Starting from scrap

Abstract

Recycling is generally considered an important strategy for alleviating the pressures of society on the environment. Natural resources are saved, emissions are decreased, and the burden of solid waste is reduced. At the same time, recycling creates employment and attracts investments. In recent years many countries have experienced large increases in recycling. The rationale behind this development varies between the developed and the developing world. In the North the increase in recycling is assumed to have mainly resulted from higher disposal costs, increased public concern about the health and environmental impacts of waste disposal, and a general perception that recycling can result in resource conservation. Recycling in the South is thought to be driven particularly by more economic motives.