Zoology 10th Edition by Stephen Miller,John Harley

Exercise 6

Matter is cycled through ecosystems. Matter is present in large quantities in a reservoir, usually the atmosphere or earth. It is incorporated into living tissues, passed between organisms, and eventually returned to the reservoir. Matter is never lost, and when it is used, it will eventually resurface to be used again.
Why does recycling aluminum cans, plastic, and other materials make sense in light of what you know about biogeochemical cycles?