- Playing
- Turn the Tradio Up
- From
- Rebecca Sheir
Americans send 251 million tons of trash to landfills each year. If you were to load all that trash onto garbage trucks, and then stack them, one on top of the other, they'd be as tall as 13,000 Mt. McKinleys!
Granted, most of that so-called 'waste' consists of paper products, food and yard scraps, and plastics. But it also includes plain old 'stuff': the stuff that we have, decide we don't want, and, therefore, throw away.
These days, there are a number of other ways we can get rid of that stuff: the classifieds section of the newspaper, Craigslist, eBay, even Freecycle, the worldwide "gifting movement" where members give away items to other members.
But across the country, and in producer Rebecca Sheir's state of Alaska, there's yet another way to unload your belongings. All you need is a phone, and a radio.
More from Rebecca Sheir
Backpacks... for Dragonflies?
(03:43)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Why itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny backpacks may be the key to understanding how animals capture prey.
Veteran Repays Near-Half-Century Debt
(05:40)
From: Rebecca Sheir
How do you thank someone who saves you from tragedy? This Vietnam veteran knows.
"Marathon Man" of Jazz Celebrates a Lifetime of Making Music
(07:00)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Andrew White may very well be the most famous jazz legend... you've never heard of.
Racing to Save D.C.'s Oldest Federal Monuments
(04:10)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Washington's oldest monuments have nearly been forgotten. But a group of engineers, preservationists and history buffs is racing to change that.
Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground (short version)
(03:28)
From: Rebecca Sheir
What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Library Of Congress Preserves A Treasure Trove... Underground
(06:38)
From: Rebecca Sheir
What do you get when you take a former Cold War bunker and fill it with the world’s largest collection of films, TV shows, radio broadcasts and sound recordings?
Is Virginia Really For Lovers?
(05:50)
From: Rebecca Sheir
The real story behind one of the most famous tourism slogans of all time.
Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation
(07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.
An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble
(06:22)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real.
From Scott Joplin to Super Mario Bros.: Making Old-Time Piano New Again
(03:48)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A 20-something pianist is making old-time piano new again... with a little help from Darth Vader and Super Mario Bros.
Piece Description
Americans send 251 million tons of trash to landfills each year. If you were to load all that trash onto garbage trucks, and then stack them, one on top of the other, they'd be as tall as 13,000 Mt. McKinleys! Granted, most of that so-called 'waste' consists of paper products, food and yard scraps, and plastics. But it also includes plain old 'stuff': the stuff that we have, decide we don't want, and, therefore, throw away. These days, there are a number of other ways we can get rid of that stuff: the classifieds section of the newspaper, Craigslist, eBay, even Freecycle, the worldwide "gifting movement" where members give away items to other members. But across the country, and in producer Rebecca Sheir's state of Alaska, there's yet another way to unload your belongings. All you need is a phone, and a radio.
Broadcast History
This piece originally aired on the Alaska Public Radio Network's weekly magazine-style show, "AK," on May 17, 2008.





