Recyclers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Entities dedicated to the collection and processing of materials that have been used, turning them into new products for reuse
2. Individuals or groups that participate in the transformation of waste into useful resources, promoting environmental awareness and sustainability
3. Organizations or individuals engaged in gathering and converting discarded items into new goods to reduce waste

Etymology: "Recyclers" is the plural of "recycler", a noun formed in English from the verb "recycle" plus the agent suffix "-er", meaning someone or something that recycles. The verb is the more interesting half. "Cycle" came into English from Late Latin "cyclus", borrowed from the Ancient Greek "kúklos", meaning "circle" or "wheel," so the core idea is literally going round in a loop. The prefix "re-" adds the sense of doing something again, giving "recycle" the meaning of putting a material through a process once more so it can be used again. The "-er" ending is older still, traceable through Old English "-ere" and Old French "-ier" back to Latin "-ārius," and it has long been the ordinary way English turns a verb into a word for the person or thing doing the action. The noun "recycler" therefore needed no special invention: it simply names whoever carries out the loop.

Synonyms: reclaimer, restorer