Mathematics, Global Learning, Sustainability

Recycling has been going on for centuries even though many people perceive that the action began in the latter half of the 20th century. Victorian, financially stable 19th century women recycled clothing from the standpoint that they sent valuable dresses back to the designer to update the clothing item when styles changed. The idea of recycling just changed at the end of the 20th century to manage the vast amount of garbage humans were producing. Istanbul, Turkey recently implemented vending machines in subway station to help with recycling. They are especially valuable because those who do not have the means to buy a subway ticket can recycle bottles in exchange for a trip. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans are accepted, though aluminum has a higher yield. The city plans to have more than 100 machines throughout subway stations to both maintain environmental health and to inform people about the urgency of recycling.

One thought on “Mathematics, Global Learning, Sustainability

  1. I like how you highlight that the process of recycling goes back a couple centuries. I think it’s important to revisit past methods of recycling so we can hope to create newer and more efficient processes to remove waste. In addition, I think we should take a look at what Sweden is doing with their recycling. They are so good at disposing of waste that they have to actually import garbage to maintain energy/economic production.

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