There’s no such thing as throwing something away, says Material ConneXion’s EVP of Research, Dr. Andrew Dent. That’s because when you toss something in the trash, it inevitably winds up in a landfill. But, we can get smarter about the way we make, and remake, our products, simply by adopting the age-old idea of “thrifting.” 

Dr. Dent’s recent TED Talk examines exciting examples of thrift, such as the idea of using and reusing what you need so you don’t have to buy anything new, as well as advancements in material science (like electronics made of nanocellulose and enzymes that can help make plastic infinitely recyclable). Check out the full talk here.