1440 Explores

← 1440 Explores2 apr · 24 min

The Hidden Life of Trash

The Hidden Life of Trash2 apr24 min

Every day, we throw things away. But "away" isn't a place, it's a system.

From curbside pickup to landfills, trash shapes cities, public health, and the environment in ways most of us never see.

Host Sony Kassam sits down with anthropologist Robin Nagle, who spent years riding garbage trucks in New York City, to help trace the hidden life of what we throw out—and asks the question that's harder to answer than it sounds: if garbage tells the story of who we are, what does ours say?

Guest:Robin Nagle, anthropologist, clinical professor at New York University, and author of Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks with the Sanitation Workers of New York City

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Credits:A production of Rhyme Media for 1440 MediaHost: Sony KassamProducer: Nicolo MajnoniEditor: Dan BobkoffFact-Checker: Alice JonesSound Designer: Jay CowitExecutive Producers (1440): Sony Kassam and Drew SteigerwaldExecutive Producer (Rhyme): Dan Bobkoff

About 1440: 1440 is a community for the knowledge-obsessed that helps curious people stay informed and inspired every day. We live in an age of limitless information but limited understanding. Algorithms decide what we see. Misinformation spreads faster than truth. And the tools meant to expand knowledge now distort it.

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