We asked our listeners to send in their wildest ideas for addressing climate change. And one listener, thinking about all of the trash Americans throw into landfills, asked if we could send it somewhere else: the sun.
Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
A while ago, we asked you to send in your wildest ideas for addressing climate change. Questions that seemed so crazy, they might actually work.
So here’s an extra crazy one. Americans throw a lot of trash into the landfill. And these landfills are starting to fill up. So, listener Marc Hamlin wants to know, could we just gather up all this garbage, and fire it into the sun?
Christine Okulo and Cameron Leo from our Possibly Team are here to help us tackle this. Hey guys!
Christine Okulo: Hey!
Cameron Leo: Hi Megan!
Megan Hall: Why would we want to fire our trash into the sun in the first place?
Cameron Leo: Well, The current state of our landfills is… not so good!
Jack Mustard: Trash is happening and it’s not going away, and we’ve been making so many efforts over the years to figure out how to change our use in ways that could streamline it. But having witnessed how society evolves, it’s not going anywhere.
Christine Okulo: That’s Jack Mustard, a professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at Brown University.
Cameron Leo: He says, a lot of our landfills here in the US are running out of space. Where we live in Rhode Island, the state’s landfill is expected to fill up in around 20 years. .
Christine Okulo: Rocketing our waste into the sun sounds like a better and better idea by the minute!
Megan Hall: That’s possible?
Cameron Leo: Well, it definitely sounds like a good idea in theory.
Jack Mustard: The sun is so huge and it is a complete combustion right? I mean like, that is gone.
Christine Okulo: But, here’s where we come back down to earth. There’s a few reasons why sending our trash into space wouldn’t be so simple. For starters, we have to remember that with every rocket launch comes some risks.
Cameron Leo: That’s right. About 5% of rocket launches fail. that might sound unlikely, but there are severe consequences when those launches don’t work out.
Christine Okulo: When a SpaceX rocket exploded in 2023, it sent clouds of debris and chunks of concrete all over southern Texas, including a wildlife refuge.
Megan Hall: Whoa. That doesn’t sound good. But, if only 5% of rocket launches fail, maybe we should take the risk?
Cameron Leo: We also have to consider the types of things that would be in these trash-filled rocket launches.
Christine Okulo: There would be plastic waste and electronic waste
Cameron Leo: When those types of waste burn up, they release toxins that can cause cancer, heart disease, and respiratory issues.
Megan Hall: Okay, and I know it’s crazy, but in a perfect world, if rocket launches never failed, would it be feasible?
Christine Okulo: Maybe, but only if you’re willing to pay up.
Jack Mustard: The best price. Let’s call it $2,000 a kilogram. That’s the all inclusive price, right?
Megan Hall: Is that a lot?
Christine Okulo: Let’s put it this way- every American throws away 1.2 kilograms of trash each day. That means it would cost each person nearly $800,000 a year to send their garbage to space.
Megan Hall: Whoa! I wouldn’t want to pay that.
Cameron Leo: Exactly. Paying that much would cost more than the US government’s entire federal budget.
Megan Hall: Whoa, that really doesn’t sound good.
Cameron Leo: And that wouldn’t even get the trash to the sun, just into orbit.
Christine Okulo: Yes. So unfortunately, firing our trash into the sun is not the most practical option.
Cameron Leo: It’s much cheaper to cut down on what we throw away in the first place.
Christine Okulo: So compost food waste, reuse your containers, and recycle as a last resort.
Megan Hall: Got it. Thanks Christine and Cameron!
That’s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or Bluesky at “askpossibly”
Possibly is a co-production of Brown University’s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.
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