Recyclable velcro regularly discarded (3)

I believe the answer is:

eco

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'recyclable' is the definition.
I know nothing about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.

'velcro regularly discarded' is the wordplay.
'regularly discarded' means one should take alternating letters (letters removed at regular intervals).
The alternating letters of 'velcro' are 'ECO'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for eco that I've seen before include "Environmental group" , "Green prefix" , "Umberto --, Italian writer" , "Umberto - - , novelist" , "Umberto -, Italian author (The Name of the Rose)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.

Connecting...