108 Years of Science Fiction

Time’s Article from 1999, notes how issues like recycling are absent from Science Fiction.

Science fiction cordially ignores many vital technologies, such as, say, garbage recycling. Recycling is hugely important, but it has zero science-fictional thrill.

Perhaps we won’t be quite as wasteful in future, but if you take a look at Star Wars (Episode IV) They’ve got a trash compactor scene… and in Episode I, Watto appears to be reusing and reselling used engine parts and scraps in his store. The expanded universe also refers to people salvage combing space debris for profit. Don’t forget the Jawas, who ‘scavenge’ the desert and resell parts and even whole droids! StarWars.com offers up its own report.