America Recycles Day – Emily Tipaldo, U.S. Plastics Pact

Nov 16, 2021

“We struggle to keep the plastics that we have in the economy and reuse them...because we are in a linear economy where all the way upstream, there are lots of subsidies on a national and international level to subsidize the extraction of oil and gas, which are the base materials…to produce the plastics….We also have the wrong economic incentives in place…. all the way downstream to not necessarily do the right thing for the environment or for our continued material use.” Emily Tipaldo on Electric Ladies Podcast

This week we commemorate America Recycles Day, so we thought it was fitting to share Electric Ladies podcast host Joan Michelson’s powerful interview with Emily Tipaldo of the U.S. Plastics Pact, about the frustrations of building a circular economy to keep plastics out of the landfill.

The issues Emily raises go way beyond recycling to the incentives in place nationally as well as locally to do the non-environmental thing. What does that mean? Listen to Emily.... 

You’ll hear about:

• The incentives in place to keep plastics in landfills.
• How we need to change incentives for oil and gas companies, since the base materials for plastic comes from petroleum.
• How a circular economy for plastics really works – and how to get there.
• What manufacturers and retailers can do to help keep plastics out of landfills.
• Great career advice, especially for women.

“You are your own best advocate and you can't wait to be recognized. You can't wait because you know, you you've demonstrated you can do all of these things. If you want something, you really have to go for it and not be shy about it.” Emily Tipaldo, U.S. Plastics Pact on Electric Ladies Podcast

Read Joan’s related Forbes articles here too.

You’ll also want to listen to:

• Keefe Harrison, Founder and CEO of The Recycling Partnership, on improving local recycling programs.
• Connie Stacey, Founder and CEO of Growing Greener Innovations: The remarkable new energy storage technology that also reduces the use of oil and gas products. 
• Jennifer Gerbi, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Acting Director, ARPA-E, the innovation arm of the Department of Energy 
• Lisa Jacobson, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, on the impact of covid on energy and transitioning to a clean energy economy
• Anne Kelly, VP of Government Relations at nonprofit Ceres, which helps businesses and policy come together for the planet and people, as well as the economy
• Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.”

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