Journal profile · Engineering, Environmental
Resources Conservation and Recycling
ISSN 0921-3449 · eISSN 1879-0658 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1988
Resources Conservation and Recycling: CAS Zone 1 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.35; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,270; review about 133 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 568 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Resources Conservation and Recycling is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Recycling and Waste Management Techniques, Environmental Impact and Sustainability and Municipal Solid Waste Management, together about 36% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal emphasizes the transformation processes involved in a transition toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. Emphasis is upon technological, economic, institutional and policy aspects of specific resource management practices, such as conservation, recycling and resource substitution, and of "systems-wide" strategies, such as resource productivity improvement, the restructuring of production and consumption profiles and the transformation of industry.Contributions may have relevance at regional, national or international scales and may focus at any level of research from individual resources or technologies to whole sectors or systems of interest. Contributors may emphasise any of the aforementioned aspects as well as scientific and methodological issues. However, manuscripts that consider only laboratory experiments, without a discussion of the practical, environmental and economic implications of the presented research, are excluded from publication in the journal.The journal publishes papers, reviews, analyses and case studies on topics, which include:Transformation of the industrial and societal system towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns, including management, instruments, methods and processes of change.Information and management systems involving resource status, use and material flows in society.Innovation processes, tools and methods relating to resource productivity improvement.Technical, societal, economic, business and policy aspects of strategies to improve the sustainability and productivity of resource use, including strategies for managing resource supply and demand, valorizing waste, lowering energy and material intensities and increasing the serviceability of products.Substitution of primary resources by renewable or regenerative alternatives, including agricultural and forest resources and wastes.Material flow analysis and the understanding of resource use and flows in society and the impact on the environment, including resource extraction and waste generation.Life cycle assessment and management of resources, materials and products to improve resource efficiency and productivity, conserve resources and reduce pollution.Societal, economic and technological change for improved recovery and reuse of materials and energy from domestic, commercial or industrial waste streams.Efficient management and use of all resources, including air and water, with regard to the qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of resource use.Resources, Conservation & Recycling has a Golden Open Access companion journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances which features an independent editorial board and a separate peer-review process. To submit to Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances, please visit https://www.editorialmanager.com/rcradv/default.aspx.We encourage those interested in organizing a special issue or a virtual special issue within the scope of the journal to contact Prof. Zhi Cao for more information. Additionally, we encourage potential organizers to carefully review the relevant requirements in the Guide for Authors before proceeding. Please note that each special issue can only accept up to three guest editors (GEs).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Environmental
Editor-in-chief Ming XuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 21 in mainland China (about 24%); most named Mainland China 21, United States 20, Australia 8, United Kingdom 7, Japan 4 (88 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science14.9%
- Environmental Impact and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science10.8%
- Municipal Solid Waste ManagementEnvironmental Science10.3%
- Extraction and Separation ProcessesEngineering9.4%
- Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting8.1%
- Recycled Aggregate Concrete PerformanceEngineering4.6%
- Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Science3.3%
- Food Waste Reduction and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 10.35LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 10.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 23.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 23.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.63LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 103LetPub ·
- h-index
- 277OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,138OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 11.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 42.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 516LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,209 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 344 | 166 | 298 |
| 2025 | 568 | 289 | 4,642 |
| 2024 | 622 | 339 | 12,487 |
| 2023 | 467 | 234 | 16,018 |
| 2022 | 612 | 239 | 31,291 |
| 2021 | 674 | 268 | 46,065 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 57 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 133 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 5,270 / EUR 4,930 / GBP 4,220 / JPY 653,640 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,820 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers4, by deadline
- Rubberized Asphalt Rubber: A Waste-to-Wealth Strategy for Pavement CircularityDeadline
- 2026 International Conference on Resource SustainabilityDeadline
- Exploring Regional Pathways for Circular Economy in the NordicsDeadline
- Sustainable Transition of the Chemical Value Chains: Resources, Circularity, and Environmental Trade-offsDeadline
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- editorialFull Length Article. These manuscripts report original research with broad scientific significance and importance. Review Article. These manuscripts provide ext…Length not stated
- full length articleFull Length Article. These manuscripts report original research with broad scientific significance and importance.Length not stated
- original researchFull Length Article. These manuscripts report original research with broad scientific significance and importance. Review Article. These manuscripts provide ext…Length not stated
- perspectiveFull Length Article. These manuscripts report original research with broad scientific significance and importance. Review Article. These manuscripts provide ext…main text ≤ 1,200 words
- review articleFull Length Article. These manuscripts report original research with broad scientific significance and importance. Review Article. These manuscripts provide ext…main text ≤ 7,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access options available Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1988
- ISSN
- 0921-3449
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-0658
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Resources Conservation and Recycling
What CAS zone is Resources Conservation and Recycling in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Resources Conservation and Recycling is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Engineering, Environmental; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Resources Conservation and Recycling?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 10.35; CiteScore 23.6, h-index 277.
How long does peer review take at Resources Conservation and Recycling?
The publisher reports about 133 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Resources Conservation and Recycling based?
Of the 88 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 21 (about 24%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (21), United States (20) and Australia (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Resources Conservation and Recycling?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Resources Conservation and Recycling is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Resources Conservation and Recycling open access, and what is the APC?
Resources Conservation and Recycling is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,270.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .