It is not yet the end of the consumer society but it is the end of the throwaway society, because we are running out of holes in the ground where we can hide our rubbish and unwanted materials. In addition to a lack of holes, the raw materials used to make things are valuable, some of the manufacturing processes are environmentally toxic, and non-renewable energy resources, such as coal, oil and gas are in short supply. There are both environmental and economic reasons for recycling serviceable items, or items which can be stripped down to recover their components and materials.

It's in the Can

When a single aluminium soft-drink can is thrown away, it wastes the same amount of energy as if the can was half filled with gasoline. Recycling the can saves 96 per cent of the energy needed to make a new one, and it produces 95 per cent less air pollution and 97 per cent less water pollution. Put another way, recycling one soft-drinks can saves enough energy to run an energy-efficient light bulb continuously for a year!