The lack of household wastes in ancient dumpsites has clearly shown that more waste was being recycled, due to the scarcity of new materials. Recycling During The Pre-Industrial Age During pre-industrial times, there was clear evidence of the collection of scrap metals like bronze, iron and steel in Europe. Incandescent lighting units generally have life spans of around 750 to 1,000 hours. CFL units however, use less power and have longer shelf lives. While CFL s have a quite higher purchase price, it can save as much as 30 dollars in electricity costs over the lighting unit s life span. Environmental Issues Regarding The Use Of CFLs While compact fluorescent lamps have longer life spans, and save you money on electricity bills, these products contain mercury, which makes their disposal a quite complex one. It s estimated that 1 in 4 of the used tires today are re-treaded, and used again in another motor vehicle somewhere else. Many of the used tires today are also ground up, chopped, and used as a base for gravel roads, and as a sand and gravel substitute in road construction activities. Some used tires are also chopped up and mixed as part of the surface for indoor tennis courts or indoor sports playing fields. Corrugated cardboard is made from sturdy and long-lasting material, and is best used for packaging. The production of cardboard is often considered a costly one, because more resources are required to complete it. The good thing is that cardboard can be recycled. Here are a few tips for the proper recycling of cardboard. Styrofoam Recycling How It Works Styrofoam is a closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam material that s made for thermal insulation, packaging and other craft applications. The Dow Chemical Corporation owns the trademark for the product, and this is used for a wide range of applications. Among these include insulated sheathing, pipe insulation, packaging and craft applications. In some areas, the plastic bottles are often delivered to a local bottle bank, and in some areas there is a special curbside collection for these items. While most of just cringe when we keep hearing stories about a wide array of environmental disasters, the good thing is that many are now springing into action, and are doing their part to keep the planet clean and healthy.