# 291 - Plastic and Styrofoam were everywhere on Burlington Island!

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2024-10-01
- Length: 25m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere

## Summary

Adam Peek joins Spearhead Project Earth volunteers Patricia, Captain Jared, Dave Baboula, and David Afflebaum for a cleanup of Burlington Island in the Delaware River, where they have removed over 15,000 lbs of trash. The group discusses the prevalence of lightweight plastics, polystyrene, and mixed waste, highlighting the difficulty of recycling dirty materials and the shift toward waste-to-energy solutions. They also address the environmental impact of microplastics and the potential regulatory changes, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), that could force brands to pay for waste management.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=0) Introduction: Burlington Island Cleanup and Spearhead Project Earth
- [2:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=122) Patricia on Trash Volume, Education, and Volunteer Impact
- [6:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=395) Captain Jared on Decades of Accumulation and Cleanup Progress
- [9:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=593) Dave Baboula on Historical Waste and 97,000 lbs of Metal Removal
- [14:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=856) Waste Management Strategy: Landfill vs. Waste-to-Energy
- [16:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=966) David Afflebaum on Yardley Borough Grants and Riverfront Development
- [21:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island#t=1263) Spearhead Global’s Mission, Microplastics, and Future Regulations

## Topics

- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- Spearhead Project Earth (company)
- Spearhead Global (company)
- SmartSolve (product)
- Wilson (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [From Make-Use-Throw Away to Circular: Plastics Manufacturing’s Next Chapter w/ Ross Eisenberg](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-06-03-from-make-use-throw-away-to-circular-plastics-manufacturings-next-chapter-w-ross) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Keeping Microplastics Out of Nature: A Discussion with Adam Root, Founder of Matter.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2024-03-28-keeping-microplastics-out-of-nature-a-discussion-with-adam-root-founder-of-matte) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Groundbreaking Solutions for Reducing Plastic Pollution and Improving Ocean Health with Doug Woodring, Founder and Managing Director of Ocean Recovery Alliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-14-groundbreaking-solutions-for-reducing-plastic-pollution-and-improving-ocean-heal) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Intelligent Dumpsters and Sustainable Waste Disposal with Ben Chehebar, VP of Hardware at RoadRunner Recycling, and Jason Gates, Senior VP of Strategy at RoadRunner Recycling](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-03-30-intelligent-dumpsters-and-sustainable-waste-disposal-with-ben-chehebar-vp-of-har) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Making garbage useful with Tom Szaky of TerraCycle](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-08-17-making-garbage-useful-with-tom-szaky-of-terracycle) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2024-10-01-291-plastic-and-styrofoam-were-everywhere-on-burlington-island. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.