Recycling

Resources and circularity

Any recovery operation by which waste materials are reprocessed into products, materials or substances, whether for their original or other purposes (Directive 2008/98/EC). Energy recovery and backfilling are excluded. Recycling ranks below prevention and re-use in the waste hierarchy because it consumes energy and often degrades material quality.

See also: Waste hierarchy

Reference source: eur-lex.europa.eu

Definitions checked in October 2026 against the sources cited. Spotted an error or a regulatory change? Report it in the Agora.

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