DiscoverCare More Be Better: A Podcast For Sustainable Social Impact and RegenerationSolving The Problem Of Plastic Pollution With Judith Enck
Solving The Problem Of Plastic Pollution With Judith Enck

Solving The Problem Of Plastic Pollution With Judith Enck

Update: 2025-12-01
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Tons of plastic continue to pile up in landfills and find their way in our oceans, and it only gets worse every single year. Judith Enck, founder and president of Beyond Plastics, is leading the charge against plastic pollution for decades. She joins Corinna Bellizzi to share what must be done to accelerate and improve efforts in reducing plastic use, particularly recycling and reusing methods. Judith also explains why most plastics continue not to get recycled, the best way to reduce unnecessary food packaging, and why corporations are the biggest culprit behind the worsening state of plastic pollution.


COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/solving-the-problem-of-plastic-pollution-with-judith-enck/

About Guest: Judith Enck is the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose goal is eliminating plastic pollution everywhere. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 and served as deputy secretary for the environment in the New York Governor’s Office. She is the co-author, with Adam Mahoney, of "The Problem With Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late" (The New Press). She is currently a professor at Bennington College and lives in upstate New York.


Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-enck-26a769200
Guest Website: https://www.beyondplastics.org/


Guest Social:
https://www.instagram.com/beyondplastics
https://www.facebook.com/beyondplasticsaction
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHsOC-rBE1GTpmZg4sUD96g
https://www.tiktok.com/@beyondplasticsaction


Additional Resources Mentioned:
Book - The Problem with Plastic: https://amzn.to/4p6RcXX


Show Notes: 
02:40 - What Inspired Judith To Fight Plastic Pollution 
06:19 - Why Most Plastics Do Not Get Recycled 
14:00 - How To Boost Recycling And Get Rid Of Unnecessary Packaging 
22:51 - How To Do Your Part In Reducing Plastic Pollution 
28:30 - Why Chemical Recycling Is The Last Thing We Need 
33:03 - How Women Are Leading The Charge Against Plastic Pollution 
38:41 - There Is No Such Thing As Biodegradable Plastic  
48:28 - We Need To Work To Retain Hope 
51:20 - How To Work And Collaborate With Beyond Plastics Community 
53:14 - What Can Replace Polyester In Our Clothes 
58:10 - Get In Touch With Judith Enck And Beyond Plastics
01:00:13 - Episode Wrap-up And Closing Words


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Solving The Problem Of Plastic Pollution With Judith Enck

Solving The Problem Of Plastic Pollution With Judith Enck

Corinna Bellizzi