Episode 12: Recycling and the Science of Separation

About half of the solid wastes produced each year end up in a landfill. A quarter gets recycled, 10% is composted, and the rest is burned. Why isn't more being recycled? Is this trend going to change? What will be the impact of China's new policy regarding impurities? This episode dives into recycling and we interview Dr. James Nagel of EDX Magnetics, a company with an innovative new tool for separating metals that could transform the recycling landscape.

References For Further Reading:

• EDX Magnetics Website [LINK]
• How China’s Ban on Importing Waste Has Stalled Global Recycling [LINK]
• Getting to zero: the Japan town trying to recycle all its waste [LINK]
• Floating Frog [LINK]

Thanks to listener Chris Sparks who pointed us to the "planned obselescence" wiki which talks about designing for failure in business. [LINK]

This episode is sponsored by Matmatch. Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your next engineering project!

Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!

If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at [email protected] or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.

Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-host, co-creator), Andrew Falkowski (co-host, co-creator), Jared Duffy production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa (editing assistance).

Keywords: polymer plastic recycling magnetic magnetism metals electrodynamic sorting

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