Explanation
There are two main processes of recycling – open loop recycling and closed loop recycling.
Open Loop Recycling
Open loop recycling is a method that delays disposal by converting manufactured goods and spent materials into both new raw materials, which can be used for a manufacturing purpose, as a fuel source for a different manufacturing process and waste products.
Typically, materials recycled through open-loop recycling will be used for purposes different from their original purpose.
This means that the input into the recycling process is converted to a new raw material, which can be used as an input into another manufacturing process.
Materials in an open loop recycling process are treated using various forms of treatment including heat, chemical reactions, or physical crushing.
Closed Loop Recycling
Closed loop recycling is a process where waste is collected, recycled and then used again to make the same product it came from. This process is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep materials at their highest utility and value always.
Closed loop recycling is focused on resource sustainability, which means that recycling of a material can be done indefinitely without degradation of properties. In this case, conversion of the used product back to raw material allows repeated making of the same product, which helps hazardous waste generators reduce carbon footprint and achieve corporate sustainability initiatives.
Closed-loop recycling is common in specialized industries, such as the computer and battery industries, which use expensive or complex goods that cannot easily be broken down post-consumption into constituent materials.
A prime example of a closed-loop recycling process is the recycling of aluminum cans. Aluminum can be recycled to form new cans with little material degradation or waste creation.
[Reference:, - Open Loop Vs Closed Loop Recycling, - CIPS study guide page 203, LO 3, AC 3.3]
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