Examples include extending the life of an item by repair or modification or by creating new uses for items within the household or for others. Recycling of materials including composting. Collect and reprocess manufactured materials for reuse either in the same form or as part of a different product. Recycling includes collecting and separating products, preparing them to buyer specifications, selling to markets, processing, and eventual reuse of materials. Manage those wastes which cannot be recycled, reused, or reduced.
Estimates vary regarding the resources saved by recycling.
The Solid Waste Handbook suggests that each ton of paper recycled saves 17 eight-inch trees and 390 gallons of oil. It produces 23-74 percent less air pollution and 35 percent less water pollution than production of paper from virgin fibers. Recycling aluminum is estimated to use 95 percent less energy than making it from raw ore and creates 95 percent less air pollution and 97 percent less water pollution. Recycling glass saves 4-32 percent of the energy needed to manufacture new glass and produces 20 percent less air pollution. The lack of clearly identified markets for recycled products results in considerable price variation as well as making it a difficult business to manage.