type and grade,
00:34:46.501 --> 00:34:48.999
we then send that to
our extrusion line.
00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:52.249
And what the extruders do
is they melt the plastic
00:34:52.250 --> 00:34:54.875
into one homogeneous material.
00:34:54.876 --> 00:34:57.082
That material is then squeezed
out through a dye plate
00:34:57.083 --> 00:34:59.082
with a bunch of
little holes in it.
00:34:59.083 --> 00:35:01.000
And it comes out just
like spaghetti strands.
00:35:02.834 --> 00:35:06.625
They get dipped into a water
bath, where they solidify.
00:35:06.626 --> 00:35:09.416
After they\'ve been solidified,
we chop them into little pieces
00:35:09.417 --> 00:35:11.166
that we call \"pellets\".
00:35:11.167 --> 00:35:15.333
It\'s the currency of
the plastics industry.
00:35:15.334 --> 00:35:18.958
It\'s exactly the shape and
type of plastic and properties
00:35:18.959 --> 00:35:22.458
that you would buy from a virgin
producer of plastics making
00:35:22.459 --> 00:35:24.958
plastics from petrochemicals.
00:35:24.959 --> 00:35:27.750
So we sell to printer
manufacturers,
00:35:27.751 --> 00:35:29.750
and we sell into
very demanding parts.
00:35:29.751 --> 00:35:31.082
You can see a
mirror finish here.
00:35:31.083 --> 00:35:34.917
In fact, I can maybe show
you the actual molded part.
00:35:34.918 --> 00:35:38.541
And you can see what a
shiny surface it has.
00:35:38.542 --> 00:35:41.999
This is almost unheard
of in recycled plastics.
00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:47.583
This step enables us to
literally close the loop.
00:35:47.584 --> 00:35:49.416
- A question that
a lot of people
00:35:49.417 --> 00:35:51.998
ask is, \"How do I
get rid of things?\"
00:35:51.999 --> 00:35:54.125
And I think that\'s not
really the right question.
00:35:57.083 --> 00:35:58.958
It\'s not good enough
just to sell a product
00:35:58.959 --> 00:36:01.875
and have no
responsibility anymore.
00:36:01.876 --> 00:36:05.249
They have to be part
of the whole loop.
00:36:05.250 --> 00:36:07.166
The first place
would be to design
00:36:07.167 --> 00:36:13.082
with durability, reusability,
and recycling in mind.
00:36:13.083 --> 00:36:17.917
The right question is, how
do we best utilize resources?
00:36:17.918 --> 00:36:21.750
- We\'re at the Goodwill
headquarters in San Francisco.
00:36:21.751 --> 00:36:24.542
And this is where it all
happens, all the sorting.
00:36:30.375 --> 00:36:33.625
So this is where all the
donated stuff comes in.
00:36:33.626 --> 00:36:37.082
It\'s sorted into these
boxes, separated out
00:36:37.083 --> 00:36:45.083
into various categories...
Housewares, linens, DVDs, CDs.
00:36:46.709 --> 00:36:49.082
Boxes full of this stuff.
00:36:49.083 --> 00:36:50.083
Books.
00:36:53.959 --> 00:36:57.999
One of the biggest categories
that Goodwill gets is textiles.
00:36:58.000 --> 00:36:59.083
And it\'s growing.
00:37:06.667 --> 00:37:08.291
- We get a lot of
old stuff in here.
00:37:08.292 --> 00:37:10.458
But sometimes we get a
lot of nice stuff in here.
00:37:10.459 --> 00:37:13.958
And I\'m wondering, who\'s
giving away this nice stuff?
00:37:13.959 --> 00:37:16.291
Yeah, I\'d like to be in
a position like that,
00:37:16.292 --> 00:37:17.501
to give away good stuff.
00:37:24.792 --> 00:37:28.666
- The good quality stuff is
put on the top conveyor belt,
00:37:28.667 --> 00:37:30.998
things that can be resold.
00:37:30.999 --> 00:37:32.541
The things that
can\'t be resold...
00:37:32.542 --> 00:37:34.750
Maybe they\'re torn
or they\'re stained...
00:37:34.751 --> 00:37:37.750
Go on the bottom conveyor
belt. And the top one goes
00:37:37.751 --> 00:37:39.917
into Goodwill\'s resale system.
00:37:39.918 --> 00:37:43.292
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:37:45.751 --> 00:37:49.917
The sad piece of this is that
if this goes onto the shop floor
00:37:49.918 --> 00:37:52.541
at Goodwill and doesn\'t
sell after a month,
00:37:52.542 --> 00:37:54.041
then the sheer volume
of stuff coming
00:37:54.042 --> 00:37:56.833
through the system
on a day-to-day basis
00:37:56.834 --> 00:37:59.249
requires this to be moved
out of the shop floor
00:37:59.250 --> 00:38:01.167
to make room for
more stuff coming in.
00:38:05.751 --> 00:38:09.208
The stuff on the shop floor
gets taken off the racks.
00:38:09.209 --> 00:38:12.082
And it gets put
into these big bins
00:38:12.083 --> 00:38:14.625
where people come
and root through it.
00:38:14.626 --> 00:38:17.541
And they buy things
for $2 apiece.
00:38:17.542 --> 00:38:19.708
- This has a little
battery in it.
00:38:19.709 --> 00:38:21.708
And you push that battery,
and it makes a sound.
00:38:21.709 --> 00:38:23.541
The kids like that, see?
00:38:23.542 --> 00:38:25.124
I have oodles of them.
00:38:25.125 --> 00:38:29.708
I give maybe about
15 toys away a day.
00:38:29.709 --> 00:38:31.374
- Well, this is
sort of a grab bag.
00:38:31.375 --> 00:38:32.999
I just saw what was
on the top, and I\'m
00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:35.666
hoping that it\'s worthwhile.
00:38:35.667 --> 00:38:39.208
Just for my own personal
collection, but also to resell.
00:38:39.209 --> 00:38:40.209
This is Hendrix.
00:38:40.210 --> 00:38:42.167
But it\'s pretty much scratched.
00:38:49.083 --> 00:38:51.249
- The clothing and
textiles at this point,
00:38:51.250 --> 00:38:55.958
when it\'s in a bale,
is worth $0.22 a pound.
00:38:55.959 --> 00:39:00.082
So $0.22 times 1,000
pounds per bale.
00:39:00.083 --> 00:39:01.917
But it doesn\'t stop here.
00:39:01.918 --> 00:39:04.999
It could be shipped
overseas to people
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:07.999
that resell items over there.
00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:12.625
It could go to a large-scale
recycler that then breaks it
00:39:12.626 --> 00:39:15.333
down and builds it back
into recycled yarn,
00:39:15.334 --> 00:39:19.249
or into insulation for houses,
and so on and so forth.
00:39:19.250 --> 00:39:23.333
So the bottom line is we should
never, ever throw garments out
00:39:23.334 --> 00:39:28.208
in the garbage, destined for
landfill, because that item can
00:39:28.209 --> 00:39:30.416
be rebought by someone else.
00:39:30.417 --> 00:39:33.249
It can be brought back again and
then rebought and then rebought
00:39:33.250 --> 00:39:33.999
and then rebought.
00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:36.958
And then finally, at the
end of its useful life,
00:39:36.959 --> 00:39:39.750
when it\'s really
threadbare, even then
00:39:39.751 --> 00:39:42.333
it could become a
completely new thread
00:39:42.334 --> 00:39:46.082
that will be made back
into another garment.
00:39:46.083 --> 00:39:48.082
Put simply, we really
should be thinking
00:39:48.083 --> 00:39:52.416
about where does it come from,
and where is it going to?
00:39:52.417 --> 00:39:56.458
- Right now, we\'re
recycling, composting 80%.
00:39:56.459 --> 00:40:00.291
That means we\'re struggling
with the last 20%.
00:40:00.292 --> 00:40:02.958
It\'s just a complete
product design
00:40:02.959 --> 00:40:07.500
flaw to make some of these
products in this way.
00:40:07.501 --> 00:40:10.333
Also, there\'s thousands
and thousands of products.
00:40:10.334 --> 00:40:13.166
It\'d be very hard to make
a law for each product.
00:40:13.167 --> 00:40:16.124
So instead, we\'re looking at
the real problem products:
00:40:16.125 --> 00:40:20.625
plastic bags,
Styrofoam containers.
00:40:20.626 --> 00:40:22.918
And there should never be
toxic materials in the trash.
00:40:28.626 --> 00:40:30.208
Well, I think we
should meet Sushma
00:40:30.209 --> 00:40:33.998
because she heads up the
Toxics Reduction Program area.
00:40:33.999 --> 00:40:37.875
And Sushma\'s office
is right here.
00:40:37.876 --> 00:40:39.708
And there she is.
00:40:39.709 --> 00:40:41.041
- Hi.
00:40:41.042 --> 00:40:43.082
- This is Sushma Bhatia.
00:40:43.083 --> 00:40:45.751
She is my equivalent,
but for toxics.
00:40:53.626 --> 00:40:57.708
- A lot of what I have to
deal with are toxic products,
00:40:57.709 --> 00:41:01.082
products that contain toxic
or hazardous chemicals that we
00:41:01.083 --> 00:41:04.541
cannot always recycle or reuse.
00:41:04.542 --> 00:41:07.500
We want to try and divert
those toxic chemicals
00:41:07.501 --> 00:41:10.416
from the landfill stream, also.
00:41:10.417 --> 00:41:14.875
- I was doing a lot
of artificial nails.
00:41:14.876 --> 00:41:18.541
And I have a very
bad rash on my body.
00:41:18.542 --> 00:41:20.791
But it\'s most on my face.
00:41:20.792 --> 00:41:24.249
My lips even swollen, and I
have to get into the emergency
00:41:24.250 --> 00:41:25.291
room for a couple times.
00:41:25.292 --> 00:41:26.292
- Oh, my God.
00:41:26.292 --> 00:41:27.167
- Yeah.
00:41:27.168 --> 00:41:28.958
It was scary.
00:41:28.959 --> 00:41:30.583
- We have customized
programs that we
00:41:30.584 --> 00:41:34.998
create for businesses versus
residents versus city agencies.
00:41:34.999 --> 00:41:38.333
Each of these populations use
different kinds of products.
00:41:38.334 --> 00:41:40.249
They have different
kinds of needs.
00:41:40.250 --> 00:41:43.166
And we offer training classes,
and Heidi was the very first
00:41:43.167 --> 00:41:47.166
one to take us up on the offer,
which is why she\'s our hero.
00:41:47.167 --> 00:41:51.541
- When we buy the nail polish,
we already see the ingredients.
00:41:51.542 --> 00:41:53.541
It doesn\'t contain toxics here.
00:41:53.542 --> 00:41:56.375
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:42:06.417 --> 00:42:08.791
- We have a separate
campaign for dry cleaners,
00:42:08.792 --> 00:42:10.583
around dry cleaning solvent.
00:42:10.584 --> 00:42:12.291
- Looks like you got
a spill on this one.
00:42:12.292 --> 00:42:13.750
It\'s nothing big.
00:42:13.751 --> 00:42:16.082
- Over 80% to 85%
of dry cleaners
00:42:16.083 --> 00:42:20.082
use this really toxic solvent
called perchloroethylene.
00:42:20.083 --> 00:42:22.333
And one of our
goals as a city was
00:42:22.334 --> 00:42:24.583
to try and get
these dry cleaners
00:42:24.584 --> 00:42:28.249
to use a safer solvent,
a solvent that\'s
00:42:28.250 --> 00:42:31.708
better for their health and
better for the environment.
00:42:31.709 --> 00:42:34.791
We discovered that wet cleaning
which uses, essentially,
00:42:34.792 --> 00:42:38.416
water and soap... is the most
environmentally preferable
00:42:38.417 --> 00:42:39.375
solvent.
00:42:39.376 --> 00:42:42.082
- We\'ve had a couple of
deaths in the family that
00:42:42.083 --> 00:42:43.124
were cancer related.
00:42:43.125 --> 00:42:45.750
And we don\'t really
know if that was
00:42:45.751 --> 00:42:49.541
a cause of being exposed to the
dry cleaning solvents for such
00:42:49.542 --> 00:42:52.917
a long time or not, or if it\'s
just a natural occurrence.
00:42:52.918 --> 00:42:55.417
But why take that risk
when there\'s alternatives?
00:43:05.709 --> 00:43:07.750
- I like to do my
dishes, of course.
00:43:07.751 --> 00:43:11.541
- For residents, we are creating
a lot of safe disposal options
00:43:11.542 --> 00:43:14.166
because we found that
most residents have tons
00:43:14.167 --> 00:43:15.416
of chemicals in their houses.
00:43:15.417 --> 00:43:17.666
And they don\'t know
how to get rid of them.
00:43:17.667 --> 00:43:20.124
Look for a product that
says \"Caution\" and not
00:43:20.125 --> 00:43:21.125
something like \"Danger\".
00:43:21.125 --> 00:43:21.667
- Oh!
00:43:21.668 --> 00:43:24.791
- Because \"Danger\" is the
highest level of toxicity,
00:43:24.792 --> 00:43:27.999
or \"health impact.\"
00:43:28.000 --> 00:43:30.958
As a household, as a resident,
we can generate so many
00:43:30.959 --> 00:43:33.333
different kinds of materials
that can be classified
00:43:33.334 --> 00:43:36.333
as hazardous waste... things
like cleaning products,
00:43:36.334 --> 00:43:37.791
personal care products.
00:43:37.792 --> 00:43:38.999
And then there\'s medicine.
00:43:41.334 --> 00:43:44.082
We\'ve heard from
residents that oftentimes,
00:43:44.083 --> 00:43:46.458
they\'ll buy a medicine... it
could be Advil or something
00:43:46.459 --> 00:43:48.249
for a headache... and
they\'ll take a pill.
00:43:48.250 --> 00:43:50.833
And the rest of the bottle just
sits in their medicine cabinet
00:43:50.834 --> 00:43:52.208
until it gets expired.
00:43:52.209 --> 00:43:54.042
And then they don\'t
know what to do with it.
00:43:55.292 --> 00:43:57.208
We learned that most
people just want
00:43:57.209 --> 00:44:01.082
to drop off their unwanted
medicine at the point of sale.
00:44:01.083 --> 00:44:04.666
They simply want to go back to
the pharmacy and drop it off.
00:44:04.667 --> 00:44:06.958
There\'s 24 different sites
all over San Francisco
00:44:06.959 --> 00:44:08.082
neighborhoods.
00:44:08.083 --> 00:44:10.082
So any resident in
San Francisco now
00:44:10.083 --> 00:44:13.249
has the opportunity to get rid
of their medicine properly.
00:44:13.250 --> 00:44:16.208
- Oh, thank you very much.
00:44:16.209 --> 00:44:18.750
- What we\'ve done is we\'ve
installed a safe medicine
00:44:18.751 --> 00:44:20.124
disposal bin.
00:44:20.125 --> 00:44:23.374
And residents can easily
put their unwanted medicine
00:44:23.375 --> 00:44:25.082
in that bin.
00:44:25.083 --> 00:44:26.998
Just in nine months of
running this program,
00:44:26.999 --> 00:44:30.208
we\'ve collected about
six tons of medicine.
00:44:30.209 --> 00:44:32.708
So imagine the six
tons of medicine
00:44:32.709 --> 00:44:35.291
that we would not have
collected would have otherwise
00:44:35.292 --> 00:44:37.541
ended up in the wastewater
treatment facility,
00:44:37.542 --> 00:44:40.541
or in our landfills.
00:44:40.542 --> 00:44:43.333
- I\'ve been in the business
just about five years now.
00:44:43.334 --> 00:44:45.999
I was actually in an
environmental services company
00:44:46.000 --> 00:44:46.751
prior to that.
00:44:46.752 --> 00:44:49.583
And one of the questions that
kept being asked to me over
00:44:49.584 --> 00:44:51.374
and over again was,
\"Well, it\'s really nice
00:44:51.375 --> 00:44:53.166
that you can handle all
my hazardous materials.
00:44:53.167 --> 00:44:55.541
But the real question is, can
you handle my biohazardous
00:44:55.542 --> 00:44:56.958
materials?\"
00:44:56.959 --> 00:44:59.249
I found that there was
a massive need for it.
00:44:59.250 --> 00:45:02.167
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:45:05.626 --> 00:45:07.999
We\'ve selected this
particular facility
00:45:08.000 --> 00:45:10.041
because they\'re a very
large-scale veterinarian
00:45:10.042 --> 00:45:11.042
service.
00:45:15.542 --> 00:45:19.041
They literally have all of
the waste streams represented
00:45:19.042 --> 00:45:22.750
for biohazardous waste.
00:45:22.751 --> 00:45:26.791
The white container here
is for pathological waste.
00:45:26.792 --> 00:45:28.208
So what you might
find in here are
00:45:28.209 --> 00:45:29.998
things that are from
neutering procedures,
00:45:29.999 --> 00:45:31.374
those kinds of
things, that should
00:45:31.375 --> 00:45:32.958
be handled as pathology waste.
00:45:32.959 --> 00:45:35.291
And those will all go
into this waste stream.
00:45:35.292 --> 00:45:38.208
This would be
chemotherapeutic waste.
00:45:38.209 --> 00:45:42.416
That would be anything like
gowns, gloves, masks, tubing,
00:45:42.417 --> 00:45:44.750
anything else that\'s used
in the administration
00:45:44.751 --> 00:45:47.458
of the chemotherapeutic
agents for their patients.
00:45:47.459 --> 00:45:49.082
And in this case,
it\'s the animals
00:45:49.083 --> 00:45:51.791
that they\'re giving this to.
00:45:51.792 --> 00:45:54.541
And the red container is for
the biohazardous material,
00:45:54.542 --> 00:45:56.291
which would be your
sharps, anything
00:45:56.292 --> 00:45:58.082
that would be considered
to be a potentially
00:45:58.083 --> 00:46:00.333
infectious material.
00:46:00.334 --> 00:46:03.666
The blue container up here
is for pharmaceutical waste.
00:46:03.667 --> 00:46:06.374
I, as a driver, will come
in and lock this shut.
00:46:06.375 --> 00:46:09.291
Once it\'s locked shut,
this entire container...
00:46:09.292 --> 00:46:12.041
Unfortunately, with all
that plastic in it...
00:46:12.042 --> 00:46:14.583
Will end up in an incinerator.
00:46:14.584 --> 00:46:19.583
Because it is a chemical first
and a therapeutic agent second,
00:46:19.584 --> 00:46:22.750
there\'s nothing about it
that\'s actually recyclable.
00:46:22.751 --> 00:46:25.459
The only thing you
can do is destroy it.
00:46:47.584 --> 00:46:52.082
- It\'s almost like we\'re pushing
our problem somewhere else.
00:46:52.083 --> 00:46:54.791
We\'re pushing our
problems into the future.
00:46:54.792 --> 00:46:57.667
We\'re pushing our problems
onto other societies.
00:47:00.209 --> 00:47:03.082
We\'re pushing our
problems onto nature.
00:47:03.083 --> 00:47:08.124
To me, this is just being
lazy and being sloppy.
00:47:08.125 --> 00:47:10.583
People would say I\'m
an idealist because I\'m
00:47:10.584 --> 00:47:13.583
looking for a better
future, a more ideal world.
00:47:13.584 --> 00:47:15.541
That\'s true.
00:47:15.542 --> 00:47:17.082
But I\'m also very
realistic about what
00:47:17.083 --> 00:47:23.416
we can do now to take steps,
even big steps, towards that.
00:47:23.417 --> 00:47:26.958
A very simple example is we
need better energy conservation
00:47:26.959 --> 00:47:28.000
and renewable energy.
00:47:30.292 --> 00:47:34.999
- We are at a project site we
call UC Davis Biogas Energy
00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:40.750
Project, where we test the new
technologies for converting
00:47:40.751 --> 00:47:45.750
waste into bio-energy
and fertilizer products.
00:47:45.751 --> 00:47:48.708
- Are you using
these tanks here?
00:47:48.709 --> 00:47:51.791
I\'ve been working with Ruihong
Zhang at UC Davis for some time
00:47:51.792 --> 00:47:52.751
now.
00:47:52.752 --> 00:47:55.999
And she\'s developed some
really good anaerobic digestion
00:47:56.000 --> 00:47:57.208
technology.
00:47:57.209 --> 00:47:59.626
And it\'s to the point now where
it\'s being commercialized.
00:48:01.459 --> 00:48:06.291
- 70% to 80% of this
will go into the biogas.
00:48:06.292 --> 00:48:07.958
- We want to power
our composting trucks
00:48:07.959 --> 00:48:08.959
with chili peppers.
00:48:14.167 --> 00:48:16.999
San Francisco does
not exist in a vacuum.
00:48:17.000 --> 00:48:19.833
We import almost everything.
00:48:19.834 --> 00:48:22.666
We export a lot of things.
00:48:22.667 --> 00:48:25.041
So we really have to work
with a lot of different people
00:48:25.042 --> 00:48:27.709
in a lot of different places
in lot of different dimensions.
00:48:30.209 --> 00:48:32.458
- This project is
actually a joint project
00:48:32.459 --> 00:48:34.833
between General Mills,
from Minneapolis,
00:48:34.834 --> 00:48:38.625
Minnesota, and the Olam company
from Singapore and from here
00:48:38.626 --> 00:48:39.751
in Williams, California.
00:48:42.125 --> 00:48:47.082
This project reflects the
need for large volumes
00:48:47.083 --> 00:48:49.750
of organic matter to
compost, to put out
00:48:49.751 --> 00:48:51.417
on thousands of acres of land.
00:48:53.999 --> 00:48:59.291
This is tomato pulp from
canning varieties of tomatoes.
00:48:59.292 --> 00:49:02.166
These have been harvested
as whole tomatoes.
00:49:02.167 --> 00:49:06.291
So now we have this beautifully
moist but not overly wet
00:49:06.292 --> 00:49:12.082
seed and skin that I can mix
at about one third of volume
00:49:12.083 --> 00:49:16.124
to rice hulls and almond
processing waste that
00:49:16.125 --> 00:49:20.875
will give us a great material
that will help the next crop.
00:49:20.876 --> 00:49:23.958
- It is actually steaming.
00:49:23.959 --> 00:49:27.291
- Compost is the simple,
beautiful process that
00:49:27.292 --> 00:49:30.917
is a reflection of us learning.
00:49:30.918 --> 00:49:32.541
We\'re building
compost that increases
00:49:32.542 --> 00:49:33.542
the health of our soil.
00:49:36.501 --> 00:49:38.666
So this is very exciting
to us because this is going
00:49:38.667 --> 00:49:40.583
to be a closed loop system.
00:49:40.584 --> 00:49:44.083
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:50:12.125 --> 00:50:13.998
- We\'re competing for
water, we\'re competing
00:50:13.999 --> 00:50:16.958
for all the material resources.
00:50:16.959 --> 00:50:19.541
We really have to
change the way we do it.
00:50:19.542 --> 00:50:21.999
Every single piece
of thing we put out,
00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:25.917
we have to recycle them and
go into this concept of cradle
00:50:25.918 --> 00:50:26.375
to cradle.
00:50:26.376 --> 00:50:28.833
We have to get back
to cradle to cradle.
00:50:28.834 --> 00:50:31.709
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:50:35.999 --> 00:50:38.124
- Recycling is
just the beginning.
00:50:38.125 --> 00:50:41.082
It\'s really about people.
00:50:41.083 --> 00:50:43.291
It\'s about trying to do
more than just survive,
00:50:43.292 --> 00:50:47.958
and actually be productive
to actually put more back
00:50:47.959 --> 00:50:49.334
into the world
than we\'re taking.
00:50:52.042 --> 00:50:54.708
Ultimately, that\'s what
zero waste is all about.
00:50:54.709 --> 00:50:57.374
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:50:57.375 --> 00:50:59.416
- Make it into soil.
00:50:59.417 --> 00:51:01.208
- There\'s another one.
00:51:01.209 --> 00:51:03.958
- Dig there or dig there.
00:51:03.959 --> 00:51:05.875
Down, down, down.
00:51:05.876 --> 00:51:08.208
Go, Tommy, go!
00:51:08.209 --> 00:51:12.708
- Why do we water
the compost pile?
00:51:12.709 --> 00:51:14.167
- We found a beetle!
00:51:20.584 --> 00:51:23.666
- We\'re humans, and we\'re one
of the most intelligent species
00:51:23.667 --> 00:51:24.125
on Earth.
00:51:24.126 --> 00:51:26.333
We have opposable thumbs.
00:51:26.334 --> 00:51:28.998
And I don\'t think there\'s
any way to make it
00:51:28.999 --> 00:51:31.541
what it was before we came.
00:51:31.542 --> 00:51:36.666
But there\'s no reason why,
if we all work together,
00:51:36.667 --> 00:51:38.333
we can\'t fix it.
00:51:38.334 --> 00:51:41.291
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:51:41.292 --> 00:51:42.292
- There\'s another one.
00:51:47.709 --> 00:51:48.626
- Here.
00:51:48.627 --> 00:51:52.833
If you take your glove
off so you can feel it,
00:51:52.834 --> 00:51:54.875
it\'s going to feel hot.
00:51:54.876 --> 00:51:55.834
- Whoa.
00:51:55.835 --> 00:51:58.751
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:52:04.626 --> 00:52:08.541
- Welcome to San Francisco
International Airport.
00:52:08.542 --> 00:52:09.999
- What is this?
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:11.875
- This is all reclaimed art.
00:52:11.876 --> 00:52:13.875
In other words, it\'s
stuff from junk.
00:52:13.876 --> 00:52:15.999
And these artists
made stuff from junk.
00:52:20.125 --> 00:52:22.500
- It\'s all reused
stuff, recycled.
00:52:22.501 --> 00:52:24.583
You just have to look at
things in a different way.
00:52:24.584 --> 00:52:27.082
- Boy, talk about turning
swords into plowshares.
00:52:27.083 --> 00:52:29.333
- I know, I love it.
00:52:29.334 --> 00:52:32.292
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:52:37.083 --> 00:52:38.750
- The artists, they
get a shopping cart
00:52:38.751 --> 00:52:39.999
and then they scavenge.
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:41.500
And there\'s nothing
in the studio.
00:52:41.501 --> 00:52:42.917
It\'s completely empty.
00:52:42.918 --> 00:52:44.875
They have to find all
the materials themselves,
00:52:44.876 --> 00:52:46.998
including paint and
glue and adhesives...
00:52:46.999 --> 00:52:49.791
Everything themselves.
00:52:49.792 --> 00:52:52.750
- Everything I got to
make all my sculptures
00:52:52.751 --> 00:52:57.998
came out of this area, the
public disposal recycling area.
00:52:57.999 --> 00:53:00.291
Yeah, it\'s amazing that
people throw away this stuff.
00:53:00.292 --> 00:53:06.625
- I see plywood,
wheels, a wooden pillar.
00:53:06.626 --> 00:53:07.791
- Yeah.
00:53:07.792 --> 00:53:09.541
- I\'m a sucker for
the large pieces.
00:53:09.542 --> 00:53:11.959
I really enjoyed the Hummer
made out of Styrofoam.
00:53:16.542 --> 00:53:18.708
- Is there a better strategy
than making mountains
00:53:18.709 --> 00:53:20.208
out of trash?
00:53:20.209 --> 00:53:22.167
How can we live in a
way that\'s less trashy?
00:53:27.167 --> 00:53:30.750
- iPhone 5 should
be able to recycle.
00:53:30.751 --> 00:53:33.000
And the material should
be used for iPhone 10.
00:53:39.125 --> 00:53:40.166
- Leather.
00:53:40.167 --> 00:53:40.751
- Leather.
00:53:40.751 --> 00:53:41.542
- Leather.
00:53:41.542 --> 00:53:42.375
- Carpet.
00:53:42.376 --> 00:53:44.291
- And then, like, a piece of...
00:53:44.292 --> 00:53:45.958
I don\'t know,
that\'s probably off
00:53:45.959 --> 00:53:47.459
of an old pillow or a carpet.
00:53:50.626 --> 00:53:53.625
- I\'m not sure why, but since
I was a little kid I had a zero
00:53:53.626 --> 00:53:56.750
waste mentality... turning the
lights out behind my parents,
00:53:56.751 --> 00:53:57.542
driving them nuts.
00:53:57.543 --> 00:54:00.166
Picking up trash off
the side of the road.
00:54:00.167 --> 00:54:04.249
I used to collect
even bottle caps.
00:54:04.250 --> 00:54:05.917
- We want to change the law.
00:54:05.918 --> 00:54:08.333
Don\'t make the nail
polish contain toxics.
00:54:08.334 --> 00:54:11.751
Not only nail polish, now
we even ask for cosmetics.
00:54:15.334 --> 00:54:19.374
- So I guess my choices
are to keep it simple.
00:54:19.375 --> 00:54:20.709
You know, regular soap.
00:54:24.542 --> 00:54:25.958
- We believe in
zero waste, so you
00:54:25.959 --> 00:54:27.541
wouldn\'t want a big trash can.
00:54:27.542 --> 00:54:30.166
We actually really do
use this little thing
00:54:30.167 --> 00:54:31.459
as our trash can here.
00:54:34.083 --> 00:54:38.333
- An electric sander, bandsaw,
projector, vacuum cleaner
00:54:38.334 --> 00:54:42.082
parts, meat grinder, motorcycle
clutch lever, garlic press,
00:54:42.083 --> 00:54:43.083
conduit cover.
00:54:50.751 --> 00:54:53.958
- If you need to do any
composting and recycling,
00:54:53.959 --> 00:54:55.876
call me up.
