A recycler is a person or machine that processes used materials so they can be made into new products instead of being thrown away as garbage. When you put plastic bottles, aluminum cans, or cardboard boxes in the recycling bin, recyclers sort through these materials, clean them, and prepare them to become raw materials again. That plastic bottle might become part of a fleece jacket, and that aluminum can could be melted down and formed into a new can.

Industrial recyclers operate large facilities with conveyor belts, magnets, and sorting machines that separate different types of materials. But you're a recycler too when you rinse out containers and sort your recyclables at home. Some people are creative recyclers who turn old materials into something new and useful, like making a birdhouse from scrap wood or art projects from bottle caps.

Recyclers help reduce waste and conserve natural resources by giving materials a second life instead of letting them pile up in landfills.