european countries are now making an active effort to reuse materials more than they used to. this is called recycling. materials such as paper, glass or metal are collected, sorted, treated and used again. old papers are recycled. the ink is taken out by a special technique, and new paper is made. oil from fatories and motor oil can be treated and resued. in many cities in europe rubbish is collected separately. empty glass bottles are collected, and the glass is broken and reused for making new bottles.
developing countries all over the world already recycle materials. in india, waste paper is collected, sorted and recycled. paper bags are made from unsold newspapers. in egypt, waste is rubbish cars and sorted. leftover food is given to pigs and vegetable matter is put back onto the fields. in some asian countries, shoes are made from the rubber of old car tyres.
the chinese government is also working hard against poilution. more than 60,000 small factories which seriously polluted the enrivonment were shut down in 1996. many materials like used rubber gloves, glass bottles, cans and other containers are treated or recycled. however, no single country can save the environment alone.