What happened to containers before recycling was invented?
Recycling and reuse of packaging has been around for many years. For example, biscuit and cake tins with slip and hinged lids are found in many homes as storage containers. In the case of jam jars they are used for all manner of storage after being emptied and cleaned. Prior to 1939 glass tumblers were available in the first instance for containing jam; after the jam had been consumed it was used as a drinking vessel. Companies in the past have often promoted their containers as storage containers for use in the home even to the point of providing special racks. In the case of plastic bottles these have found a range of uses for example as a drip feed watering device for garden plants.
