Showing results for "recycling"

• present participle of recycle.

recycling

American  

[ree-sahyk-ling] / riˈsaɪk lɪŋ /

noun

• recyclings
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• recyclings
  plural

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

See Examples For:

recycling recyclings

Pro tip: In the months leading up to the move, I also saved boxes from deliveries I received, instead of hauling them downstairs to the recycling bin.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

They were outraged about the lack of government accountability surrounding the closure of the Exide battery recycling plant in nearby Vernon that had contaminated thousands of homes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

Devon is bracing itself for a council shake-up, made up of four new authorities responsible for everything from leisure centres and planning to recycling.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

“The Shards” is more problematic: Mr. Ellis has been recycling his depraved teen angels long enough that the show, a collaboration with Ryan Murphy, becomes parody, even comedy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

I took the money and threw the cans into the recycling bin.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

I mostly listen, relaxing after the day’s exertions, pinching myself at the wondrously weird subcultures of this underland, reflecting on the bizarre cultural recyclings that it calls out.

From The New Yorker ● May 23, 2019

I have no objection to its repeats and recyclings; long years of exposure to minimalism in music and dance have given many of us an appetite for this.

From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2016

Perhaps the heroes are too familiar: both of this month’s Marvel offerings, Spider-Man and X-Men, are recast recyclings of popular series that concluded a mere seven and eight years ago.

From Time ● May 27, 2014

These recyclings and post-modern experiments run the gamut in quality.

From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2010

Mulch was not one bit surprised that his recyclings had managed to hurl the elephantine Mud Man several yards through the air.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer