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

Democratic and Republican senators are proposing a tax incentive for businesses that set up water recycling infrastructure—the latest in a series of moves to tackle data-center water worries.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

Lysosomes function as the cell's internal recycling centers.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

The language of the law forbids any kind of recycling that would produce significant amounts of hazardous waste.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

First-quarter recycling earnings grew External link 18% despite a 27% decline in the underlying commodity prices, and Waste Management stock rose 1.3% after the release.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

I get up to sort my lunch trash into the recycling, compost, and waste cans.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari