to sort and collect rubbish in order to treat it and produce useful materials that can be used again

The Japanese recycle more than half their waste paper. 日本人将一半以上的废纸回收利用。

Shall I just throw this bottle away, or do you recycle? 我是不是把这个瓶子扔了，或者你们回收？

to use something again for a different purpose

Why not recycle Christmas cards as gift tags? 为什么不把圣诞卡用来做礼物标签呢？

Students can sometimes recycle old essays to make them fit new questions. 学生们有时能把旧的作业修改后用来回答新的问题。