Mister Rogers gets a greeting card. He shows how to reuse the envelope and part of the card. Mr. McFeely shows how he recycles paper from his delivery book by making a book of shapes. He says to think before throwing things away, and never buy anything you don’t need. He puts on a safety helmet before cycling away.In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Handyman Negri is collecting trash in front of the castle. King Friday wants to play music with him. The King has extra copies of music because the copier made 200 instead of 2 copies, and says that Handyman can throw them away. Bob Dog brings in another barrel of garbage. Mr. McFeely comes to encouraqe recycling the paper and save things. Bob Dog tries to collect the pieces of trash Lady Elaine is throwing out. The dump in Someplace Else is full, and Donkey Hodie and Harriett Cow are building a fence to limit the overflow. Meanwhile, back at the castle, the garbage is piling up and beginning to smell. Mister Rogers plays outside with the paper bag he found. He makes up a game with some balls. Marilyn Barnett does some execises with him, and he repeats Mr. McFeely’s advice to think before you throw anything away, and don’t buy anything you don’t need.
Mister Rogers has bag a full of glass bottles and aluminum cans for recycling. He sings to his fish and talks about taking care of things. Mr. McFeely shows Mister Rogers about separating the cans and bottles, then takes him to the recycling center. Workers and visitors must all wear safety goggles. The cans get compacted into bales and the glass gets ground up. Mister Rogers talks about not wasting or using more than we really need of anything. Mister Rogers plays with some blocks made from scrap wood and shows how to make trees from scraps of paper and cardboard tubes. He says that the best toys are the ones you make yourself, and says it is important to take care of yourself, other people, and things as he puts things away. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Lady Aberlin, Miss Paulificate and the king are wearing nose muffs and talking about the garbage crisis. The King assigns Lady Aberlin to find a new dump, and X the Owl agrees to help her. Mrs. Dingleborder suggests recycling. Corney is throwing out some wood scraps and suggests using the dump in Westwood. Henrietta agrees, but Mayor Maggie comes to say that the dump in Westwood is also full.
Mister Rogers plays with a wooden puzzle. He recalls a visit with Mrs. McFeely, who shows a bird house she made from a milk carton, and talks about memories. Mr. McFeely and Mister Rogers watch a videotape of Leo Sewell who makes sculptures from things people have thrown away. Mister Rogers says people can do so much with their imaginations. Mister Rogers feeds the fish, sings “You Are Special,” plays peek-a-boo, and puts away the puzzle. He says the puzzle is too difficult for him to put together without help, and talks about asking for help from friends and talking with people you love. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Handyman Negri trys to fan away the odor of the garbage. On her way home from a meeting, Mayor Maggie stops to talk with Handyman about the garbage problem. Lady Aberlin looks at a map to find a site for a new dump. Lady Elaine thinks they coud send their garbage to Southwood, so she calls Betty Templeton Jones on the telephone, but Betty says the Southwood dump is also full. Handyman calls to report that Old Goat is coming from Northwood. Mrs. Dingleborder is working on a project related to garbage. King Friday provides Handyman with a fan to help blow away the smell. Trolley also has a fan.
Mister Rogers shows swim fins, a wet suit, a snorkel, and a mask. He puts on the fins, mask, and snorkel, explaining how they work. He recalls his snorkeling trip with Sylvia Earle. They talk for awhile on a boat, meet Bob and Cindy, their guides, then go snorkeling. They enjoy seeing many different kinds of fish and sea creatures, then talk about learning about the beauty and diversity of the oceans and the importance of keeping them clean. Mister Rogers says that people who care about the earth and try to keep it safe for everyone are his heroes. He shows pictures of different kinds of angel fish and emphasizes the beauty of their differences. He sings “It’s Alright to Wonder.” Mister Rogers feeds the fish, talks about the importance of clean water, and sings “Everybody’s Fancy.” He says people should look for what is fine in others, which helps us care for each other. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, there are fans and garbage cans everywhere. Lady Aberlin meets New Goat and Old Goat from Northwood. They are tired and take naps. Lady Elaine first suggests throwing the garbage in the ocean, then suggests airing their problem on the television program “Universe Today.” King Friday agrees. Mr. Aber, who has just been snorkeling, says that the oceans are too beautiful to dump garbage in them. The goats wake from their nap, and Miss Paulificate arrives with a tiny TV. On the TV, Patrice King Brown, the host of “Universe Today,” reports on the garbage problem and tells everyone to tune in next time when she and her guests, King Friday and Lady Elaine, will search for solutions.
Mister Rogers makes a pretend television set out of a box and some bottle caps. He also makes some simple puppets out of other materials and makes up a show with the puppets singing a song to introduce themselves. Mr. McFeely stops by with a goat whose name is William, and gives Mister Rogers a trolley made from a shoe box. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Lady Aberlin talks with Queen Sara about the king’s upcoming television appearance. Mr Aber and Lady Aberlin go to the Someplace Else dump and talk to the goats, Donkey, and Harriett about the garbage problem. The Goats think they can help and want to fax their friends in Northwood, so they go the castle F room to find a fax machnine. Queen Sara instructs Lady Aberlin on how to use the fax machine. On “The Universe Today” Patrice interviews Lady Elaine about the garbage problem, and talks to King Friday who has brought his bass violin. Sue Goat calls in to the show to tell the King that the neighbors in Northwood can help. Meanwhile, Lady Aberlin gets a “yes” fax from Northwood, and the TV caller says the goats will help by separating the garbage. Hilda Dingleborder shows her invention, a recycling machine that converts waste into useful objects. Mister Rogers say help is often very close by, and sometimes it is just as important to ask for help as it is to offer help to others. He plays with his homemade puppets and sings “I’m Proud of You.”