On: One Man’s Trash ... (check out the slide show too)

Shift of viewpoint, what we currently think of "landfill" has the potential to be the "mine" of the future. Valuable minerals and materials will be extracted from rotted down landfill, "refurbished" or refined, then re-used as raw materials. Effectively recycling, but having gone through an extra phase.

It will happen when current sources of raw materials are less economical than raiding the landfill.

Exactly! It's storing up plastic (which you can get petroleum from) and metals etc if/for when it's too valuable to leave sitting there.

If you're interested Mike Munger an Economist talks about these ideas here: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2007/07/munger_on_recyc.htm...