How Much Is Your Rubbish Worth?

Available for over a year

When you throw away rubbish, it can create an environmental problem – or a business opportunity. Your old newspapers, tin cans and plastic bottles are someone else’s valuable harvest. Just like gold, steel, sugar or coffee, rubbish is traded all over the world as a commodity. If it can be recycled, it’s worth money. Until recently, countries vied to recycle the waste of others. But now one of the main players - China - says it doesn’t want foreign rubbish anymore. That has sent this multi-billion dollar industry into turmoil and is forcing it to invent new solutions. Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Tony Bonsignore Image: Getty