Confused about recycling? It’s not your fault - Shannon Odell

[@SssSoup_]

I feel that a big part that we are missing is the origin and the development of new manufacturing methods to plastics. Companies typically seem to enjoy pinning the responsibility to consumers.

[@JD96893]

yup, it's all our fault. global warming, pollution...

[@DPowered2]

Saves money for them

[@JPzizou]

They should be forced to change and ban no recycle plastics

[@winzyl9546]

​@@DPowered2It distracts us from the real problem, that the companies are the main polluters, and consumer recycling does little to nothing.

[@DPowered2]

@@winzyl9546 Its worth doing by the profit capitalist side doesn't want an effective solution because that doesn't maximize profit

[@bharatlal8634]

Kudos to the animators behind this video. The animation is so well-executed; it's impossible not to be impressed.

[@yuvaroo_animation]

Thank you sir! Our team worked really hard on the visuals and it's lovely to hear they resonate with people. I'd like to shout out the animation team: Alon Sivan, Pavelas Laptevas, Dana Roth, John McColgan and myself. We decided to create a hybrid animation style, mixing 2D and 3D, while maintaining a textured handmade aesthetic. Lemme know if you have any q's on the process!

[@PhaseControlDNB]

Also agree on the animations, amazing job! I only have negative opinion on the sound mix - the music is way too loud compared to the voice

[@ForeverMan]

​@@PhaseControlDNBagreed, hated the music/crowd at around 2:30 being SO LOUD

[@holymotherofgodpleasenobut9626]

I agree!!, I usually get distracted or my head just flies, just staring at the screen, but this one just made me stay focused on what the narrator is saying bc of the animation hahah

[@littletinasvideo1326]

True

[@jonathan.gasser]

Honestly, I feel like the single most absurd thing in our modern world is the concept of single use. Such complex feats of design and engineering, produced through incredible meticulous processes, build from ressources collected from all around the globe... All to be thrown out after a single use. And replaced by another exact copy for the next single use.

[@Gledster]

Capitalism in its purest form. You make more money selling multiple things to the same customer, than just selling one thing that the customer can keep for a long time. It's maddening how, as a people, we often come up with an invention, say Solar panels for example, and only thing about how to re-use or recycle the invention as an afterthought.

[@ZennExile]

It's almost like Economics is a Religion and decisions made for purely economic reasons are no less delusional than decisions made for purely religious reasons.

[@winzyl9546]

​@@Gledstermore like a regulation problem than a capitalism problem.

[@bellenesatan]

​@@winzyl9546No, it is the logical conclusion of capitalism. If you don't like that, make a different economical system; but if you have to lie to defend capitalism, then you secretly know it's wrong.

[@JoseALugoR]

​@@winzyl9546it's 100% a capitalism issue that arises in most industries, planned obsolescence is everywhere

[@Ashley-xu1lk]

In a systems engineering course, I learned that an important factor of a design is what happens to the product at the end of life. There has to be a way to dispose of it safely. Just like the quote at the start of the video said, waste is a design flaw.

[@gantagavin]

The three-headed PlastiCorp guy is such a great subtle nod to the fundamental molecular structure of plastics - polymers.

[@cfromnowhere]

The binary recyclable/non-recyclable labelling is already in use in some countries e.g. the UK, but in the UK there is a third category: don't recycle at home, which means you need to send it to specific collection locations to get it recycled rather than just put it into the recycle bin at the doorsteps of every home. Co-op convenience stores are well-known collection locations, so they are not that unreachable, though it is still an extra step that can become a barrier to recycling.

[@MxIraAram]

It is a nice and informative video. Unfortunately, the background music is often too loud to understand anything.

[@DewyRueskie-sl7nk]

Agree. The audio mixing was pretty terrible in this one

[@brightcloud8932]

Thus, I am grateful that they put close captions so I can understand what's going on :,)

[@Moon-op1vu]

I always watch with captions so I didn't notice. Reading your comment, I now do realize the background music is rather loud

[@amanatee27]

+

[@sschweinzger]

i wish we had a world where companies would take responsibility and make recycling more feasible for the world

[@modkip25]

I wish we had a world where we weren't so used to creating waste.

[@sschweinzger]

@@modkip25 totally agree

[@kevinlane1219]

If they did, they might make less money, so it might be like paying someone to clean up after themself.

[@tharunbitla]

India has already brought exactly the same law ....... It's called EPR (extended producer responsibility)

[@ovencake523]

companies are driven to profit by competition. they're playing the game, and recycling is not the meta its government that sets the rules of the game

[@ahmetuguryildiz5123]

Please keep the music down at the back. We English learners could not focus the lyrics. Thanks for your support.

[@samuelb-1406]

Good on Ted Ed for informing people about this!

[@Barveth]

This is one of the best animations I ever saw in a Ted-Ed video. Compliments to the animators

[@noone12323]

In Pakistan, I don't know why but we don't throw the plastic water bottles or even cold drink bottles as well as shopping bags (made of plastic). We store them and reuse them for our personal uses. Once I had two sacks filled with plastic cold drink bottles in my home and two large plastic bags filled with smaller ones. They really come very handy. I don't know about other countries but I think that this might also happens in India also.

[@toby9999]

We have plastic recycling in Australia. Some of the plastic is recycled for construction, road barriers, sound walls on freeways. Lots of other things. We personally reuse shopping bags and some kinds of plastic containers. Our city collects plastcs in our recycling bins at the roadside.

[@sammyjones8279]

I'm from the US but my family did this as well - granted, we were from the "poorer" part of the country... (when I met a friend from Hungary we did a living standard compare and contrast, and found our local areas to be about equal in wage and facilities, so take that for what it's worth 😂) Reuse just makes sense... Why buy an expensive bottle when you've thrown out 10 that week?

[@Gruncival]

We in the west are told not to refill plastic bottles (the kind for single-use) because the plastics will leach into our drinks every time we pour water in.

[@noone12323]

As this is the first time I have heard such thing so I searched it on Google and found out that although it happens, but at a very small extent that its effect are not even considerable. Moreover, as someone who has been drinking water in refilled bottles for all 17 years of his life, I can confidently say that that I am a healthy being with no health issues. @@Gruncival

[@yourdearestfirst]

The animation is truly amazing

[@Epoch11]

It's always fun to get a paper straw with a plastic cup, cuz people are smart. I worked as a temp in a factory that produced plastic recycled for the Auto industry and it was fun breathing in the plastic particulate dust in the air when it was cut into pellets from long ropes. Recycling is a good thing, but somehow it's always the poorest people doing the bulk of the work. Just ask the people in India and other places who take old computers and melt out the precious metals to make a living.

[@DLCS-2]

Yes , bc rich people can just buy new ones while poor people will have to live with what they have

[@Vic-sp6ld]

@@DLCS-2 you both are probably part of the 2% richer people in the world. What are you talking about?

[@gohamorgohome]

@Epoch11 very well said!

[@sammyjones8279]

​@@Vic-sp6ldempathy????

[@Vic-sp6ld]

@@sammyjones8279 About what? Firstworders crying because plastics while having phones and snickers and clothes and many other things in their everyday lives made of plastics. Hypocrisy...

[@Groovebot3k]

My only concern with a binary recycling code on plastics is that some consumers have actually learned the system and are using it for DIY products for reuse... lots of people forget that reusing was supposed to be one of the pillars as well, after all.

[@michealwestfall8544]

The plastics will still be for sell, just not for use in consumer packaging, hopefully. They'll have to buy the plastics they want for their projects.

[@togepreee]

the amount of plastics that are being reused for DIY projects is negligible compared to the literal tons that we're ruining our world with

[@jejsemin33]

You genuinely think that home DIY projects make up a large portion plastics use? What's preventing people from just using the binary system instead for projects? And also so now people are incapable of learning something new, so let's not change anything at all? This rationale is legit what is holding change back, and it needs to end.

[@Lotschi]

Although it is sad to say so, I assume this is totally neglectable.

[@Groovebot3k]

@@jejsemin33 I said it's a concern I hope is addressed in the changes, not a reason to not rethink our current broken system... a requirement for companies to list the materials in their products and packaging (if not directly on the products, perhaps on their product website) might be a suitable compromise for those who engage in reclaimed material projects.

[@Sunflowersarepretty]

Its impossible to escape from plastic. But as long as we can come up with solutions to deal with this problem there's hope. And I agree with the idea of simplifying whether something can be recycled or not on products.

[@Mustachioed_Mollusk]

Nothing is impossible unless you let the norms of today limit your veiw of tomorrow

[@atomicgator5207]

I hope we find a way to escape most plastic use. If memory serves, plastic is made from materials such as oil and natural gas. Currently a finite resource.

[@ghostderazgriz]

​@@atomicgator5207yes, though not all plastics are formed from polymers using petroleum, the vast majority do.

[@bruhdon4748]

I mean we survived all this time without plastic & now plastic is so widely used we’re seeing all kinds of health issues, they tried doing a study on the effects of micro plastics and they had to cancel the study because they literally couldn’t find anyone who didn’t have micro plastic in their system to compare to people that did. It’s also been found in foetus’s and crossed the brain blood barrier.

[@chrismcgowan5180]

what is the problem with plastic?

[@justwaiting5744]

Gorgeous art deco

[@anthonygeo3]

Interesting vid but feel the sound mixing was off, struggled to hear the voice over

[@joecab1]

This animation is gorgeous -- a real Robert Grossman vibe

[@josephmalala1093]

Animation on point as usual. And that's an understatement!

[@Blazinember007]

Am here in the first 2 mins, love the animation and narration so much! Ted-ed never disappoints.

[@kilorl.]

This video does a great job showing that the only final solution is just not using plastic at all. Even PET and HDPE (types 1 and 2) can only be recycled 2 or 3 times, while paper and carboard can be recycled 5-7 times, and metals (like aluminum) and glass can be recycled infinitely many times, with no quality degredation.

[@dud3655]

Thing is, no amount of recycling is gonna do anything if we don't stop producing it to begin with. There are plenty of alternatives, only difference is that they're a bit more expensive, guessing you can understand why companies refuse to switch over.

[@darrennew8211]

Because the first company that switches will lose money. That's why it's worthwhile to regulate and/or tax unrecyclable stuff.

[@chrismcgowan5180]

why is plastic bad again?

[@darrennew8211]

@@chrismcgowan5180 Plastic in use is not bad. Discarded unused plastic that just accumulates is bad. Discarded unused anything that just accumulates is bad, not because it's plastic.

[@chrismcgowan5180]

@@darrennew8211 so disposal is the 'problem'. The world is a pretty big place. We could just bury it somewhere remote then instead of all this subterfuge..

[@winzyl9546]

​​@@chrismcgowan5180sending waste to remote places will costs a lot more than recycling it. Or incinerating it.

[@Jenachy]

There is one effort to reduce plastic that I find highly counter-productive, and that is replacing part of plastic mass with paper, by fusing them. There is a brand of tortilla packaging that used to be all-plastic, one plastic type, easy to sort for recycling. Now half the packaging is pure plastic, and the other half is a non-recyclable paper/plastic mix. Great job...

[@honzidlo3937]

I am so happy for my discovery of this channel, keep going please. You are doing excellent job.

[@henatabassum7757]

This is one of the best animations of ted ed

[@mukhlishmuda9747]

I'm in awe with the animation!! Bravo 👏👏

[@Krypt.CoPublicRelations]

I vote, no plastic, the world survived and thrived without it for so long. It would take time, hard work, and a lot of controversy but I think it would turn out better in the long run

[@GeoffreyHellington]

It is so important to properly phrase waste and pollution issues such as recycling, and to educate people that the blame for the large scale problems they cause lies at source rather than use. So many people have been guilt tripped into believing that if they do x, y, and z then they can save the world, but the sad reality is that only by forcing the actual perpetrators of these injustices to change their ways can we make any real progress. You must ask yourself, how many plastic bags, bottles, or straws have you ever produced and distributed? Or did you simply do the best with the options presented to you (for a nominal fee, of course)?

[@chrismcgowan5180]

why is plastic bad for the environment like you say?

[@tonkonton]

S-tier animation in a unique art style.

[@terryisife7804]

The animation is truly amazing. Love it.

[@tuttamarie48]

In Scandinavia we pay a little bit more for plastic bottles (about 25 cents) and get that refunded when we give the bottle back after use. This incentivises people to return bottles rather than throw them away. In the beginning this meant that we could use thick plastic bottles that were washed and reused over and over. But since “all plastic is recyclable” we have now switched to the same non-reusable bottles that the rest of the world have that have to be melted and reformed to be reused thus weakening the plastic and reducing the lifespan of the bottle overall 😕

[@dienner]

out of topic but I LOVE THIS ART STYLE!

[@CineVeritasQuester]

It's important to point out that we in the western hemisphere consume the most plastic per capita, and that a lot of industries in the developing world, such as cloths and electronics are made too fuel our needs and consumptions. And then we leave them to deal with the rest.

[@HIFLY01]

Yeah a lot of manufacturing happens in second world countries which fuels their economy but if they're doing it, they should be responsible for figuring out how to do it efficiently. Imagine the logging industry telling you to replant trees instead of them and they clear everything without thinking

[@JoseALugoR]

More than for our needs and consumption, is for profit. We don't need as much as we consume, but planned obsolescence, marketing, single use, and all that makes people consume much more than needed

[@samvedkulkarni9840]

Remaining 91% of plastic : "There is nothing we can do."

[@samvedkulkarni9840]

*amour PlAsTic intensifies

[@hg926]

this is one of the prettiest videos on this channel. the animation is incredible

[@yoavhortman9837]

Amazing art, best part is the party queue

[@GuitarRocker2008]

I was thinking about it recently and realised that a lot (though not all) things plastic is used for could and even once were made of metal. “I crave the strength and purity of steel.”

[@wwatesse]

"From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Machine. Your kind cling to your flesh, as though it will not decay and fail you"

[@nickc3657]

The soda can is commonly misunderstood to be a plastic alternative. They have plastic liners to stop the aluminum from seeping into the soda.

[@LetsgoUG]

But at least it is not as much plastic.

[@veryberry39]

So they really? ...Huh. I just looked it up. I never realized that! I'm not a scientist, so I really don't know how consumables interact with their containers, but I'd never thought about it before. Still better than a plastic bottle, I imagine, though still an imperfect solution.

[@TaLeng2023]

I don't know chemistry but wouldn't that thin layer of plastic vaporize or something if the aluminum is melted down?

[@Piratewaffle43]

Love the way corporations run the government. Love that for us.

[@shadw4701]

Nope. I think only two types of plastic are actually recyclable. It's just a way for corporations to shift blame onto you so they don't face the reprocussions

[@tessabio679]

amazing animation and cool info, thanks a lot !

[@nicolebrooks4350]

I agree with the video, things should have a simple symbol that tells consumers whether it’s recyclable or not. However, I do think the resin number should be somewhere, specifically for figuring out what solvents can be stored in a given container

[@fernanda5487]

The animation for this goes so hard

[@l0gic23]

Yet I've seen Amazon, Walmart, and Costco switch from recyclable packaging to single use packages for things I buy regularly or for shipping that used to be boxes and are now plastic mailers. Some of those recyclable containers I enjoyed reusing... The replacement single use bags can't be reused or recycled.

[@catpiqno]

okay but are we not gonna talk about the graphics!? i love that ted ed gives us great information with great visuals.. ❤

[@V13WtheWMore]

I was aware of the recycling numbers but it is hard to remember which ones are which and what they mean. So the video explains it very well; and l think changing the numbering system to make it easier for the public to know what to do with their rubbish would be a good idea.

[@sourround2002]

A more likely solution would be that government officials could purchase or be given stock in recycling companies, and then pass laws forcing manufacturing companies to use a certain percentage of recycled materials in their products. Not only would this actually make the recycling economy work, but it would deeply line their pockets! Very reasonable.

[@simonkim8646]

Isn't this just insider trading?

[@peter_parkour]

Bro, this animation is fire. Keep it up. 💯

[@PedroRafael]

Very informative! Should reach more people! Thank you for sharing!

[@gendissaray]

biodegradable plastics like those created with mushrooms are an interesting solution

[@DeBlauweOlifant]

Wow the animator went all out for this video, nice job

[@robotname438]

Thanks ted ed. I was waiting for this one

[@grldnovales458]

So nobody talking about the presentation and visualization? It’s so lit

[@عبدالعزيزألأزرق-و5ي]

Your art is beautiful

[@Hallows4]

Over the years I’ve fantasized about having many different superpowers, but one of my more recent imaginings is something akin to Firestorm from DC comics; the ability to rearrange the molecules in inorganic substances and transform them into entirely new items. I try to do my part to recycle and reduce consumption of one-use items, but the world really doesn’t make it easy sometimes.

[@lazeau]

I'm grateful that you aren't scared to call out greedy industry

[@doni-fx8or]

this reminds me of how big of a problem plastic has become and how easily we can fix it-that is with the cooperation of companies .

[@angrynoodletwentyfive6463]

this is why i try to purchase things packaged in glass, aluminun or cardboard when possible, but its not always possible unfortunately.

[@funnyfarm299]

Fun fact: lots of glass isn't even recycled in the USA. My county sends it straight to the landfill.

[@darrennew8211]

@@funnyfarm299 In contrast, when I visited Africa, their coke bottles were clearly washed and reused, with scuff marks on the outside from where it went through the machines dozens of times. You weren't allowed to leave the store with the bottle, because it had to get recycled.

[@veryberry39]

​@@funnyfarm299Our curbside recycling won't even take it. We're supposed to bring it to some other recycling center, so I'm sure nobody does (except anxious people like me). :/

[@masonyoung2478]

The quote at the beginning says it's by Kate Kreba, but "Waste is a design flaw" is from Kate Krebs with an S. Anyone else seeing this? PS Love the vid

[@kaunghlamyat]

massproducing plastic is like solving an issue by introducing an threat

[@civilsavant6072]

ARGH! I can only 👍 a video once! Who decided that was a good idea? This one needs more!

[@josephmalala1093]

Love how these videos always end on an optimistic note😇😇😇

[@lawrenceheyman435]

Amazing video on a really important topic. Kudos!

[@FriendofWigner]

One of the principle assumptions of capitalism is that the consumer makes informed choices. I find it endlessly fascinating that the "kings" of capitalism so often want to deny us that information.

[@sirnate9065]

What's going on with the audio mixing? Narration is way to quiet compared to the rest of the video.

[@neur303]

Since we use economics as a regulatory, costs must be applied to the origin they are created. A lot of issues exist because costs can be passed on. It must be cheaper to reduce and recycle waste than to throw it away. The rest kind of happens by "itself".

[@misinformationwars]

I would have liked to see the research on plastic eating fungus included in this video.

[@maestrokimon]

Nice video but the music is to loud! You can't here the narration is some points... 😒

[@DavidKen878]

It sounded fine to me. You can always turn on the captions.

[@jrdmgl6190]

omg this is the first time i think that i know what the ted-ed video is gonna discuss before i even press play... chemistry majors unite!!!!!!!

[@CosmicExplorerX]

This design style is good

[@penguin902]

I mean this in a positive way as an artist and lover of documentaries, sometimes these are too artistic and becomes distracting and takes away from the information being presented.

[@michalpicker6934]

Gee, I had no idea those numbers made plastic recycling so confusing. I hope people deal with this problem real soon. I just don't want this problem to get any worse. No one does.

[@michalpicker6934]

Oh yeah, and you should definitely share this video with the sanitation departments of the world, this number code system isn't ideal at all.

[@hugslugs]

They have developed fungi that can consume plastics over time, we need to rethink our current landfill operations.

[@justn6298]

Damn i clicked on this vid right as it came outa da bakery

[@celineee4513]

so.. is it correct if i assume we currently can't do a lot of things to the plastic waste we currently have? we can only do prevention for the future plastic waste

[@JWQweqOPDH]

Correct. Plastic is not biodegradable. The best option is to put it in a landfill.

[@martijn8491]

Actually no, the best thing is to burn it for energy, while filtering out all harmful substances, like is done in most of Europe. Landfills are a terrible idea, creating methane emissions (a very potent greenhouse gas) and using valuable land.

[@chrismcgowan5180]

why is plastic a problem again?

[@celineee4513]

@@martijn8491 so incineration is our "best" option?

[@B.330]

Sadly, I think companies think that this future is too expensive, then they’ll just keep using plastic

[@1136황찬서]

what a nice video!! it's very beneficial!!!

[@Jak00Z]

thanks

[@caseyczarnomski8054]

Rice University: The researchers exposed plastic waste samples to rapid flash Joule heating for about four seconds, bringing their temperature up to 3100 degrees Kelvin. The process vaporizes the hydrogen present in plastics, leaving behind graphene ⎯ an extremely light, durable material made up of a single layer of carbon atoms. Sep 14, 2023 Using this method all plastics can be flash Joule heated so the hydrogen and graphene can be recaptured.

[@JurijVigo]

Background music is too loud.

[@dracoamice9781]

This was very informative and the animation was great. But the background music and sound effects were too loud and distracting (also unnecessary) and made the narrative harder to follow.

[@jean-pierredevent970]

We could reduce the number of plastics and then give each remaining type its own color shade or even colored label. But that won't happen because of "freedom". There is however also the solution of pyrolysis. I think that this well known procedure has yet never been optimized since fuel was till now so cheap. The reactor is kept on very high temperature, free of oxygen, and an ideal pressure until something like crude oil can be formed, as basis for new plastics or as synthetic fuel. Has anyone worked on insulating that reactor so once on temperature, the energy input is now much lower?? Could lasers or microwaves help to lower energy requirements?? It is well known how to do this but fossil oil is still cheaper and so nobody bothers. However, with that war, I don't know if today, the price would not be comparable.

[@RealVehon]

what a nice video!! it's very beneficial!!!!!!

[@ninabxa]

omg i love the visuals

[@J.5.M.]

Thank you for this!!

[@abegailbohol7838]

I've always been request about what these numbers mean. My question has finally been answered.

[@DerpsWithWolves]

A counter-point to removing the resin system altogether though; some of those plastics have different food-safe properties than others. We need to be able to identify which is which, regardless of if they're recyclable or not. As an example, many Gatorade bottles (or all, I'm unsure) rely on some form of internal coating or additive in the drink to keep the *non-food safe* plastic they're made out of leeching. That property is lost if you rinse out the bottle and re-use it for something else like water; which will taste like plastic as the bottle slowly dissolves into your drink. Powerade bottles, on the other hand, are food-safe and do not do this. At least, most of them are - they might have cheaped out in some regions of the world, but without the resin number you won't be able to tell the difference until you actually try it, and some cases may not be as obvious as actually tasting chemicals in your food. Simplifying the information regarding recycling is a good thing, but it should not come at the expense of useful information which should also be printed more clearly on packaging and other objects.

[@melanthahoang831]

This is a safe packaging problem rather than a label problem. If it is toxic under normal conditions, then it shouldn't be used as a bottle in the first place. Besides, it can also fall under single use plastic as you can't wash and reuse it without harmful effects and should be eliminated from the market.

[@sharkfuuuu]

Great material as always but it was a pain to watch

[@deleted-something]

thanks!

[@ChrisHaupt]

Sad story, sick animation

[@invox9490]

I'm so old I remember that plastic started to rise so we could protect the forests and stop using trees for card, paper bags, and small furniture (chairs)... How times change and we STILL don't have a solution. 😅

[@9681-z4f]

But we should accomplishment

[@toastyboy]

audio engineer, where you at?

[@michaelagbeti5904]

The animation is amazing but the background music was a bit too loud in this one

[@rydonwunali]

I loved this video, it has been bugging me but now its answered. It all makes sense. Time to lobby our politicians!

[@vng]

The industry has a term called thermal recycling. A lot of the plastic recycling that takes place in environmentally friendly companies actually fall under thermal recycling. Which is basically a nice term for incineration. But they call it recycling because the plastic is turned into heat that is then used to produce electricity. So when you see companies say that their plastic products are being recycled 100%, dig a bit deeper to see if how much of that falls under thermal recycling.

[@stronggirl2973]

This subject is very interesting ❤

[@KolTregaskes]

I can't speak for the rest of the world but in the UK we already have clear labeling for recycling. Most foods now have labels though not all. I wish it was used on non-food products though.

[@bertle]

amazing video!

[@AbhiramaDirgantara]

The BGM is slightly lauder than the VO. Making it hard to l