It is preferable to reuse an item. Some people recycle their old paper. They rip the paper into small pieces and toss it into a bucket of water. The wet parchment is then placed on a mold, where it then is compressed, and left to dry. When the material dries, you'll have new, usable paper. This reduces the amount of paper used and, as a result, the number of trees felled in order to make the paper. This is just one example of reuse; there are many more. If something cannot be reused or has been reused too many times, it should be recycled if it is possible.