Recycling waste is not a new idea. Throughout history, people have disposed garbage in myriad ways. They fed household garbage to domestic animals. Scavengers gleaned the waste stream for usable items that could be fixed, then sold or traded for other goods and services. Homemakers mended clothing, and children grew up in hand-me-downs. Durable goods were just that; goods that could be reused until their durability wore out. These practices were not due to a desire to reduce the waste stream, but rather a need to produce products from all available resources. Modern society has moved away from such straightforward recycling practices, choosing instead to toss out the old and buy new goods. This throwaway society now faces a trash crisis.

The volume of solid waste generated in the United States has continued to increase, along with the cost of building landfills and incineration facilities. Recycling some of...