Instead, we must receycle what we've already got. There are no large buildups of waste gold anywhere in the biosphere because we recycle gold efficiently, and that should become our model for recycling. The mining of new materials from the Earth's crust must essentially cease, or must diminish so drastically that mining is hardly noticeable as a human activity any longer. Synthetic organic compounds such as DDT and PCBs can remain in the environment for many years, accumulating in the tissues of plants and animals, causing profound deleterious effects on creatures in the upper levels of the food chain. Freon, and other ozone depleting compounds, may increase the danger of cancer due to added ultraviolet radiation in the troposphere.
Society needs to find ways to reduce economic dependence on persistent human-made substances.
Disposal of these materials can occur without poisoning the biosphere or its inhabitants because nature degrades them and turns them back into raw materials. Starting in the 1920s, but really gearing up after World War II, humans created enormous quantities of materials that nature has little or no capacity to degrade and recycle. In a sustainable society, humans will avoid taking more from the biosphere than can be replenished by natural systems. In addition, people will avoid systematically encroaching upon nature by destroying the habitat of other species. Biodiversity, which includes the great variety of animals and plants found in nature, provides the foundation for ecosystem services which are necessary to sustain life on this planet.