CNN’s “Inside Man” Explores Waste Industry Tonight

Morgan Spurlock, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Super Size Me, has set his sights on the waste industry in an episode of his CNN series Morgan Spurlock Inside Man that will air tonight at 9 PM.

In the episode entitled “United States of Trash,” Morgan follows his own trash to see what throwing something ‘away’ really means.

CNN provided Waste360 with access to an exclusive early screening of the program.

In the episode, Spurlock conducts a thorough exploration of the waste stream in the U.S. and how the industry works. As part of his travails, Spurlock works a shift with the New York Department of Sanitation, collecting garbage from his neighborhood. He then follows his trash to a transfer station operated by Waste Management, including a look at the facility’s tipping floor. From there, he goes along to the landfill in Tullytown, Pa., that is the final resting place for his waste.

In additional segments of the show, Spurlock examines the growing e-waste problem. And Spurlock also looks at the recycling side of the business and visits the massive Sims Municipal Recycling MRF in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Additional topics include non-recyclable plastics and their effects on the world’s oceans, as well as the efforts in place to ban single-use plastic bags. Spurlock also looks at the waste-to-energy side of the business, which includes an interview with Waste Management CEO David Steiner.

Lastly, Spurlock shifts gears to examining his own behaviors and sits down with a leading proponent of the “Zero Waste” lifestyle. 

Check out some clips from the show below.