How this center keeps thousands of pounds of hazardous waste from landfills | March 18, 2026

0:11 Hello and happy Wednesday.

0:12 I'm Coy Wire.

0:12 This is CNN 10.

0:13 It's also at your word Wednesday.

0:15 So listen closely to see if the vocabulary word

0:17 you submitted on my socials helped us write today's show.

0:21 A lot of great stories for you today

0:22 including acknowledgement of today's date, March 18th, 2026.

0:27 Today is Global Recycling Day.

0:29 A worldwide reminder that one person's trash can be another's resource.

0:34 From plastic bottles to old electronics,

0:36 experts say recycling helps conserve natural resources and cut pollution.

0:41 But let's be honest,

0:42 we still have millions of tons of waste ending up in landfills each year.

0:47 The movement encourages us and governments and organizations to treat

0:50 recyclables as a seventh resource alongside Earth's six natural ones,

0:56 water, air, coal, oil, natural gas, and minerals.

0:59 In the metro Atlanta, one program is taking recycling to the next level

1:03 because not everything can fit into your curbside cans.

1:08 The Centers for Hard to Recycle Materials or CHaRM gives things like old paint,

1:12 electronics, batteries, and household chemicals a second life.

1:16 Our Isa Cardona gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how they get it done.

1:21 Global Recycling Day is an great day to remember

1:24 that we all need to recycle every day.

1:27 We have, you know, 3 to 400 visitors today that separate all their plastics

1:32 and all their other materials and bring it here so it can properly be recycled.

1:36 We are planning for a move overseas as a matter of fact

1:39 and we have some things that can't be used over there.

1:42 So we wanted to make sure it got

1:43 into the right hands for people who can use it here.

1:45 Hard to recycle just means that you can't put them

1:47 in your curbside bin and they can be easily recycled.

1:51 They are things that take a specialty recycler to remake them.

1:55 For instance, Styrofoam.

1:57 Styrofoam is one of those things that if we send them to the landfill,

2:01 eventually it gets covered up, we plant grass on it and move on.

2:05 So, what we do here is we take the the raw material and we

2:09 put it into a machine that literally shreds it and blows it up,

2:13 re-compresses it, and makes a material that looks like this.

2:17 But, all of it can be recycled and it's

2:19 made into a material that is soft and smooth.

2:23 What happens to this is it's taken and it's sent

2:25 to a local company that makes ceiling tiles for insulation in your home.

2:31 On the bottom of all plastic, there is a triangle, which gives you a resin code.

2:38 And what the resin code is is it tells

2:40 you what type of plastic the plastic is made of.

2:43 There's so many plastics in our world that we need to make sure we recycle them.

2:47 Instead of using oil, they're all come from oil,

2:51 and petroleum is very expensive these days.

2:54 So, we want to make sure that we recycle to make new materials out of these.

2:58 Just remember, when you purchase something,

3:00 what am I going to do with it when I'm done?

3:02 Am I going to reuse it, or do I find a way to recycle it?

3:06 Now to Hawaii, where residents are dealing with the devastating

3:09 aftermath of a powerful weather system known as a Kona storm.

3:13 The seasonal storms form in colder months and get their names

3:16 from the Hawaiian word for the leeward or western side of an island.

3:20 But, this storm shattered a 75-year rainfall record on the islands,

3:25 spurring severe flooding, landslides, and power outages.

3:29 And on the second-largest island of Maui,

3:31 torrential rain swallowed entire roads, even houses.

3:34 One couple watched a small creek that's normally 75

3:37 ft from their home transform into a raging river,

3:40 sweeping their dream home away.

3:42 Never expected my whole house to disappear, but yeah.

3:46 So, everything's gone.

3:47 Mother nature wins, and she wants us, she takes you.

3:51 She didn't take us, she just took the house.

3:53 So, we're grateful for that.

3:54 We have each other and we we're doing fine.

3:57 Now to a totally awesome story worthy of a celebration.

4:01 In southern India, hundreds of olive

4:03 ridley sea turtle hatchlings were making waves,

4:06 literally and figuratively,

4:07 as they were released into the sea in a bid to help the species recover.

4:11 Normally, these teeny turtles go at it alone,

4:14 but concerns over poaching and human disturbance led

4:17 forestry officials to take matters into their own hands.

4:20 Nests were moved to the safety of a hatchery

4:24 and the youngsters were escorted to the surf to ensure safe passage.

4:27 Named for their bright green carapaces, or shells,

4:30 these turtles have been listed as endangered

4:33 since 1986 and today's biggest threat,

4:35 getting caught in commercial fishing nets as they

4:38 make their way to shore during mating season.

4:40 But, thanks to conservation efforts,

4:42 there's new hope that this species will keep swimming on forward.

4:46 Pop quiz, hot shot.

4:47 Actor Josh Gad plays LeFou in Beauty and the Beast.

4:50 What's another Disney character he's voiced?

4:53 Flounder in The Little Mermaid, Olaf in Frozen,

4:55 Stitch in Lilo& Stitch, or Lightning McQueen in Cars?

5:00 If you said Olaf, warm hugs.

5:03 The Frozen filmmakers actually rewrote

5:05 the character to match Gad's natural warmth,

5:08 comedic improv style, and childlike delivery.

5:10 He was originally written as a more mischievous snowman.

5:14 "Do you want to build a snowman?" The engineers at Disney said,

5:18 "Already done." They created an incredibly realistic and interactive robo Olaf.

5:23 The scene-stealing star of the Frozen franchise will make

5:26 his public debut at Disneyland Paris later this month, ready to melt hearts.

5:31 Our Julia Vargas Jones got to go one-on-one, even got some warm hugs,

5:35 and a behind-the-scenes peek at the tech

5:37 that brings this ebullient snowman to life.

5:40 Hi, I'm Olaf.

5:42 I like warm greetings.

5:45 So, here's a special one for you.

5:48 Hugs from everyone.

5:49 Wow, you are tall.

5:53 No, Olaf has not jumped out of a movie screen and into the real world.

5:57 Although, for a second there, I thought maybe he did.

5:59 He is a robot created by Walt Disney Imagineers who

6:03 make his [music] public debut at Disneyland Paris on March 29th.

6:07 Oh my goodness, this is incredible.

6:10 [laughter] It's almost like [music] uncanny, right?

6:14 Yes.

6:15 [laughter] We were able to work with the actual animators that worked

6:18 on the film in order [music] to bring this character to life.

6:20 You're almost as tall as me, actually.

6:23 Oh, big.

6:26 [laughter] So, before we ever even build a robot,

6:28 we create a virtual world where we [music] bring a character into simulation.

6:32 And we teach Olaf how to walk, how to interact, um how to wave, [snorts]

6:39 um and that allows us then to focus on [music]

6:41 these incredible details that allow us to bring Olaf to life

6:47 in a way that no one's [music] ever seen before.

6:51 [laughter] See you.

6:52 See you later.

6:54 An update now on a story that's been appealing worldwide.

6:57 The abandoned baby monkey known as Punch is finally

7:00 finding his social circle at a zoo in Japan.

7:03 If you've seen the viral videos,

7:05 you know Punch and his stuffed toy have been pulling at heartstrings everywhere.

7:09 Our Hanako Montgomery reports.

7:13 Amid a constant stream of unsettling news,

7:16 this little monkey has brought comfort to millions, young and old.

7:21 We we need this warmth and love right now.

7:24 You know, when you're scrolling through the feeds,

7:25 you're just getting me negative, negative.

7:26 When you see something like an animal coming up and just hopefulness

7:30 and just they have nothing but care and and love to give.

7:34 Japan's Punch is the internet's latest star.

7:37 Videos of him dragging around a stuffed toy, his adopted mom,

7:42 or getting bullied by bigger monkeys

7:44 have tugged at heartstrings around the world.

7:47 As you can see, Punch has quite the fan base.

7:49 Hundreds of people are here from all around

7:51 the world just to see this baby monkey.

7:54 Yeah, I think we all can relate

7:56 into some sense being in an unfamiliar environment,

7:59 um not knowing the people around you and then

8:02 just trying to fit in as much as we can.

8:05 These days, Punch may have found a friend.

8:08 His keeper says he's relying on the toy less,

8:11 mostly holding onto it when he sleeps,

8:13 relaxes, or after getting scolded by older monkeys.

8:19 He's been doing his best to grow, learning from those early experiences.

8:24 Now, he's communicating with other monkeys and it's

8:26 great to see him reaching those milestones.

8:31 Punch still spends a lot of time alone and isn't fully part of the group yet.

8:36 But when things get tough, Punch still has someone to cling to.

8:46 Today's story getting a 10 out of 10 in after-school club teaching young

8:49 girls how to maintain their natural hair

8:52 and grow their confidence between every twist, braid, and ponytail.

8:56 I just remember how I felt about my hair at that age and I see it a lot in them.

9:02 Kids used to make fun of me.

9:03 They would be like, "They can't see around me in class

9:05 because my hair was so big." Growing up with a single dad,

9:08 fourth-grade teacher Jade Lambert had to teach herself how to do her own hair.

9:12 Now, as a teacher, she's passing down the skills she learned to her students.

9:17 The natural hair isn't some form of being unkempt.

9:21 Actually, maintaining your natural hair is probably the most

9:23 care you can take to do hair at all.

9:26 I'mma show you and then I'mma undo it so you could do it.

9:29 I have a mannequin at home and sometimes

9:31 I like to practice what we learned in school.

9:33 I'm learning more about my hair so I can do it on me, too.

9:36 I'm going to start adding pieces of the longer hair.

9:39 We have a lesson coming up where they're going to make

9:40 their own products based on like their hair texture and type and porosity.

9:45 It's quite literally an act of protest to wear your natural hair out.

9:49 So, I just feel proud that I can like give that information to them.

9:53 Way to grow, team.

9:55 Big congrats to our Your Word Wednesday winners,

9:57 Early College Academy High School in Los Angeles,

10:00 submitting ebullient, an adjective meaning very energetic, positive, and happy.

10:05 Mr.

10:05 Medina or Mr.

10:06 Madina or aka Mr.

10:08 Gucci, your students say you are ebullient

10:11 and quote the flyest history teacher in the game.

10:14 Rise up.

10:15 And I have a shout-out going to my friends

10:17 at Beaufort High School in Beaufort, Georgia.

10:19 Mrs.

10:20 Pruitt, Coach Jackson, Reese Carson, Hunter,

10:23 Melody, Sebastian, Zeke, and the Alexes.

10:26 Thank you for all the love.

10:27 And this shout-out goes to Mrs.

10:30 Bagnall at The Horizon School in Indianapolis, Indiana.

10:33 I'll be in your city soon to see and cover the Final Four.

10:37 So, holler if you see me.

10:39 Rise up and make it an awesome day, everyone.

10:41 I'm Coy Wire, and we are CNN 10.