A Brief History of Recycling

 

Contrary to popular belief, recycling has always had a place in history.

In antiquity, old Roman coins would be melted down and reformed into bronze statues. During the first Great War, the metal on women's corsets was repurposed to help fashion warships. Dinner table scrap has been used as feed for animals on a farmstead. But recycling in the distant past had buried within the motivation for it, the inherent value of some benefit, usually monetary gain. 

Recycling as we know it today, with an eye toward environmental protection, sustainability, and green living instead of purely economic factors, did not come into existence until about fifty years ago.

During the late 1960s, the environmental movement proliferated. In April, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. Just after this time, the universal sign for recycling (the now world-famous "Möbius Loop") was created by Gary Anderson, a 23-year-old University of Southern California architecture student and Earth Day attendee. His design was chosen as the winner of contest held by a Chicago-based paperboard company whose goal was to raise greater public awareness for the environment using a single symbol.

The three triangles of the recycling symbol represent, from the top to the right, "reduce", "reuse", "recycle", respectively.  

Due to pressure from the environmentalist movement's political adherents and growing public concern about pollution, on December 2nd, 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed in the U.S. This signaled a major win for environmentalists across the nation.

The Three R's 

Recently we have seen the rise of a recycling culture today. Recycling doesn't always have to be green bins at home and tubs for empty soda cans at work. Recycling has now become part of a larger movement for sustainability.

We now have cars which aren't completely dependent on fossil fuels. And most cities in the U.S. have some a system of recycling which works along with garbage pick-ups, and also recycling drop-off days for larger items.

Reduce Your Waste Overall

Cutting back on what you put in either bin is the first step. Getting a lot of junk mail? Unsubscribe to unnecessary mailing lists using CatalogChoice.org. Think about buying groceries in bulk (saves money, there is less packaging waste and less greenhouse gas emissions from harvesting and transporting foodstuffs). Think about carpooling to work or, if you have one, getting rid of an unused extra car. Composting your organic waste can be helpful to divert this kind of waste from landfills. Composting also provides a source of at-home recycling for all kinds of waste, including plant, animal, paper, kitchen scraps, and garden waste, and nutrient-laden soil.

Reuse What You Have

Buying used goods instead of new can be a good way to start. Not only is it less expensive, but used items can be as just as good as new. Utilizing reusable everyday items, like silver wear, cloth napkins, and cups instead of their disposable counterparts—both at home and at work—is also a good choice. Finally, donating your old used clothes or furniture enables others to reuse your unwanted goods.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

Knowing what you can and cannot recycle is of paramount importance, as sometimes, the most unlikely things may be prime for recycling and reuse. Each city can have its own different requirements for what you can recycle. So a quick call to your local city's or county's office of garbage, waste, or recycling department will give you all the information you need. Keep a pen handy and make a list so everyone in your household is aware about your local recyclables. Mostly, however, you can count on newspapers, aluminum and glass soda containers, and plastic bottles as being go-to choices for recycling anywhere. Buying 100% recycled goods keeps the recycling "cycle" alive and unbroken.