With all the effort going into recycling, Europe is still only at a 30% plastic recycling rate, and the US trails way behind at 9%. And this was before China stopped processing the West’s recycling! Why are these numbers so low?&nbsp; When did plastic recycling get so complicated? Guests: Doug Woodring (Ocean Recovery Alliance) Michelle Jou (Covestro China) Philippe Li (HK Recycles Hong Kong) Chen Liwen (Nature University ENGO)

Closing the Loop: Plastic Recycling 101

China is trying to find the solutions to its immense waste crisis. According to World Bank numbers, the country is currently dealing with 200 million tonnes of garbage a year. Landfills are crammed and a burden to their surrounding communities. To solve this, China is building more waste-to-energy plants than the rest of the world combined. But is this the right direction?

Burning waste: China’s quick solution to ocean plastics

PLASTICITY PODCAST answers how we increase the amount of reused and recycled plastic to help stem the tide of plastic going into the ocean in Asia.&nbsp; Episode 1:&nbsp; The Ocean Plastic Charter pledges to recycle and reuse at least 55% of plastic packaging by 2030. &nbsp;It also commits brands to increase the amount of recycled plastic content in their packaging by 50%. &nbsp;

PLASTICITY:  Ocean Plastic Charter

THE PLASTICITY PODCAST looks at how we can increase the amount of reused and recycled plastic to help stem the tide of ocean plastic in Asia. &nbsp;Episode 2: &nbsp;Moving to a plastic circular economy in Asia requires changes in behavior and better waste management infrastructure. &nbsp;Produced in collaboration Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover. Guests: Trish Hyde, Managing Director, The Plastics Circle + Founder of PlastX Doug Woodring, Founder/Managing Director at Ocean Recovery Alliance Ashwin Subramaniam, CEO &amp; Founder at GA Circular (Gone Adventurin’) &nbsp;

PLASTICITY:  It’s All About Infrastructure

THE PLASTICITY PODCAST looks at how we can increase the amount of reused and recycled plastic to help stem the tide of ocean plastic in Asia. &nbsp;Episode 3: What can be done to lower the cost of recycling plastics in Asia, so we can further increase the scale of production to make recycling easier and more profitable? &nbsp;Produced in collaboration Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover.  Guests: Ashwin Subramaniam, CEO &amp; Founder at GA Circular (Gone Adventurin’) Kian Hoe Seah, Managing Director at Heng Hiap Industries Sdn Bhd Harsha Reddy, Head of Global Sustainability at Indorama Ventures PCL Ravish Manjithia, Founder and CEO of Magnomer Renae Kezar, Senior Director, Global Leader of Sustainability at Avery Dennison

PLASTICITY:  Define Recycling?

THE PLASTICITY PODCAST looks at how we can increase the amount of reused and recycled plastic to help stem the tide of ocean plastic in Asia. Episode 4: The innovation in the recycling industry shows that recycled materials are not necessarily of a lower quality. &nbsp;Asia is only starting to embrace the many things that can be made from recycled plastic. &nbsp;Produced in collaboration Ocean Recovery Alliance. Music by Alex Mauboussin, follow him at Kalelover.  Guests: Brian Thurston, Senior Advisor, Plastic Disclosure Project Jose Lopez, Senior Architectural Designer at Miniwiz Sustainable Energy Development Co. Ltd. Kian Hoe Seah, Managing Director at Heng Hiap Industries Sdn Bhd Ellen Jackowski, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy &amp; Innovation at HP Doug Woodring, Founder/Managing Director at Ocean Recovery Alliance

PLASTICITY:  As Good As New

中国正着力解决其严重的垃圾危机。据世界银行报道，中国目前每年需处理2亿吨的垃圾。垃圾填埋场堆积如山，给周围社区造成了负担。为解决该问题，中国正建造垃圾焚烧发电厂，其数量比全世界其他地区加起来都多。但是垃圾焚烧真的是解决问题的正确方式吗？ &nbsp; 嘉宾： 詹妮弗·特纳，伍德罗·威尔逊中心 道格·伍德林，海洋复兴联盟 尼古拉斯·塞梅利斯，垃圾焚烧发电研究与技术委员会 陆恭蕙，香港科技大学及思汇政策研究所 毛达，磐石环境与能源研究所 &nbsp; 引言和结语部分音乐所使用的乐器均由亚历山大·莫贝森利用回收废弃物改造制作而成。更多关于他的音乐的信息，请见kalelover.net。

《八百万：第5集》垃圾焚烧：中国解决海洋塑料问题的快速解决方案

In 1986, China passed its Fisheries Law, privatising fishing vessels and unleashing a massive expansion in the fleet. Today one in four fishing vessels in the world are Chinese. Most are fishing off China’s coast, leading to a significant problem with overfishing. But the oceans, and the resources they hold, are shared by everyone. What is China’s place in the global network of policies regulating the world’s fisheries? And what is the country trying to do to break the cycle of overfishing? Guests: Margot Stiles, OCEANA Dr. Yvonne Sadovy, The University of Hong Kong John Mimikakis, Environmental Defense Fund &nbsp; Shownotes in English and Mandarin at China Dialogue Ocean Send us your thoughts on twitter @SustainableAsia or email us at sustainableasia.co@gmail.com Sound engineer and mixing by Chris Wood

1986 Ep1: China, Fish, and Oceans

Since the Han Dynasty, fishing was the main source of livelihood on the&nbsp; Yangtze River basin - now the Yangtze is closed to all fishing for ten years.&nbsp; &nbsp;Marine pollution and overfishing have been knocking on China’s door since the 1986 Fisheries Law and the reform period in China. Why is China facing a critical state of overfishing in its marine waters and what are they doing about it? &nbsp; Guests: Cao Ling, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Yamin Wang, Shandong Ocean University John Mimikakis, Environmental Defense Fund Zhou Wei, Greenpeace China &nbsp; Shownotes in English and Mandarin at China Dialogue Ocean Send us your thoughts on twitter @SustainableAsia or email us at sustainableasia.co@gmail.com Sound engineer and mixing by Chris Wood

1986 Ep2: History of China and Overfishing

We've been nominated for Asia's best podcast by the Asia podcast awards. So it's time to get out the vote. If you like what you hear, please go to Asia podcast awards, and cast your vote for the sustainable Asia podcast. Our next season coming out in November is about seabed mining in the deep oceans. Again, we're partnering with China dialogue, the best news available on China and the environment. Their website is bilingual By the way, it's both Chinese and English.&nbsp; Speaking of bilingual, we've started producing sustainable Asia actually in Mandarin. So an in depth Podcast Series just like the English sustainable Asia but in Mandarin. Finally, if you're passing through Hong Kong, look up sustainable Asia live radio on Facebook events. We try to have monthly meetups when we launch our podcast seasons, to highlight some of the key issues that we're discussing, and more importantly, have a cocktail. In fact, if you're passing through Hong Kong at all, give us a shout or reach out to us on our website, sustainable Asia co or through social media. We'd love to hear your thoughts on new subjects you think we ought to cover. That's it for now. See you November.

Sustainable Asia Update

Sustainable Asia partners with environmental journalists and thought leaders in Asia to produce engaging audio and disseminate their message to a wider audience. We choose topics that are on the critical path to building a sustainable Asia.           https://sustainableasia.co