external recycling

External recycling is the process of reclaiming materials from discarded products to be used in new items. This contrasts with internal recycling, where waste from a manufacturing process is reused within that same process.1

Commonly recycled materials include paper, glass, aluminum, and plastics. For instance, old newspapers can be repulped to create new paper products, and aluminum cans are widely recycled into new aluminum items. This practice helps conserve natural resources like petroleum, coal, and trees, and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills.1

The economic viability of recycling often depends on whether reprocessing waste is cheaper than using new raw materials. For plastics, challenges include identifying and sorting different types, as well as the cost of recovery. Despite these hurdles, many plastics are recycled into less demanding applications, or even converted into energy through incineration.123