recycle

To put used things in special bins so their materials can be used again.

• We recycle our bottles.
• Do you recycle paper at home?
• She recycled all the empty cans after the party.

Common phrases: recycle plastic bottles, recycle your cans, recycle at home

To process used materials so they can be made into new things.

• This factory recycles plastic.
• Old paper is recycled into new notebooks.
• Can this material be recycled?

How to use it: recycle something into something (The factory recycles old bottles into new glass containers.)

Similar words: reprocess

Common phrases: recycle waste materials, recycle scrap metal, recycle into something

To pass through a process repeatedly and become available for use again.

• Nutrients recycle naturally in the forest.
• Sulfur recycles through several forms in nature.
• These materials recycle within the ecosystem.

How to use it: recycle through something (Nutrients recycle through the soil as plants grow and decay.)

Similar words: recirculate

Common phrases: recycle through something, recycle naturally, recycle within something