S2E22: The unexpected order in the global "waste" trade—w/ Adam Minter, author of Junkyard Planet & Secondhand
Episode description
Have you ever wondered what happens to your clothes after you drop them off at Goodwill? Or where your electronics go once you’ve left them at the recycling center? Yes, some of our excess is exported to emerging markets around the world and either resold or harvested for parts. Is that cool? And what can we do to shop in a way that reduces our environmental impact?
Adam Minter is a columnist at Bloomberg Opinion and the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade and Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale. Today, Adam joins Ross to explain how being born into a family of junk dealers informed his career as a journalist. He introduces us to what happens when we donate clothing to Goodwill, describing how items are sorted and resold or exported to other markets around the world.
Adam weighs in on why it’s not unethical to send our e-waste to West Africa or resell used car seats in Mexico, challenging us to worry more about the quality of the products we buy and less about where they’re exported when we’re done with them. Listen in for Adam’s insight around the value of mass market collectibles and learn how to shift your consumer thinking from immediate cost to total cost of ownership.
Resources
Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade by Adam Minter
Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter