Tag: recycling trends

Beyond the Dumpster: The Interesting Ancient History of Recycling and Garbage, Part Two

Beyond the Dumpster: The Interesting Ancient History of Recycling and Garbage
Beyond the Dumpster: The Interesting Ancient History of Recycling and Garbage

Following the 1940s, as the buildup of waste increased alongside environmental concerns, the need for better dumpster moving equipment and recycling became increasingly apparent.

1950s

Consumers are sold on the idea that single-use items are a necessity of modern life. Ease and convenience trump all restraint and the ‘throwaway era’ is born. Green space and highways become littered with trash.

1960s

Aluminum cans are introduced, with manufacturers quickly identifying opportunities for recycling/reuse, resulting in a massive recycling system. The symbol for ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, the Mobius Loop, is introduced to raise environmental awareness.

1970s

The first Earth Day brings attention to the overabundance of waste and importance of recycling. The ‘Bottle Bill’ is born, enticing consumers with a refundable nickel deposit as incentive to recycle bottles/cans. The nation’s first recycling mill is erected in Pennsylvania as curbside recycling pickup is introduced in other states. The Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act creates disposal and landfill standards for typical/hazardous waste.

1980s

Recycling initiatives (‘blue box’ and curbside projects) increase, with some cities mandating recycling. Curbside recycling programs are 1,050 strong.

1990s

McDonald’s gives Styrofoam the boot. Curbside programs reach 5,404 strong, and recycling centers 10,000+. A record 47.6-billion soft drink containers are recycled in ’95 (63%-U.S./80%-California) alongside 62 billion cans. The U.S. rate of recycling is 25%.

Early 2000s

EPA confirms the global warming/waste connection. In efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions, 5 states require electronics recycling; Dell offers free recycling for their products. SanFran bans plastic grocery bags.

Late 2000s

585 million+ pounds of consumer electronics are recycled in 2012, up 25% from 2011. California bans plastic grocery bags state-wide. China’s recycling import bans force the U.S. to step-up recycling practices.

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Beyond the Dumpster: The Interesting Ancient History of Recycling and Garbage Part One

Beyond the Dumpster: The Interesting Ancient History of Recycling and Garbage
Beyond the Dumpster: The Interesting Ancient History of Recycling and Garbage

Think recycling is new? Both literally and figuratively, recycling is old news. With an interesting history, the recycling of trash has been in play on and by the earth since the days of dinosaurs decomposing into our favorite fossil fuels.

500 B.C.

Think moving waste without your dumpster mover is tough? In early Athens, Greece, city inhabitants were required by law to dispose of waste at least one-mile from city walls.

1031 A.D.

The first recorded reuse of paper waste was seen in Japan; recycled into new paper and resold in small family-owned shops nationwide.

1690

Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Mill introduced recycling using a manufacturing process that transformed fibers from cotton and linen rags into paper.

1776

The British are coming… And American rebels turned to recycling to fuel the materials necessary for the War of Independence.

1865

The Salvation Army in London, England began collecting, sorting and recycling unwanted items; later migrating to the U.S. in the 1890s.

1897

NYC established a materials recovery facility where rubbish such as paper, carpet, burlap, twin, rubber, and metals were sorted for recycling and reuse.

1900s

‘Waste as wealth’ programs promoted the ability to earn money by sorting/reselling items found in household garbage.

1904

America’s first aluminum can recycling plants opened their doors in Cleveland and Chicago.

1916-1918

‘Don’t waste it, save it’ referendum was promoted by the government to circumvent the massive shortage of raw materials in WWI.

1930s

Peddling rags, metal, etc. helped many survive the Depression.

1940

Rationing and recycling helped support war efforts.

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