Most of our local, state, and federal legislators lack technical backgrounds and therefore are not qualified to decide some of these complex issues. It is therefore vital that citizens prepare themselves with a knowledge of materials technology to provide input to the legal issues. Recycling and disposal of materials is one area that will continue to be a major issue. Consequences of the Stages of the Materials Cycle M istakes costly to the environment and society have been made with mining, well drilling, and tree harvesting. Mine tailings left behind when mining ore are washed by rain, causing the leaching of concentrated minerals that might be harmful to plants and animals in the streams, rivers, and lakes.
Oil drilling can result in harmful spillage.
Clearcutting of trees can result in severe soil erosion and can upset wildlife. O n the other hand, if we did not extract these raw materials from the earth, civilization would not benefit from the valuable resources harvested, people would not have employment in the related fields, and we would not have a thriving commerce that offers a good quality of life. In other words, we have made tradeoffs, some conscious, some not. For example, the plastics industry is a comparatively young industry that evolved during a time when oil and gas seemed limitless. There was not much knowledge or concern about pollution, global warming, the ozone layer, or the scarcity of landfill space for municipal solid waste.