Recycling is practiced in every nation and society for the economic and environmental benefits that accrue. There are, however, differences in the intensity of recycling in different parts of the world and the way the recycling is accomplished. These differences often reflect the different stages of development of societies.

The wastage of materials and the need to improve recycling efficiencies tend to be public issues only in societies rich enough to throw things away. It is the well-off societies that generate the high volumes of relatively material-rich post-consumer wastes. By contrast, well-off societies produce relatively lean post-industrial waste streams because the technologies for efficient clean production and waste treatment are often in place, and the costs of disposing of wastes are relatively high. The information on recycling on this site is most relevant to and reflect these developed country patterns of use and disposal.

In countries where poverty is the greatest social issue (and often the greatest issue for the environment too), loss of materials to waste tends not to be an issue. Low-cost labour will sort garbage and scavenge dumps for anything of value. Much less of value goes into waste streams in the first place; even less makes it into landfill. Collection, re-use and recycling rates are very high.

On the other hand, in developing countries scavenged materials may be re-processed crudely. The results can be inefficient recovery and often threats to the health of workers, communities and the environment.

Attitudes towards recycling therefore reflect the economic situation of the local society, especially where the greater issue is poverty alleviation. Current trends see a number of countries steadily improving their economic situations, sometimes dramatically. For such countries, the need will be to manage the transition to a higher economic status while avoiding the pattern of wastage that was historically associated with well-off societies.