WordGarden.iorecycle
A2Pronunciation
UK
- /rɪsˈaɪkəl/
US
- /riˈsaɪkəl/
Meanings
Verb
to process used material so it can be used again
to reuse or repurpose something in a general way
Beyond the definition
Imagine your favorite cardboard box. After you open a delivery, you do not have to throw it away. You can put it in recycling so it can be made into new cardboard or another paper product. To recycle means to take waste and process it so it can be used again in a new form. We often talk about recycling paper, plastic, glass, and metal, but the idea goes beyond things at home. Companies also recycle materials in factories, which can cut waste, lower pollution, and save resources. Recycling is one way to treat useful materials with more care instead of wasting them.
To recycle is to process discarded materials into new products, preventing waste from building up in landfills and helping save valuable natural resources. It is more than just sorting trash. It is an important part of a system in which materials stay in use for as long as possible.
The word itself is a modern construction, combining the prefix "re-" (meaning again) and "cycle" (from the Greek kyklos, meaning wheel or circle). This captures the basic idea of recycling: taking something at the end of its original life and bringing it back into the production cycle.
Recycling is not limited to household items like plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and paper. Industrial processes can also recycle materials such as metals, plastics, and even construction debris. Different communities have different rules about what they accept for recycling. Some require careful sorting, while others use single-stream recycling, where everything goes into one bin.
Beyond the practical act of sorting waste, "recycle" can also be used in a more general way. You might recycle an old idea in a new context, or recycle a story you have told before. In this sense, it suggests taking something that already exists and using it again in a fresh way.
So, whether you are separating plastic from paper or talking about using an old idea again, to recycle means giving something used another life instead of simply throwing it away.
Examples
- 1
Household sorting
Our building asks everyone to recycle paper, glass, and cans.
- 2
Waste disposal
Used batteries should be recycled separately from regular trash.
- 3
Manufacturing
The factory recycles old plastic bottles into carpet fibers.
- Patternrecycle X into Y
use X to make Y
- 4
Electronics
We took the old phones to a shop that recycles electronics safely.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Clothing
She likes to recycle old clothes by cutting them into cleaning rags.
- 6
Reused joke
The comedian kept recycling the same joke in every interview.
- 7
Repeated arguments
It felt like the meeting was just recycling last month's arguments.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- recycleverb
Forms
- recycling-ing formverb
- recycledpast tenseverb
- recyclesverb