165. Talking Trash with Eve Schaub, Author of "A Year of No Garbage"

How many of us consider recycling the answer to plastic pollution? We are sold the idea that it's okay to buy and use these materials because they can be recycled into other things. But these claims are ultimately untrue. 95% of the plastic produced in the world goes directly into the landfill, and essentially stays there forever. The small percentage of materials that make it into the recycling system might find a reuse, but will ultimately end up as trash as well, or be shipped overseas to become someone else's garbage. These are some of the shocking truths that are revealed by Eve O. Schaub In her newest book and experiment, "Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste" . In this interview, Eve tells the story of how she convinces her entire family to go a year without producing any garbage. With a family of four, it was already a monumental task, and when the pandemic hit just a few months into the experiment, it became even more challenging. However, throughout it all, Eve and her family remained committed to their goal, resulting in a transformative experience. She shares with Mary and Emma her motivations for taking on this no-garbage challenge, describes her experience, and reflects on the valuable lessons she learned along the way. During this experimental year, Eve gained a wealth of knowledge about the pervasive plastic pollution in our soil and bodies, the influence of fossil fuel companies in lobbying for increased plastic production, and the silent epidemic of plastic waste. Despite the alarming nature of her findings, Eve is able to convey this information with a sense of humor and perspective that gets the message across.. Tune in for an insightful and entertaining discussion that will inspire you to reconsider waste and its impact on our lives. Topics Discussed • Halloween • Modern Recycling is Broken • Single Stream Recycling • Convincing Your Family to do the Impossible • Growing Up with Hoarders • Finding Compromise • Undergoing the Experiment During 2020 • Waste: The Silent Epidemic • Resin Identification Code • Carton Council & TerraCycle • Why Plastics & Micro Plastics Are so Dangerous • How Eve Found Activism in This Way • The Barbie Phenomena • The Impending Plastic Crisis • Racism & Classism in Plastic Pollution • Taking Beyond Plastic 101 with Judith Enck • How Plastics Use Tobacco Tactics to Lobby the US Government • Ramping Up Plastic Production by 2050 • Starting with One Small, Manageable Step • Heating Up Food in Plastic • Incinerating Plastic • Chemical Recycling in NOT a good thing • Eve's Realization that Recycling is a Lie • How Eve's Cats Taught Her a Great Lesson • Life After the Experiment Episode Resources: • Join Us in The ALMANAC • Discover Ag Podcast & The Elevate Ag Course • Listen to The Good Dirt, "Halloween Bonus Episode" • Listen to The Good Dirt, " Seeking Real Solutions to Plastic Pollution with Smruti Aravind of The Story of Stuff" • Watch The Story of Stuff's "The Story of Plastic" • "Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste" by Eve O. Schaub • "Year of No Sugar: A Memoir" by Eve Schaub • "Year of No Clutter: A Memoir" by Eve Schaub Connect with Eve Schaub: • Website: https://eveschaub.com/ • Instagram @eveoschaub : https://www.instagram.com/eveoschaub/ • TikTok @eveoschaub : https://www.tiktok.com/@eveoschaub • Links: https://linktr.ee/Eveschaub ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌻 About Lady Farmer: • Our Website • Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram • Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC • Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you! Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production. 34:52 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy