Materials for recycling are either delivered to a household recycling center or picked up from curbside bins, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials for manufacturing new products.

What are the steps in the recycling process?

The recycling process involves 3 main steps, which form a circle or loop. They are (1) collecting the recyclables, (2) processing the recyclables and turning them into recycled-content products, and (3) purchasing recycled products.

How are materials recycled in nature?

Nature recycles all materials.

There are usually many organisms, or more accurately, ecosystems of organisms, that break down complex organic materials and molecules into smaller molecules that can then be taken up and reassembled into completely new materials.