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Recycling
"Many readers assume that 'recylcing' is a recent practice, perhaps dating not much before the 1970s. In reality, 'recylcing' is as old as agricultural civilization, perhaps even dating to our 'hunter-gatherer' days. Before machine mass production, which began in the late 1700s in Britain, most products were far too valuable to discard after they had worn out. Whether the items were agricultural or manmade goods, when they were no longer efficient for the primary task they were 'recylced' for a secondary task. Straw that no longer held the seeds of wheat was 'recylced' into bedding for animals or humans; metal tools that had 'worn out' were resharpened or melted down to be used again. Even my grandparents, born in the late 1800s, were loath to throw anything away without careful consideration of possible uses. After my grandmother died and we had to inventory her possessions we found a drawer full of scraps of paper bags that she 'recylced' to use as writing paper! Though she had little more than a highschool education, she knew intuitively that 'recycling' was part of the good life!
We hope you too can return to our natural roots: that of a recycling society, rather than a 'throw-away' society.
Learn More
- "Recycling
History"
Aug 17, 2007 ... Recycling history can be traced back to thousands of years ago when it was cheaper to reuse something instead of making something new.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/recycling1.htm - 25 ideas for Recycling
Household items
Great ideas for reusing common household items.