The People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene
Special | 49m 48sVideo has Closed Captions
In Indonesia's poorest communities, "plastic farmers" can barely make ends meet.
Anthropocene is when human activity started profoundly impacting our planet. Inconvenient truths pile up in some of Indonesia's poorest communities, where "plastic farmers" can barely make ends meet. Explore the negative effects mass consumption has on our environment and how it can be minimized.
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The People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene is presented by your local public television station.
Distributed nationally by American Public Television
The People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene
Special | 49m 48sVideo has Closed Captions
Anthropocene is when human activity started profoundly impacting our planet. Inconvenient truths pile up in some of Indonesia's poorest communities, where "plastic farmers" can barely make ends meet. Explore the negative effects mass consumption has on our environment and how it can be minimized.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch The People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene
The People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
>> SOME OF THE POOREST COMMUNITIES BEAR THE BRUNT OF OUR EXCESSES.
>> EVERY DAY CERTAIN MATERIALS ARE BROUGHT INTO THE VILLAGE.
>> MOST OF THIS WASTE HAS TRAVELED THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS FROM THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE AND JAPAN.
>> LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE BANNED IT BRINGING LARGE VOLUMES OF WASTE INTO THE VILLAGE.
THE PLANETARY EPOQUE WE LIVE IN, THE EPOQUE WE MADE, HAS BEEN DUBBED THE ANTHROPOCENE.
>> BUADI WAS THE FIRST PERSON IN THE VILLAGE TO EARN MONEY FROM THE WAIST.
>> ABOUT 150 HOUSEHOLDS TOIL AWAY LIKE THIS.
>> THE VILLAGERS PICK THROUGH THE TRASH FOR ANYTHING THAT CAN BE RECYCLED.
THE CABLES ARE BURNED TO EXTRACT THE METAL WITHIN.
BUT MOUNDS OF TRASH REMAIN.
THE VILLAGERS DRY WHAT THEY HARVEST ON THE GROUND.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY ARE KNOWN AS THE PLASTIC FARMERS.
>> THE VILLAGERS LOAD THEIR LIVELIHOODS ONTO TRUCKS.
>> THE PLANTS ARE A 20 MINUTE DRIVE AWAY.
>> THERE ARE MORE IN 60 IN TROPODO, A SMALL COMMUNITY KNOWN AS THE VILLAGE OF SMOKE.
>> AND UNDER THE DARK PLUMES, WOMEN CAN BE FOUND WORKING DAY IN, DAY OUT.
THEY MAKE DEEP FRIED TOFU.
THEIR RUDIMENTARY KITCHENS ARE FUELED BY THE PLASTIC WASTE.
VAST AMOUNTS OF THE STUFF.
RELENTLESSLY SHOVELED IN.
>> THE KITCHENS USED TO RUN ON WOOD.
BUT THE INTRODUCTION OF PLASTIC FUEL HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING.
>> HERE, TRASH FROM THE DEVELOPED WORLD IS A NECESSARY EVIL.
>> THE ACTUAL BUT THE SCENE IS WHEN HUMAN ACTIVITY STARTED SERIOUSLY AFFECTING THE EARTH'S ECOSYSTEM.
AND EXPERTS WANT TO KNOW MORE.
>> THERE WORKING IN 12 LOCATIONS AROUND THE WORLD SUCH AS EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES, CHINA AND JAPAN.
>> THE PROJECT IS LED BY PROFESSOR COLIN WATERS.
>> EVEN SOMETHING AS MINOR AS A LITTLE TRILOBITE WALKING FOR A FEW MINUTES ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THIS OCEAN, THE SEDIMENT, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN AT LEAST HAS CREATED THESE MARKS WHICH HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY PRESERVED.
NOW 500 MILLION YEARS TO SEE THESE.
I THINK THE INTERESTING THING IS WHAT SORT OF TEMPORARY FEATURES HUMANS ARE CREATING WILL WE SEE IN THE SEDIMENTS OF THE FUTURE?
>> ONE TEAM WORKS IN KYUSHU, SOUTHWESTERN JAPAN.
>> IT SHOWS SEABED ACCUMULATIONS OVER THE PAST CENTURY.
THE RESEARCHERS LOOKED FOR TRACES OF HUMAN ACTIVITY IN EVERY YEAR.
AND THEY DETECTED A SPIKE.
>> TELLTALE SIGNS INCLUDE A BYPRODUCT FROM BURNING OIL AND COAL AT HIGH TEMPERATURES.
LARGE AMOUNTS WERE DETECTED FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE 20th CENTURY.
HEAVY METALS, TOO.
AND PLUTONIUM FROM THE TESTING OF NUCLEAR BOMBS.
THESE SUDDEN TRENDS DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN BY CHANCE.
WORLD WAR II WAS OVER AND MANY COUNTRIES WERE GETTING BACK ON THEIR FEET.
THE RECOVERY HIT BREAKNECK SPEED.
THERE WERE INVENTIONS, NEW PRODUCTS, AND AN INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR POSSESSIONS.
>> THE GEOLOGICAL RESEARCHERS ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM ABOUT ONE SUBSTANCE IN PARTICULAR.
>> THESE PARTICLES ARE RISING SHARPLY TO THIS DAY.
>> WE HUMANS PRODUCED 353 MILLION TONS OF PLASTIC WASTE AS RECENTLY AS 2019.
OUR PLANET IS AT RISK.
>> MUCH OF THE WASTE USED TO BE TAKEN TO CHINA, SOUTH EAST ASIA AND AFRICA UNDER THE GUISE OF RECYCLING.
ONE ESTIMATE SHOWS THAT IN 2010, CHINA EMITTED THE LARGEST VOLUME OF PLASTIC INTO THE OCEAN , FOLLOWED BY INDONESIA.
CHINA STOPPED IMPORTING PLASTIC WASTE IN 2017.
INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE ALSO TIGHTENED RESTRICTIONS.
>> STILL, AN INCIDENT FIVE YEARS AGO WAS LIKE THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
AUTHORITIES AND ENVIRONMENTALISTS FOUND LARGE AMOUNTS OF PLASTIC WASTE IN A CONTAINER LABELED AS USED PAPER FOR RECYCLING.
>> WE HAD TO A PAPER PLANT TO FIND OUT MORE.
>> THE WASTE IS DOUSED IN WATER DURING THE RECYCLING PROCESS.
>> IT HEADS STRAIGHT TO THE PLASTIC FARMERS.
>> THE RESIDENCE GATHER AT 9:00 A.M. EVERY MORNING.
>> A WHOLE TRUCKLOAD COSTS LESS THAN FOUR U.S.
DOLLARS.
THAT'S ENOUGH TO PAY THE DRIVER FOR HIS WORK AND COVER OTHER EXPENSES.
IN REALITY, THE WASTE IS PRACTICALLY FREE.
THE VILLAGERS EARN ABOUT $26 EACH PER MONTH.
>> BUADI LIVES WITH HIS WIFE, SUWANAH .
>> SHE SUFFERED A STROKE FIVE YEARS AGO.
>> THE SITUATION OF BUADI AND THE OTHER VILLAGERS IS A PRODUCT OF THE ANTHROPOCENE .
THEIR LIVES ARE UNQUESTIONABLY HARD.
>> ECOTON HAS STUDIED THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THE TOFU KITCHENS AND COMPILED REPORTS ABOUT THE POLLUTION.
>> THE GROUP HAS ALSO WORKED WITH ORGANIZATIONS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO ANALYZE FARM PRODUCE FROM TROPODO .
>> DIOXIN IS PRODUCED WHEN PLASTICS AND OTHER WASTE ARE NOT PROPERLY TREATED.
IT IS SAID TO CAUSE CANCER AND HINDER THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.
>> THE SMOKE ALSO CONTAINS HUGE AMOUNTS OF MICRO-PLASTICS.
ONE OUT OF SIX PEOPLE GLOBALLY ARE SAID TO BE DYING BECAUSE OF POLLUTION.
DISEASES CAUSED BY POLLUTION WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ESTIMATED 9 MILLION PREMATURE DEATHS.
NEARLY 92% OF POLLUTION RELATED DEATHS OCCUR IN LOW INCOME AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES.
>> THE PLASTIC IS BURNED NONSTOP .
AND ALL THE WHILE, THE WOMEN WORK UNDER THE FUMES.
>> KOSIM HAS BEEN THE HEAD OF THE PLANT FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS.
>> THE EMPLOYEES LIVE NEARBY.
>> SUHARTININGSIH FELL INTO DEBT BECAUSE OF HER HUSBAND'S ILLNESS.
>> SHE HAS LIVED FRUGALLY SO SHE COULD SEND HER ELDEST SON TO HIGH SCHOOL.
SHE ALSO WANTS TO SEND HER SECOND SON TO HIGH SCHOOL NEXT YEAR.
BUT SHE HASN'T SAVED ENOUGH.
>> THE AIR ISN'T JUST THICK WITH SMOKE.
IT'S ALSO FILLED WITH ANXIETY.
>> KOSIM MOVED HERE ALONE.
HE LEFT HIS FAMILY BACK IN HIS HOMETOWN.
HE USED TO GROW RICE, BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
>> SUWANAH'S BODY HAS BECOME STIFF BECAUSE SHE'S MOSTLY BEDRIDDEN.
>> WORKERS, SLAVES, INDENTURED SERVANTS, COERCED WORKERS OF EVERY KIND ARE A PART OF CAPITALISM.
EVERYTHING ABOUT CAPITALISM, AS WE KNOW, DEPENDS ON CHEAP LABOR.
THE POOR IS TO BEAR THE GREATEST SACRIFICE.
WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE GARBAGE, THE TOXIC GARBAGE OF THE GREATEST AND RICHEST EMPIRES THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.
WE SHOULD ASK THAT QUESTION.
WHY IS IT THAT WE ARE -- PEOPLE, HUMAN BEINGS, WHO DESERVE UNITY AND CARE AND A LIFE FREE OF TOXICITY, AND JUSTICE, A LIFE OF JUSTICE -- WHY IS IT THAT THEY HAVE MADE THEIR PEACE WITH SUCH A DESPERATE LIFE?
HUMANKIND NEEDS DEMOCRACY.
NATIONS NEED THE RIGHT TO PURSUE SELF-DETERMINATION.
AND UNTIL WE TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY, NO POLICY, NO MARKET ADJUSTMENT, NO TECHNOLOGY WILL HAVE ANY MEANINGFUL IMPACT ON THE FATE OF HUMAN BEINGS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN A WARMING WORLD.
>> INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES ARE WORKING TO REDUCE THE VOLUME OF PLASTIC WASTE FLOWING INTO THE OCEAN.
THEY'RE AIMING FOR A 70% REDUCTION BY 2025.
THEY HAVE SET UP MORE THAN 25,000 WASTE BANKS NATIONWIDE.
>> PEOPLE CAN EARN CREDIT BY BRINGING THE RECYCLABLE WASTE FROM HOME.
>> THERE ARE SIGNS OF CHANGE IN GEDANGROWO VILLAGE, TOO.
>> THE LOCALS ARE TRYING TO MAKE SOLID FUEL FROM THE PLASTIC.
>> HE SAYS HE READ A STORY ABOUT IT ONLINE.
>> OVERCOMING THIS HIGHLY TECHNICAL CHALLENGE COULD REDUCE THE VOLUME OF HARMFUL SUBSTANCES, BUT THERE IS A LONG WAY TO GO.
>> THERE'S A YOUNG GIRL IN TROPODO WHO SITS OUTSIDE ALL DAY LONG.
>> THE WORLD'S INCONVENIENT TRUTHS PILE UP IN THIS VILLAGE.
>> THE VILLAGERS HOLD ONTO THEIR FAITH AND PERSEVERE.
The People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene is presented by your local public television station.
Distributed nationally by American Public Television