In a way, recycling has been around for thousands of years.  Ancient cultures began making metal products (pots, swords) that they could melt into new ones. During World War I and II, collective efforts were made to ensure people participated in paper drives and metal drives. The scarcity of resources placed huge importance on recycling key materials to better help the war effort.  This “waste not, want not” mentality really formed the basis of what has become our modern ways to recycle. It’s a shame we didn’t continue what those more difficult times had taught us. When did we start thinking that these resources would be infinite again?

During the 1940 and 1950’s recycling became less popular as landfilling was a cheap way to get rid of trash.  Luckily, modern recycling of glass, paper, cans, etc became popular in the 1970′s with drop-off recycling centers, and in the late 1980′s and 1990′s with curbside collection.   Nowadays, recycling is readily available in most areas and has grown to include plastics and Styrofoam in some cases.  Along with the expansion of the actual items that can be recycled, the concept itself has expanded as well.

If you’re looking for more creative ways to recycle, you may want to consider:

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