The whole idea of Replicators and Transporters is that they have some technology which can efficiently convert matter and energy, so it’s possible that they use some sort of reverse-replicator to process waste.
You also never see what they do with the glass cups the replicators create when someone asks for a drink…
Janeway tells Chakotay to un-replicate the watch he made her for her birthday during the Year of Hell, because the energy can be used for something more useful, so they can definitely reclaim things
The whole idea of Replicators and Transporters is that they have some technology which can efficiently convert matter and energy, so it’s possible that they use some sort of reverse-replicator to process waste.
You also never see what they do with the glass cups the replicators create when someone asks for a drink…
I think in DS9 they sometimes put the leftovers back into the replicator for de-replication but they’re Cardassian so they might work differently.
Janeway tells Chakotay to un-replicate the watch he made her for her birthday during the Year of Hell, because the energy can be used for something more useful, so they can definitely reclaim things