| Recycling is the reprocessing of materials into new | | | | countries without an abundance of natural resources, |
| products. Recycling prevents useful material | | | | such as Japan, after the war ended. |
| resources being wasted, reduces the consumption of | | | | In the USA, the next big investment in recycling |
| raw materials and reduces energy usage, and hence | | | | occurred in the 1970s, due to rising energy costs |
| greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin | | | | (recycling aluminium uses only 5% of the energy |
| production. Recycling is a key concept of modern | | | | required by virgin production; glass, paper and metals |
| waste management and is the third component of | | | | have less dramatic but very significant energy |
| the waste hierarchy. | | | | savings when recycled feedstock is used). The |
| Recyclable materials also called "recyclates" or | | | | passage of the Clean Water Act of 1977 in the USA |
| "recyclables", may originate from a wide range of | | | | created strong demand for bleached paper (office |
| sources including the home and industry. They include | | | | paper whose fibre has already been bleached white |
| glass, paper, aluminium, asphalt, iron, textiles and | | | | increased in value as water effluent became more |
| plastics. Biodegradable waste, such as food waste or | | | | expensive). |
| garden waste, is also recyclable with the assistance | | | | In 1973, the city of Berkeley, California began one of |
| of microorganisms through composting or anaerobic | | | | the first curbside collection programs with monthly |
| digestion. | | | | pick ups of newspapers from residences. Since then |
| Recyclates need to be sorted and separated into | | | | several countries have started and expanded various |
| material types. Contamination of the recylates with | | | | doorstep collection schemes. |
| other materials must be prevented to increase the | | | | One event that initiated recycling efforts occurred in |
| recyclates value and facilitate easier reprocessing for | | | | 1989 when the city of Berkeley, California, banned |
| the ultimate recycling facility. This sorting can be | | | | the use of polystyrene packaging for keeping |
| performed either by the producer of the waste or | | | | McDonald's hamburgers warm. One effect of this ban |
| within semi or fully-automated materials recovery | | | | was to raise the ire of management at Dow |
| facilities. | | | | Chemical, the world's largest manufacturer of |
| There are two common household methods of | | | | polystyrene, which led to the first major effort to |
| helping increase recycling. Firstly kerbside collection | | | | show that plastics can be recycled. By 1999, there |
| (US: curbside collection) is where consumers leave | | | | were 1,677 companies in the USA alone involved in |
| presorted materials for recycling at the front of their | | | | the post-consumer plastics recycling business. |
| property, typicially in boxes or sacks to be collected | | | | Benefits |
| by a recycling vehicle. Alternatively, with a "bring | | | | One of the main benefits of recycling comes from |
| system", the householder may take the materials to | | | | reducing the amount of new material required. In |
| recycling banks or civic amenity centres where | | | | theory, recycling allows a material to be continually |
| recyclates are placed into recycling bins based on the | | | | reused for the same purpose, and in many cases this |
| type of material. | | | | theory holds true, most notably in the recycling of |
| Recycling does not include reuse where items retain | | | | metals and glass. |
| their existing form for other purposes without the | | | | Since less raw material is required, recycling creates |
| need for reprocessing. | | | | further benefits for materials where cost of the initial |
| Recycling has been a common practice throughout | | | | extraction or production is |
| human history. In pre-industrial times, scrap made of | | | | ¬ï¿¾either economically, socially or |
| bronze and other precious metals was collected in | | | | environmentally. The recycling of aluminium, for |
| Europe and melted down for perpetual reuse, and in | | | | example, saves 95% of the CO2 |
| Britain dust and ash from wood and coal fires was | | | | ‚¬ï¿¾an environmentally harmful |
| downcycled as a base material in brickmaking. The | | | | greenhouse |
| main driver for these types of recycling was the | | | | ¬ï¿¾compared to refining new metal. |
| economic advantage of obtaining recycled feedstock | | | | Concerns about limited resources such as raw |
| instead of acquiring virgin material, as well as a lack of | | | | materials and land space for disposal of waste have |
| public waste removal in ever more-populated sites. | | | | increased the importance of recycling. However |
| Paper recycling began in Britain in 1921, when the | | | | maximum environmental benefit is gained by reducing |
| British Waste Paper Association was established to | | | | the amount of waste produced, and reusing items in |
| encourage trade in waste paper recycling. | | | | their current form, for example refilling bottles. All |
| Resource shortages caused by the world wars, and | | | | recycling techniques consume energy, for |
| other such world changing occurances greatly | | | | transportation and processing, and some also use |
| encouraged recycling. Massive government promotion | | | | considerable amounts of water. Both of these |
| campaigns were carried out in World War II in every | | | | resources have an environmental impact which is why |
| country involved in the war, urging citizens to donate | | | | campaigners use the slogan Reduce, Reuse, Recycle |
| metals and conserve fibre, as a matter of significant | | | | to indicate the preferred order for waste |
| patriotic importance. Resource conservation programs | | | | management in the waste hierarchy. |
| established during the war were continued in some | | | | |