Mass consumer society inevitably resulted in increasing amounts of garbage, the disposal of which became extremely problematic in the 1980s, as ever larger tracts of land were required to store discarded products. A growing awareness of the importance of separating trash (and ultimately reducing it) led to the rise of recycling. In the photograph below, the majestic Alpine landscape forms a stark and depressing contrast with the scrapped cars in the foreground. Photo by Günter Zint.