When Recyclables End Up in the Landfill, Teenage Flutist, Avenue of the Arts Turns 30

We all feel good tossing our soup cans, milk jugs and shampoo bottles into the recycling bin, but how much of it really gets reused, and how efficient is the process?

Air Date: November 16, 2023 12:00 pm

Pete Keller, vice president of sustainability for Republic Resources poses for a photo at a facility in Oberlin, Ohio, on Aug. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Gillispie)

The Avenue of the Arts turns 30 this year. We’re celebrating the anniversary with an exclusive ticket giveaway for our listeners and talk to Laura Burkhardt, Executive Director of Avenue of the Arts.

We all feel good tossing our soup cans, milk jugs and shampoo bottles into the recycling bin, but how much of it really gets reused, and how efficient is the process? Or, how much ends up in landfills? We’ll talk about how to make recycling work. NPR investigative correspondent Laura Sullivan and Director of Policy and Engagement at Circular Philadelphia Nic Esposito join us to debunk the myths of recycling.

Julin Cheung, a flutist at the Curtis Institute of Music, has a massive amount of musical talent, especially at just 16-years-old. But, he doesn’t like the word prodigy, and stays humble and dedicated to the instrument he loves. He joins us to play some music and chat ahead of his episode of On Stage at Curtis, which airs Friday on WHYY.

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