Recycling involves taking used materials and turning them into new products. It is not a new concept: people 1 been recycling for hundreds of years but 2 rising energy costs since the 1970s it has become more of a necessity and is now common practice. The idea of recycling is to prevent waste and reduce the consumption of new fresh raw materials. The 3 common materials which are recycled are paper and glass. Some plastics, metals and textiles 4 also be recycled as well as some electronic equipment. It is now typical to separate household waste into materials 5 can and can’t be recycled. Recycling points 6 glass, paper etc. can be taken to are now common sights in 7 major towns and cities. In theory, recycling seems obvious: however, in practice, it is not always cost-effective. Often the cost of collection and transportation is greater 8 the cost of the energy saved. It also means there are fewer jobs available in industries such as mining, as demand for raw materials is lower. As a result, recycling is a controversial topic. However, with more government legislation and more incentives being introduced recycling is clearly on the increase.