During which stage would recycling and waste disposal occur?

Recycling and waste disposal primarily occur during the end-of-life stage of a product's lifecycle. At this point, the product has completed its intended use and is no longer functional or desired by the consumer. End-of-life management involves evaluating how the product can be reused, recycled, or safely disposed of to minimize its environmental impact. This stage focuses on strategies for reclaiming materials and reducing waste, aligning with sustainable engineering practices that aim to close the loop in resource utilization.

The other stages do involve various activities: raw materials encompass the sourcing of materials needed for creation, manufacturing is focused on the production process, and use pertains to the time when the product is actively utilized by consumers. However, none of these stages are directly concerned with the processes of recycling and waste disposal, which are explicitly characteristic of the end-of-life phase.