50. Trash Talk: The Truth About Compostables with Lauren Olson of WorldCentric

In this week’s episode, Mary and Emma dive deep into the world of plastic consumption and waste management with Lauren Olson, a Zero Waste Manager at World Centric, exploring the world of compostables and the use of plastic in our daily lives. The discussion covers several aspects of the topic, including the difficulties of “zero-waste," how plastic sneaks into our homes even when we are consciously trying to avoid it, and all the ways in which existing systems make it difficult to create true sustainability in our homes.  Lauren explains the science behind bioplastics, as well as the difference between industrial vs home compostables. She also shares how to determine genuinely compostable products and helps us imagine a cradle to cradle world where waste equals food for the earth, and not the other way around!  Mary and Emma ask the vital questions, what can we do to work through this monumentally large plastic problem, and is it really possible to achieve the ultimate goal of a zero-waste economy? Lauren gives practical tips for individual action, while encouraging all of us to use our voices as paying consumers to demand change from the top down. 1:30 - Mary and Emma catch up and talk about plastic problem solving!  10:30 - World Centric  Let’s get into the episode: 11:30 - Introducing Lauren & the world of World Centric  16:30 - Is zero waste really achievable?   22:00 - Bioplastics  30:00 - Landfills as coffins for waste  35:00 - What can we do?  36:00 - Greenwashing  43:00 - Facing this massive issue  50:00 - What does the Good Dirt mean to you?  USE CODE: "thegooddirt" for 10% off online at World Centric. Valid for 30 days.  Things Mentioned: World Centric  The Ecology Center  Nature Works Polystyrene BPI  Compost Manufacturers Alliance (CAM)   ASTM 6400 or 6868 Findacomposter.com World Centric’s Giving Program