From Trash to GoldThe word “recycling” usually conjures up images of recycling bins of cardboard boxes and plastic bottles, accompanied by a cliché slogan such as “Recycle. Reduce. Reuse. However, recycling has a far greater impact on humanity than any slogan could ever imply. If we were to consider the history of life on Earth as a single 24-hour day, humans would appear a little more than a second before midnight! The Earth is about 4.6 billion years old, and according to scientists, modern humans did not exist until about 200,000 years ago. During this brief "pan flash" of existence, they managed to dominate Earth in a way that no species has ever done before. This is because as the human race grows, it requires an ever-increasing amount of fuel, water, land, food, shelter, technology and energy necessary to produce, deliver and operate these goods and services. Recycling not only reduces the burden that modern society places on the planet as populations increase, but it also provides many benefits, such as: reduction or elimination of municipal, industrial and commercial waste; reduce waste; reduce energy consumption by limiting the need for extraction, transportation and conversion of raw materials into goods; limit pollution through lower energy consumption, less waste, reduced emissions and conservation of valuable natural resources; and boost the economy with new jobs, increased savings and higher profit margins for commercial, industrial and agricultural production. All forms of production require large amounts of electricity and the extraction of raw materials from the Earth for new products and services. As the population increases, companies must meet the demand for their products and...... middle of paper ...... cycling is certainly a necessity, but with the busy lifestyle of humanity, they will continue to be motivated by the choice of convenience over responsibility. By making recycling mandatory, governments, businesses and consumers would be forced to create more effective methods and programs to ensure compliance with the new law; as a result, the reduction of municipal, industrial and commercial waste, waste, pollution and energy consumption; reducing mining, transportation and conversion of raw materials into goods; limiting pollution and greenhouse gas emissions; and conserving natural resources would boost the economy with new jobs, increased savings and higher profit margins for consumers and commercial, industrial and agricultural businesses. Recycling laws would accomplish nothing less than ushering humanity into a new golden age..