S3 introduces a six-part documentary series, TRASHED, starting on Thursday 27 April 2023 at 22:00.
It seems we’re in the grip of a waste crisis, affecting the land, air and seas. We’re creating more waste now than at any other time in history with a billion tonnes of it disappearing into the environment every year, most of it ending up in the oceans.
In this series, Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons explores the impact of humanities waste on the world and gets to the heart of what happens to our waste and what we can do about it. He travels to Iceland, Vietnam, America, France and the UK to report on the complicated issues surrounding our everyday waste. He examines the problems we create and the solutions we have found.
The series looks in depth at the problems and presents a plethora of workable solutions and hope, ranging from common sense solutions such as simply labeling waste bins correctly to educational and cultural preservation initiatives.
Each episode ends with the solutions. Having faced the worst through much of TRASHED, Jeremy Irons turns to hope. He goes in search of solutions.
Episode Highlights
Episode 1 – 27 April 2023
This episode looks at the effect pollution is having on our air and the health issues that processes such as incineration cause. From farmers in Iceland to communities in France, Japan and Detroit, the decades of scientific research into incineration are adding up to an environmental pile-up.
Episode 2 – 4 May 2023
This episode looks at the problems surrounding food waste and the ways in which communities are trying to limit their unwanted produce. In the UK farmers are forced to throw away thousands of tonnes of nutritious vegetables because they do not meet the cosmetic standards imposed by retailers. In Mexico, co-ops are forming to help save the “ugly food”, while individuals are finding ingenious ways to grow-their-own on a small scale to avoid waste. Our eating habits must change for good.
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Episode 3 – 11 May 2023
This episode looks at the effect pollution is having on humanity. Estimates suggest humans produce 4 billion tonnes of waste a year, with cities alone generating enough to fill a line of trash trucks 5000 km long every single day. We meet the scientists that have studied the toll of waste on the human body for years, including the long-term effect of certain human created chemicals on babies and the young. How do we change our behavior to stop the continuing issues we have created for ourselves?
Episode 4 – 18 May 2023
This episode looks at the problems caused by man-made waste on land. From a mountain of rubbish on a beach in Lebanon, leaching toxic chemicals into the land and sea, producing greenhouse gases.
Episode 5 – 25 May 2023
Just how much waste goes unaccounted for every year? This episode aims to find out and shine a light on the terrifying effect of plastic waste on our oceans and drinking water. Miniscule pieces of plastic pile together creating huge masses of waste in the North Pacific which ends up in our food supply, while 27 tonnes of ammonium leak into the River Thames every year because of poorly maintained landfill sites.
Episode 6 – 1 June 2023
This episode looks at the effects our waste is having on wildlife, both on land and in the sea. From London Zoo, where they have been studying the effects of pollution on animals for over 20 years, to our oceans, where population decline of killer whales and bottlenose dolphins is a clear indication of the human impact. We follow the scientists that are coming up with solutions to the problem and lobby governments to force change.
Don’t miss Trashed on Thursdays ay 22:00, only on S3.
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