recycling

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plastic items being sorted at a recycling center

How plastic is recycled into insulation.

How are old bottles recycled into new ones?

An open butter container sits on a wooden surface.

How enzymes in wax moth larvae could lead to new recycling biotechnologies

Turning cities into raw material depots for recycling

How most of a car's parts are recycled

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recycling summary

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Artist interpretation of space asteroids impacting earth and moon. Meteoroids, meteor impact, end of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Doomsday Predictions, comet

Major Mass Extinctions

Paul Revere. "The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.," engraved by Paul Revere. Boston Massacre.

There’s a Riot Goin’ On: Riots in U.S. History (Part One)

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

San Francisco, California/USA-1/18/20: Womens March at Civic Center marching with signs of political protest regarding equality also embracing 2020 presidential candidates and celebrating equality

How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?

Demystified - Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide? illustration

Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

recycling: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 15, 2025

News •

Farm plastic waste recycling options a 'leap forward for sustainability' • June 13, 2025, 7:08 AM ET (ABC News (Australia))

New method enables sustainable recycling of rare earths from electrolyzers • June 4, 2025, 7:11 AM ET (Tech Xplore)

Facts

Also Known As	reprocessing • materials salvage

Photos and Videos

plastic items being sorted at a recycling center

How plastic is recycled into insulation.

How are old bottles recycled into new ones?

An open butter container sits on a wooden surface.

How enzymes in wax moth larvae could lead to new recycling biotechnologies

Turning cities into raw material depots for recycling

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secondary refining internal recycling external recycling water purification thermal-heat recovery scrap metal solid-waste management waste product extended producer responsibility waste disposal materials testing ecological restoration materials processing materials handling allocation of resources materials science marine protected area wood plastic abrasive

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