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PBS NEWSHOUR Presents: The Plastics Problem

Plastic recycling ready for resale in a facility in Manassas, Va.
Courtesy of PBS NewsHour/Lorna Baldwin
Plastic recycling ready for resale in a facility in Manassas, Va.

Encore Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 5 at 11:30 a.m. on KPBS TV / On Demand

“The Plastic Problem,” a PBS NEWSHOUR special, ​explores how plastic is impacting the world and ways individuals can break their dependence on plastics. It follows the 2018 Peabody Award-winning five-part ​PBS NEWSHOUR​ series that explored the environmental threat from plastic pollution and potential alternatives. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of why the global extensive appetite for single-use plastic is one of the largest environmental threats.

Traveling to multiple cities including Toronto, Canada — and with reports from the edge of the jungle in Malaysia, the Pacific shores of Costa Rica, to the rocky beaches of Easter Island — NEWSHOUR’s t​eam discovers extensive environmental damage plastic has already caused as well as potential solutions in plastic management.

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This report features interviews with Roland Geyer, Industrial Ecologist, University of California, Santa Barbara; John Coyne, Vice President, Legal and External Affairs, Unilever Canada; and Bea Perez, Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Coca-Cola.

PBS NEWSHOUR: The Plastic Problem

Dig Deeper:

Video and Article: Why your recyclables might have no place to go By Paul Solman

Video + Article: Why it will take more than basic recycling to cut back on plastic. By Amna Nawaz, Lorna Baldwin

Watch On your Schedule:

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The film is available on demand with the PBS Video App, on YouTube or at Video.KPBS.org.

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PBS NEWSHOUR is on Facebook. Follow @NewsHour on Twitter.

Credits:

Produced by Executive Producer and WETA SVP ​Sara Just​; Executive in Charge of Production ​James Blue​; Senior Producer ​Lorna Baldwin, Emily Carpeaux​; Producer Rachel Wellford; Associate Producers ​Maea Lenei Buhre​ and ​Ryan Connelly Holmes; Editor Jeff Cook​; Creative Director ​Adam Serraf​; Cinematographers ​Tyler Bedgood​, ​Lisa Berglund​, Malcolm Brown​, ​Mike Fritz​, ​Jason Lelchuk,​ ​Denis Levkovich​, ​Jay Kemp,​ ​Eric O’Connor​, Devin Pinckard​,​ Dale West​, Susheel Younas​; audio, design, and additional staff:​ Quinton Hooper​, ​Jules Rahman Ong​, ​Leah Margois​, ​Samantha Trinh​, ​Ashley Viera​, ​Alex Kemp​, Rebecca Oh​, ​Bryan Wood​, ​Barbara Carvalho​ and ​Laura Santhanam​; Senior Correspondent Jeffrey Brown​ and Correspondent ​John Yang​; and ​Amna Nawaz​ serves as host.