Even if people don't really buy the standard items, you can still sell them. I'm basically talking about selling them immediately (not putting up a sell order), at whatever the current going price is. Whether its a player based or infinite station based sell.

For instance, I can go and sell a standard small mining module on the market now. Would it be more economical to recycle it or sell it? From my initial observations, there is lots of wasteage when recycling, so it appears not to be worth it, but does this change substantially at higher levels?

When I get a chance I might do some basic math on a few simple items, but just curious if there is a general consensus. Like "only recycle crap you can't sell", etc.

IMHO each corp needs at least one dedicated recycling agent, just to get the maximum out of those extra-stuff you get from mining, recycling the flawed stuff from artifact scanning (for espitium) and maximizing the resources of endless stationary npc farming with lithus tranport support

The simplest answers is -

Any skill you use alot, or plan to use alot, is worth maxing out.

Industrial characters will likely be using it alot to recycle rare ions, so getting this skill up recommended, but probably not a priority (save ions until your skill is 8 or above).

PVE combat character, if your farming alot, then getting this skill up to 5 is probably a reasonable thing to do. Above that though, and those EP are probably better spent in skills that help you kill faster. If you can get 10 more kills in an hour because of better skills, your going to get more materials from recycling then you would with a few % better extension.

Corp player, any role - Unless you are the corp recycler, don't waste your EP.

PVP - Not worth it, if your picking up Tiered gear, your better off repairing and using it, or selling it. If its T1 you're probably wasting carge space picking it up.

@ Jack ...

By standing of 4 do you mean relations from assignments?

If so, which assignments do you have to grind to increase the standings for a industry toon? Mining? Logistics? (Bleh!) Or Combat (doesn't seem likely)?

Just curious, my indy toon has recycling 8 and does it at Hersh but is only getting 40%. Relations is 0 because he hasn't done any assignments at all ....
Looks like he may have to start.

@Cassius
Relation to the Green NPC Corps I mean.
4x% Relations == 4% bonus for industry (100% would reasult in 10% bonus).
You need to grind the mining missions (the industry NPC corp) for this.

Base quality of Level 2 Industry = 35%
Max bonus from standing = 10%
Recycling peer level is 5% I belive => max 50% bonus

So on Alpha you can max reach 95% in theoriy. On Beta you can get the 100%.
In reality it's not posible to reach the 95% as you would need to do Level 5+ missions which you can only do on Betas .

My 8 Extension + 4 Standing + Level 2 in Hersh is 40%+4%+35% = 79% (wow, thought it's just 75%).

IMO no. I keed white damage modules I am interested in and destroy everything else on the field (of course I keep plasma, kernels and decoders). Without EP investment recycling is realy inefficient given the space the modules take.

I don't have a hauler alt (and usual nobody from corp would be interested to truck with me in a sequer :-)).

Also I do change islands once a few weeks, so grinding relation is not something I am interested in.

(base * standing bonus) + extension bonus
(15%*4) = 60% + (3%*8) = 84%

With your formular I would get 84% in Hersh ... that's sound to high .

But this way it would be worth to hauler even red-damaged stuff from Tellesis to Hersh as it's a big different, if you get just 15%+1 or 15%*4 .

PS: NEED twin-Lithius . One hour farming = 240++++ U loot . Pain with Sequers.

I don't think Jack confused refining and recycling .... Its too big of a difference. I get 103% refining at Hersh with no relations bonus (Refining is at 7)

But I think you are correct Annihilator with the factory bouns for recycling .... As I currently get 39% yeild with level 8 Recycling at Hersh (15% + (3%x8=24%) = 39%)

Thanks both for the answers. My opinion its worth it for me .... I repair any mod that can done for half the average market value and I get a ton of flawed mods that give me quite a bit of minerals like Esp., etc.

I should add its a good thing you can't really recover more than about half the materials because it would affect the mining career and drive mineral prices down.

Hmm ..... Jack could you do a test for me? Can you recycle one small undamaged misslle launcher at Hersh and tell me the minerals, amounts, and wastage?

I will do the same, at Hersh, and post the results ..... If you are indeed getting about a 75% recovery rate then I am definetly running assignments on my indy toon.  Btw its not that I doubt you. I would like to understand the mechanics of this better and before I spend a month on grinding assignments I would like to be really sure.

More then likely he is looking at the waste and figuring what he gets is 79% of that:

10,000 waste
7900 received

This would at a glance look like a 79% yield but it isn't.

10000+7900=17,900 total mineral yield with PERFECT recycle

17,900 total mineral yield at 100%
7900 yield = 44% (plus a few digits behind the decimal)

Well with level 8 Recycling, at Hersh terminal one small missle launcher will yeild the following :

Titanium Qty.:       78     Wastage: 122
Plasteosine Qty.:   39     Wastage: 61
Isopropentol Qty.: 19     Wastage: 31
Vitricyl Qty.:         39     Wastage: 61

My Relation Ratio  0%
My Material Ratio 39%