Recycling is the way in which some waste materials can be reprocessed to be made into new objects. In many parts of the UK paper, cans, glass jars and bottles, foil, clothes, shoes, car batteries and engine oil are collected from people's houses. Even if you do not have kerbside collections in your area there will be recycling banks that you can put many materials into.

The materials are sent to various factories to be recycled and made into new things. Often they are made into the same object as they were before being recycled - for example steel (food) cans cen be melted and made into new cans. But sometimes the material is used to make a completely different object. For example aluminium (drinks) cans can be melted and the metal used to make parts of cars and aeroplanes.