Recycling and reclamation.

I t used to be said that the Chicago nieat packers utilized everything but the pig's grunt. Many o f our latter,jay environmentalists seem to feel that the sanie degree o f tfficiency can be applied to recovery and reuse o f our nalion's mountaim of solid wastes. N o doubt. we can recover considerably greater amounts than we are presently nianaging. but this approach to the solution o f the solid waste problem requires considerable tinie and dedication. awareness of the health hazards. changes in priorities. attitudes and economics. careful planning and further technological iniprovenien ts. Although this A M A Congress was planned to deal with the subject o f Solid Waste Management "Today and Tomorrow". I cannot resist the occasion to note briefly a few historical facts. Recovery o f materials o f value from refuse is not a new idea: scavengers have been at i t for centuries. I n 1887. the American Public Health Association formed a Coniniittee on Garbage Disposal. One of i t s f i r s t assignments was to investigate the feasibility of recovering waste niateri-