It can also be used to recover certain

[Freeguy]

It can also be used to recover certain materials, as well as heat energy, for recycling or reuse.


In my opinion, according to the parallel structure, reuse must change into reusing. Am I right? If so, what's the reason for using the verb 'reuse' in a simple form?

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not a verb. "Reuse" is a noun also and that is how it has been used in that sentence. In the verb, the "s" at the end sounds like "z". In the noun, it's a sibilant "s".

 

[Freeguy]

My quandary is can we use reusing too?

 

[emsr2d2]

My quandary is can we use reusing too?

I would find that unnatural. "Recycling" has been used as a noun in that sentence too, whereas "reusing" would only be used in the verb form. It's interesting that I didn't find "recycling" described as a noun in the first few online dictionaries I tried. In BrE, it is used that way frequently.

My recycling is collected once a fortnight.
The council is very unreliable at collecting recycling.
The city's recycling is shipped off to a foreign country for sorting. What a waste of money!

In each case, "the recycling" refers to "the materials which have been selected to be taken away and recycled".

 

[Freeguy]

How can we distinguish this difference between a verb and noun. I mean how can I get the point that I should not use -ing instead of a genuine noun?