It's interesting that people have been recycle conscious throughout history. But generations before us called it being "frugal" and "waste not want not". Well made blankets, quilts and clothing were handed down and shared with family and friends. Old ratty tatty cotton blankets or clothes were torn apart and remade into new from scraps. Old organic cottons and woolens have long been known to be biodegradable and enriching to soil.
How we love to take credit for everything!:-)
Modern recycling of the past few decades has become almost automatic: saving newspapers, separating glass bottles, reusing things whenever possible. However, there are many new trends showing up in every day life that shows how much people really do care about the environment.
Recycling in the Age of Technology gets complicated. Old electronic equipment isn't so easily reused. Everyone wants the newer gadget, the bigger TV, the faster computer. It used to be more common to just toss the old bit into the garbage. Now, it's more common to see people donating them. To someone less fortunate, your castoff becomes someone else's newer, bigger, faster. There are also official programs to recycle appliances for the materials. It's just easier to reuse than to make more.
People now have the option in most cases to either refill their old printer cartridges or recycle them. Refilling is much more cost effective than purchasing a new one. Often, you can get more print jobs from the refilled case than from the original amount of toner in the case when it was purchased originally. A lot of the larger office supply places want you to send the cartridges back if you do not opt to refill. Instead of just tossing the old case into the trash, it can be sent back to the company, usually with free shipping and other little perks.
Many companies with a more "green sells" consciousness, are using recycled materials in products, and that is a very good thing indeed. More and more packaging is made solely with recycled materials. It's a great cycle. The consumers recycle, the companies are able to use those materials in new products, and then they are recycled again. It just shows that every little bit counts.
The technologies have changed, but the need to "waste not, want not", to be "frugal" and clean in our disposal habits, haven't changed - only evolved.
But trust me, the whole thing wasn't our idea.
See more articles, and shop organic bedding, organic cotton linens and more, from the earth to your intimate spaces. Susan Fullen-Yurek, EcoSleepShop Organics, http://ecosleepshop.com/.