Answer:
We use the word recycling to describe the tectonic plates process because when tectonic plates collide, parts of the continental crust goes back to the mantle.
Step-by-step explanation:
When tectonic plates collide, subduction takes place. As a result, one tectonic plate with low density slides over the other with a higher density. As a consequence, parts of the plate with higher density goes back into the Earth's mantle. There, it melts and creates new crust when the seafloor expands. We can see that there is recycling in the tectonic plates process since there is a reuse of lithosphere's parts.