page_title: Waste
section_title: Resource recovery
hierarchical_section_title: Waste / Resource recovery
caption_attribution_description: English: I took this photo on a trip to India last year.
context_page_description: Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance which is discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste product may become a by-product, joint product or resource through an invention that raises a waste product's value above zero.
  Examples include municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, wastewater, radioactive waste, and others.
context_section_description: Resource recovery is the retrieval of recyclable waste, which was intended for disposal, for a specific next use.  It is the processing of recyclables to extract or recover materials and resources, or convert to energy.  This process is carried out at a resource recovery facility.  Resource recovery is not only important to the environment, but it can be cost effective by decreasing the amount of waste sent to the disposal stream, reduce the amount of space needed for landfills, and protect limited natural resources.
caption: 'Waste not the waste' sign in Tamil Nadu, India
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