Posts Tagged ‘recycling tips’

Recycling Tips – Using World War Two to Inspire You

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Most people consider recycling to be a recent phenomenon of the green revolution, however, there is evidence of recycling taking place from as long ago as 400BC. It was around the mid 1900s though that recycling was first given real attention. During the Second World War, resources were hard to come by and Governments ran massive recycling campaigns to ensure nothing was wasted.

Here are a few examples of what was recycled and for what reason…

- Metal and tine were recycled for use weapons, tanks and aircraft.

- Rubber was collected to make new tires.

- Boiled bones were recycled to make glue for aircraft, ground up to make fertilizer or turned into glycerin for explosives.

- Left over food provided feed for chickens, pigs and goats and people would bring their scraps to communal bins.

People were also encouraged to mend belongings, such as clothes, rather than buy new. Campaigns such as ‘Make Do And Mend’ and ‘Sew And Save’ advised people on how to recycle textiles and make clothes last longer. Knitting also became very popular around this time.

Families had to plan meals carefully to ensure that food did not go to waste. With no fridges or freezers, perishable food had to be bought in small quantities and substitutes had to be found for foods that were no longer available. Meat fat was commonly saved to make pastry, and even the cream from milk was stored in a jar and shaken to make butter and buttermilk.

Everyone did what they could and came together to achieve a common goal. At first the Government’s had to tell people what to do and regularly remind them of it, but it did not take long for people to become accustomed to it, and not only recycle themselves, but also remind their friends and neighbors to do it too.

It is sad that it took people such a long time to recognize the importance of recycling, and also that it took such unfortunate circumstances to draw it to our attention. These days, we realize the importance of recycling to preserve the Earth’s resources and to reduce pollution.

Even so, we are still failing to recycle a lot of items that are recyclable. Though we know what we should be doing, and though it is not difficult for us to do it, there is still a very relaxed attitude to recycling. Too many of us simply cannot be bothered to recycle, and that is undoing the good work being done by those who do take the little time and effort required to recycle.

The uses of recyclable materials may be different now from what they were during the War, but we can still look to our grandparents and the older generations for tips and inspiration. If they could do it, then why can’t we do it too? We should all be doing what we can now, and not be waiting around for a major crisis to kick-start us into mass recycling again.

Author Bio: Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective recycling bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years.

Category: Society
Keywords: recycling tips, recycling, recycle, green living, green, environment, environmental, society

Some Other Ideas

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Current Affairs | 3 Comments »

privace policy | terms of service | about us