Recyclable means capable of being processed and turned into new products instead of being thrown away as trash. When something is recyclable, it can be collected, broken down, and remade into something useful again.

Common recyclable materials include paper, cardboard, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and many plastics. A recyclable milk jug might be melted down and reformed into a park bench or a new container. Recyclable newspapers can be pulped and made into fresh paper or cardboard boxes.

Not everything is recyclable, though. Food waste, for instance, usually can't be recycled (though it can be composted). Some items that seem recyclable actually aren't accepted by recycling programs because they're too difficult or expensive to process.

Just because something is technically recyclable doesn't mean it will actually get recycled. A recyclable bottle thrown in the regular trash goes to the landfill like everything else. For recyclable items to become new products, people need to sort them properly and put them in recycling bins so they can be collected and sent to recycling facilities.

Communities organize recycling programs differently, so what's recyclable in one town might not be in another. When you're unsure whether something is recyclable, check your local recycling guidelines or look for recycling symbols on the package.