What if we could recycle just half of the plastic currently going to landfills?

The answer: 173,000 new jobs, nearly $50 billion in economic output, and a stronger American manufacturing base.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn welcomes back Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers, for a wide-ranging conversation on why recycling is no longer just an environmental issue—it’s an economic and manufacturing opportunity hiding in plain sight.

Ross highlights what’s actually working in recycling today, from large-scale facilities turning plastic into new products to advanced technologies that can recover materials once thought to be unrecyclable. He explains why the idea that “recycling doesn’t work” is one of the biggest myths holding back progress.

The conversation also tackles the policy choices shaping the future of recycling, including:

• Why flexible, technology-neutral policies matter more than one-size-fits-all mandates
• How mass balance works (and why it’s similar to Fair Trade coffee)
• What states are getting right—and wrong—on Extended Producer Responsibility
• Why a federal definition of advanced recycling as manufacturing could unlock investment nationwide

Looking ahead, Ross shares what success could look like, from scaling U.S. recycling infrastructure to reaching a global plastics agreement that expands access to waste management for billions of people worldwide.

And yes, there’s some fun along the way…from K-pop playlists to shark diving and guilty-pleasure reality TV.

Biodegradable water-soluble films. Recycling that reuses molecules over and over. AI that can develop more sustainable polymers. In this conversation, Sustainably Speaking host Mia Quinn sits down with Anne Kolton, Chief Sustainability Officer at SK Capital Partners, to explore the next wave of innovation in manufacturing and materials. Anne shares how her team invests in companies developing breakthrough products, how U.S. manufacturing can launch smarter, more efficient processes, and why engineering and AI will transform the materials we all use every day.

What if your car was easier to recycle? Hyundai’s Amanda Nummy is helping make it happen. In Episode 52 of Sustainably Speaking, we explore how biomimicry, recycled plastics, and smart design choices are helping the auto industry tackle its waste footprint — and what that means for the next generation of our cars and trucks.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Hyundai’s goal is to use 20% recycled plastics by weight in vehicles by 2030

• Why designing for disassembly is key to making cars easier to recycle

• What we can learn from beetles and tree bark about sustainable design

• How advanced recycling could reshape the auto supply chain

Greenwood Cemetery is the final resting place of over 50,000 African Americans whose legacies stretch back generations. But for years, erosion and neglect made the site nearly impossible to access. That changed when a group of volunteers decided not to let history disappear.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, we visit with the Greenwood community about how they worked with engineers, nonprofits, and recycled materials to reopen the cemetery's main road and preserve the stories buried there.

In this episode, you'll hear:

● How recycled materials and permeable pavers were used to restore the cemetery for years to come

● Why Engineers Without Borders, the ACC and the community came together to support the project

● What the restoration has meant for families across the country

● How Greenwood is now inspiring similar restoration efforts nationwide

Recorded live at SXSW, this episode brings together leaders from Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Dow, and Greyparrot to explore how AI is reshaping the recycling system. From real-time data and material tracking to smarter packaging design and policy reform, it's a conversation about what's working, what's broken—and what could finally close the loop.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How AI helps sort waste faster, better—and more accurately than humans
• What the data tells us about redesigning packaging for recycling and remanufacturing
• Why transparency tools like QR codes matter for consumers
• How companies test products for recyclability before they hit the market

In the second installment our SXSW conversation with Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel from Google X, we explore what it looks like to build ambitious ideas from the ground up. This episode dives into early ‘Moonshot’ experiments with textile recycling, the role biology could play in the future of materials, and how big ideas move from the whiteboard to the real world.

We also go behind the scenes of Moonshot Madness — a company-wide tradition at X to identify big ideas that could change everything.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How clothing could be transformed into new, reusable materials
• How bioplastics and synthetic biology could shape the next era of manufacturing
• How teams at Google’s X, the Moonshot Factory test ideas— and learn as they go
• What Moonshot Madness is, and how it fuels a culture of experimentation
• How Rey and Peter’s experiences have influenced their approach to sustainability and innovation

This episode encourages you to imagine what a circular future could look like across industries — from plastics to fashion and beyond.

What if the future of recycling isn't just about managing 'waste'—but unlocking its value? At Google's X, the Moonshot Factory, turning moonshots into reality means rethinking the impossible. And in this episode, you'll hear how that vision could help build a smarter, more circular world—one molecule, algorithm, and bold idea at a time.

Recorded live at SXSW, this episode features Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel - two of the brightest minds of Google's X, the Moonshot Factory. They're leading a bold effort to change how the world uses and reuses materials, starting with plastics. With help from AI, robotics, and new molecular data, their team is reimagining how recycling works and how we can build better systems to keep materials in use and out of the landfill.

In this episode we dive into:

• How advanced recycling is opening the door to reuse materials once destined for the bin
• Why the moonshot factory believes plastics can be recycled and remanufactured—without extracting more petroleum
• The role of AI, machine learning and better data are building smarter recycling infrastructure
• How better data is transforming the economics of recycling
• What it takes to try bold ideas from inside one of the world's most audacious incubators
• What happens when you treat waste as a resource

Live from SXSW in Austin, Mia sits down with Rich James of Dow and Gina Oliver of the American Chemistry Council to talk all things automotive recycling. They break down how new plastics are making vehicles safer, lighter, and more efficient—and discuss breakthroughs that are keeping valuable materials out of landfills. This episode explores the path to sustainable automotives and why America has a real opportunity to lead the way.