Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
recycling
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
recycling bin recycling bins plastic items being sorted at a recycling center
How plastic is recycled into insulation.
scrap metal
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
For Students
recycling summary
Discover
African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.
Where Is “Old Zealand”?
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)
Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

recycling: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/recycling
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As reprocessing • materials salvage

Photos and Videos

recycling bin
recycling bins
plastic items being sorted at a recycling center
scrap metal
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
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic