Recycling: A Process of Sorting _Approaching_01

Does your school recycle? How about your family? I bet you have heard that recycling is important. Do you think it is a new thing? You might be surprised to learn that recycling has been around for thousands of years.
An archeologist is a type of scientist. They study ancient human history. In other words, they study people that lived long ago. These studies tell us that recycling dates back to at least 400 BC. That is almost two thousand years ago!

There are many reasons to recycle. One reason is that there are not enough of some things to go around. It is a fact that Earth’s resources are limited.

People thousands of years ago knew that too. Another reason is pollution. Have you ever seen smoke coming from a factory’s chimney? Can you think of some other reasons why we should recycle?

The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change. In America, it was the cause of rapid job growth. More workers were needed to build the new factories. To do so, they needed natural resources, such as stone and sand. Once the factory was built, other workers made items that more people would buy. Resources such as iron ore and cotton were turned into cars and clothes.

Because of this rapid economic growth, many resources were being used more quickly than before. To fill this need, many industries turned to recycling. This effort saved both time and money.