Perhaps you have heard the phrase “Cradle to grave” in regards to the disposal of toxic materials. I am here to inform you that not only is the idea of “cradle to grave” silly, but it has, in fact, contributed to the deterioration of the environment on which you and I depend for life. Any “cradle to grave” process should be questioned. Must the substance end up in a “grave” instead of another “cradle”? If it must end up in a “grave,” do we really need to produce and use the substance to begin with?
The superior alternative to “cradle to grave,” is an ideal which should always be aimed for when it comes to the use and recycling of substances. This ideal is called “cradle to cradle.” “Cradle to cradle” is synonymous with “loop completion.” These phrases refer to a complete, ongoing life cycle for any material or substance which humans produce, use, and then somehow dispose of. However, “disposal” is necessarily taken out of the equation. Instead of “disposing” of the substance, the substance is somehow recycled. Indeed, if a substance is “disposed” of, to a place where it is supposed to remain in the same form for “a very long time, if not forever,” then this substance has headed to a “grave,” instead of another “cradle.”
Metal is an obvious example of a material which can be used from “cradle to cradle.” That's why scrap yards pay people to bring them metal objects. The scrap yard can melt the metal back down into raw material, which can then be used to create a new metal object. Metal of any kind, be it steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, or anything else, should never end up in a garbage can, which then leads to a landfill. A landfill is a sorry “grave” for a substance which can be easily sent to a new “cradle” instead.
Most materials in our everyday lives can and should have a “cradle to cradle” life cycle of some sort. Wood can be burned, ideally in a gasifier, for heat or electricity. Water can be filtered and made safe to use once again. Food scraps can be composted or fed to red wiggler worms, and turned into, in effect, a mixture of fertilizer and soil. Though this is not widely practiced, plastic can be pyrolyzed and transformed back into petroleum.
While it is good either refurbish or find a new use for an “old” material or substance, it is best to account for every step in the life cycle of a material or substance. At every step, there are inputs and losses of both mass and energy. Depending on what the substance is, and what the production process for that substance is, there may also be toxicity introductions at any given step of the substance's life cycle. This is particularly obvious with substances such as strong acids and bases, and any petroleum derivatives.
When it comes to the Earth, there are environmental loops which are affected by humans. Our job is to ensure that we complete these loops, instead of allowing or facilitating for any one step of the loop to continue on unchecked. This is particularly true of the carbon dioxide (CO2) loop: we do a fine job of rapidly increasing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, but never do we complete the CO2 loop and bring this increase into check somehow. The result is the Greenhouse Gas effect, which in turn increases the average temperature of the Earth's surface (please see the Refraction of Light page for further clarification on how this happens). For information on how to appropriately complete the CO2 loop, see the pages on creating an abundance of carbon-neutral fuels and plant and animal life.