recycling

American  

[ree-sahyk-ling] / riˈsaɪk lɪŋ /

noun

plural

recyclings

1. the collection and processing of used or waste materials so as to make them suitable for reuse, often through a publicly administered program.

2. the act or practice of reusing or adapting something for a different purpose without altering its essential form or nature.

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adjective

1. relating to or engaging in the collection and processing of used or waste materials so as to make them suitable for reuse, or the practice of reusing or adapting things for a different purpose.

recycling Scientific  

/ rē-sī′klĭng /

1. The collection and often reprocessing of discarded materials for reuse. Recycled materials include those used in manufacturing processes and those used in consumer products. The recycled material is often degraded somewhat by use or processing and therefore must be converted to another purpose. For example, the processing of recycled newspaper and other paper wastes usually shortens their fibers, and the material cannot be used to make high-grade paper. Instead, it can be reprocessed to make cardboard or insulation. Recycling helps reduce pollution, prolong the usefulness of landfills, and conserve natural resources.

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Other Word Forms

• anti-recycling adjective
• nonrecycling adjective
• post-recycling adjective
• pro-recycling adjective
• self-recycling adjective

Explanation

The process of taking trash and turning it into new materials is recycling. It's thanks to recycling that a new playground slide can be partly made of used plastic milk jugs. Only some materials are eligible for recycling — aluminum, steel, glass, paper, and some kinds of plastic. These are typically the things you toss in your recycling bin (like empty soda cans and pickle jars). Recycling, or "reusing materials," was first used in an industrial context, from re-, "again," and cycle, "move through a repeating event." The process of making something, melting it down, and then making it again captures the idea of recycling.

Example Sentences

Plastic recycling suffered a significant blow in 2018, when China banned imports of most plastic waste.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Lyrically, Kahan is reckoning with his newfound fame – without recycling hoary old clichés where "every hotel room looks the same" and "nobody understands the real me".

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

Readers shared their thoughts on recycling EV batteries:

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

But "this felt like I was recycling it," she said.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Everyone knew that new pretties wound up recycling most of the stuff they brought over the river, anyway.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld