A functioning waste system is inarguably an essential public service, and the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted what is often taken for granted. As the EU said in its release on waste management in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, waste separation and recycling are “crucial for the health and safety of our citizens, for the environment and for the economy.”

It seems the Romans were already onto this 2,000 years ago. When Vesuvius blew its top in 79 AD, it preserved many wonderful works of art but also garbage. Researchers studying the ruins in Pompeii have come to the conclusion that the mounds of waste dumped outside the city’s walls were actually recycling depots. Soil samples were used to trace materials such as tiles and pottery that were reused in some buildings. Perhaps the recycled polymer blends currently used in road construction these days are themselves a recycled concept.