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16 Ways To Solve Trash, From Recycling Jeans To Making Bricks From Tires - Season 4 Marathon

Business Insider・109 minutes read

Humans generate more waste globally, pushing for recycling and repurposing solutions like a tire business in Nigeria. Innovative waste management initiatives tackle environmental challenges and promote sustainability in various industries, emphasizing the importance of responsible resource use and recycling practices.

Insights

Humans are generating significant amounts of waste, including food, clothing, and disposable items, leading to a global focus on reusing and repurposing materials.
Free Recycle, a tire recycling business in Nigeria, recycles hundreds of tires daily by extracting steel wires and shredding rubber for bricks used in driveways and playgrounds, addressing only a fraction of the billion tires discarded annually.
International Paper, a major player in the cardboard industry, emphasizes sustainability by recycling used cardboard and focusing on responsible forest management despite the industry's reliance on tree harvesting.
Innovative companies like Clean the World and Free Recycle are transforming waste management by repurposing items like tires and used soap into valuable products for construction and hygiene.
Sustainable practices like recycling cardboard and cotton, repurposing plastic waste, and utilizing seaweed alternatives are emerging globally to reduce waste, promote environmental consciousness, and offer viable solutions for various industries.

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How are tires recycled?
Tires are recycled by extracting steel wires, shredding rubber for various applications.

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Summary

00:00

Tire recycling business transforms waste into profit

Humans are generating more waste than ever before, including food, clothing, and disposable items.
Waste is being viewed as a valuable resource globally, with efforts to reuse and repurpose materials.
In Nigeria, a tire recycling business has emerged, where workers extract steel wires to shred rubber for bricks used in driveways and playgrounds.
The business, Free Recycle, founded in 2018, recycles hundreds of tires daily, addressing a fraction of the billion tires discarded annually.
Recycling tires is challenging and costly, leading to tire graveyards that pose health risks like malaria in stagnant water.
In Nigeria, roadside mechanics collect old tires, selling them to companies like Free Recycle for profit.
Free Recycle employs over 100 workers and earns about 16 cents per recycled tire, with a process capable of handling 150 car tires per hour.
Tires' durability, due to vulcanization, makes recycling complex, with synthetic rubber introduced during World War II to meet demand.
In the US, tire recycling has reduced stockpiles significantly, with a third burned for fuel and another third repurposed for various applications.
Companies like Free Recycle and Clean the World are innovating in waste management, turning tires and used soap into valuable products for construction and hygiene.

19:30

International Paper: Cardboard Industry and Sustainability

International Paper is a major player in the cardboard industry, with a significant chance that any cardboard box in the US was made by them.
Cardboard, or corrugated packaging, is crucial for various industries in protecting items during transportation.
Despite cardboard being highly recyclable, the industry still relies on cutting down trees due to limitations in recycling old cardboard.
The process of making cardboard starts with harvesting trees, replanting, and eventually turning them into various products like paper.
The Southern US is a hub for pulp and paper production, with a significant portion of the world's products originating from there.
The production process involves debarking, chipping, pulping, cleaning fibers, and burning leftover materials for energy.
International Paper focuses on sustainability, generating a significant portion of its energy on-site and recycling used cardboard.
Recycling used cardboard involves pulping, mixing with fresh fibers, and processing through a paper machine to create new paper.
The paper is then sent to box plants where it's turned into corrugated packaging through a process involving corrugating, printing, and cutting.
While recycling cardboard is crucial, the industry still heavily relies on tree harvesting, prompting discussions on responsible forest management and sustainability.

38:37

Innovative Companies Transforming Sustainability in Fashion

Four finalists in a competition utilized seaweed alternatives, fostering a non-competitive and friendly seaweed community.
Judges rigorously tested the winning company's solution over a year, subjecting products to ocean water and wildlife impact assessments.
The winning company of the Tom Ford prize had not been announced at the time of Insider's video publication.
Zero Circle, inspired by environmental guilt, focuses on developing seaweed-based alternatives for plastic films and other materials.
Fua Biotech utilizes fruit waste to create natural cleaners through fermentation, harnessing enzymes and acids for germ-fighting properties.
Fua's cleaning products are made from fermented fruit waste, with a focus on safety and environmental impact.
AFM in Pakistan repurposes old cotton into new denim, reducing waste and water usage in the denim manufacturing process.
AFM's cotton recycling process involves sorting, shredding, blending with virgin cotton, spinning, dyeing with recycled indigo, and finishing with eco-friendly washes.
AFM's sustainable denim production includes water purification practices and energy-efficient processes to reduce environmental impact.
AFM's journey from a small garment shop to a sustainable denim manufacturer reflects a family legacy of innovation and environmental consciousness.

59:40

"Reducing waste and recycling for sustainability"

Less than 1% of all clothes are recycled into garments currently.
Buying less and opting for better quality items is encouraged to reduce consumption.
Secondhand or donated garments can extend the life of clothing.
In 2012, a plan was devised to eliminate plastic in the ocean by harnessing natural currents.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch cleanup aimed to clean itself in 5 years but faced challenges.
The nonprofit Ocean Cleanup has removed over 200 metric tons of trash from the Pacific.
Machines called interceptors are designed to capture waste in rivers before it reaches open waters.
The Rio Ozama in the Dominican Republic is one of the world's dirtiest rivers.
The Ocean Cleanup estimates the Rio Ozama carries up to 22,000 metric tons of plastic into the Caribbean Sea annually.
Omar Vasquez turns seaweed into bricks to build homes, offering a sustainable solution to a coastal problem.

01:19:41

Aaron's Minimalist Lifestyle: A Self-Sufficient Journey

Aaron lives a minimalist lifestyle, with most of his possessions fitting inside a cart he designed himself using bicycle wheels.
He relies on sheep for food, with one sheep providing 2100 calories from half a gallon of milk, and their wool for clothing.
Aaron hunts wild animals like raccoons and cooks using a solar camping oven, avoiding the use of money.
He works for local farmers in exchange for food or a safe place to park his wagon, offering farm-handing and farm-sitting services.
Aaron uses YouTube to share his message and generate a small income, aiming to showcase an alternative, purposeful lifestyle.
Solar panels allow him to charge his devices on the go, and he turns sheep's milk into ice cream and popsicles for sale.
Aaron faces challenges with local authorities, including being ticketed for walking his animals in public parks.
He moves to Talent after a law requires special permits for livestock in Ashland, building relationships with property owners.
Aaron's lifestyle is tested by the Almea fire in 2020, impacting Talent's commercial center and trailer park residents.
Despite sacrifices, Aaron believes his self-sufficient lifestyle can offer ideas to those struggling to find a home and purpose.

01:37:36

Robots clean sewers in India, recycle waste.

India has almost 300 robots in 18 out of 28 states to clean sewers due to outdated systems unable to handle the growing population.
Bandicoot robots are transported to cleanup sites on trucks and crews now wear protective gear like hard hats, vests, gloves, and boots.
The only manual task left is removing the manhole cover, with operators using a control panel to lower the "spider" into the manhole to collect waste.
Sensors in the Bandicoot check for poisonous gas and alert operators of dangerous conditions, making manual cleaning safer and faster.
In Mumbai, Bandicoot robots are custom-made to suit the city's sewer system, with each robot taking 4 to 10 days to assemble by 4 to 10 people.
Gen robotics plans to standardize production to scale up the Bandicoot robots, ensuring quality control and simplicity for operators.
Sewers worldwide are failing due to the increasing list of items flushed, leading to fatbergs that block tunnels and costly infrastructure fixes.
Climate change has brought heavier storms, testing sewer capacity and causing sewage overflow, prompting innovative solutions like recycling waste.
In Gaza, plastic waste is recycled into mats and other products due to blockades limiting imports, providing income for locals amidst conflict.
Refactory in the UK recycles unrecyclable cosmetics waste into plywood-like boards, offering a sustainable solution for brands and reducing waste.

01:59:49

Innovative Recycling Process Reduces Carbon Emissions

Pulverizer grinds granules into powder for outer layer; mixed in large mixers with a giant cork screw.
Three-layered boards cooked on waffle maker-like machines; outer coating resembles birthday cake with sprinkles and white powder frosting.
Core layer made from recycled materials; mixed powers and melins pressed into boards to minimize waste.
Mixture heated to 410°F in clam shell for 8 minutes, then cooled for 25 minutes to avoid wedging.
Boards versatile for benches, bookshelves, bus shelters, etc., designed to replace ply board.
Refactory recycles boards and goods repeatedly; focuses on selling finished products to control microplastic issue.
Revenue from clients like Boots Pharmacy and The Body Shop; recycling encouraged to reduce garbage.
Recycled boards emit 50% less carbon than landfilling plastic; refactory aims to give waste new purpose.
Roosevelt Island's avac system uses pneumatic tubes for trash disposal; 8 tons of trash processed daily.
System prone to jams and leaks, requiring creative solutions for repairs; residents prefer it over traditional trash collection.

02:17:56

Innovative Bricks Transform Plastic Waste into Classrooms

Conceptos bricks were used to build a school in 2019, with over 300 classrooms made across Colombia.
The company behind the bricks, started by Oscar Mendes and Isael Christina Gomez in 2010, was asked by UNICEF in 2019 to expand to Ivory Coast due to a lack of classrooms.
Ivory Coast faces a shortage of classrooms, with over a million children unable to attend school due to distance or overcrowding.
Each classroom takes about a month to build, a quick construction method appreciated by the government.
The city of Abon produces enough plastic waste daily to build 45 classrooms, but the challenge lies in collecting, sorting, and transforming the plastic.
The company has transformed over 3,000 metric tons of plastic waste in Ivory Coast, aiming for local solutions to local problems.
Poly floss Factory spins plastic waste into ultra-thin fibers for insulation, inspired by cotton candy, with a focus on creating a new business model in plastic-abundant countries.
The company's latest machine, Ellie, costs $7,000, weighs 220 lbs, and is the safest and most efficient design yet for turning plastic waste into insulation.
Poly floss partners with NGOs to insulate shelters in various countries using locally sourced plastic waste, aiming to make a broader impact beyond just insulation.
Fast Feet Grinded (FFG) in the Netherlands has found a way to recycle every part of shoes, using heat and friction to separate materials for reuse, with a focus on circularity in the shoe industry.

02:37:01

Sustainable Sneaker Factory: Recycling and Innovation

Shoes are manufactured at a factory where the upper part is assembled by stitching together die-cut teex sheets and carpet fabric made from recycled bottles, while the soles are created from Industrial Rubber crumbs that are roughened on a grinder before being coated with clear glue and exposed to UV light for adhesion. The shoes undergo heat treatments, strengthening coats, and final stitching, with laces also made from recycled plastic, and the factory produces 15,000 pairs weekly for three companies, emphasizing the use of existing sneaker manufacturing techniques and recycling practices.
The factory, employing 170 workers, sold 300 pairs of sneakers in its first month, with the shoes designed to last 2 to 3 years, and all scraps are recycled or reused in production. Additionally, old shoe materials are repurposed for a Mini Soccer pitch by mixing ground shoes with a polymer binder to create a soft playing surface, while another company transforms materials into displays, showcasing the dedication of a family-run business that overcame challenges, including a fire that destroyed their initial recycling plant in 2022, to continue their sustainable practices with passion and long-term strategy.

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