废料 (fèi liào) literally combines 废 (fèi), meaning 'waste', 'discarded', or 'useless', and 料 (liào), meaning 'material', 'substance', or 'ingredient'. Together, it refers to material left over after manufacturing, construction, or other industrial processes — such as metal shavings, plastic trimmings, or unused fabric scraps. It emphasizes that the material has no further intended use in its current form and is typically destined for recycling, disposal, or repurposing.

This term is commonly used in factories, workshops, environmental reporting, and waste management contexts. Unlike generic terms like 垃圾 (lājī, 'trash'), 废料 specifically denotes byproducts of production — often still physically intact and potentially recyclable. It carries a neutral-to-technical register and appears frequently in discussions about sustainability, resource efficiency, and circular economy practices in China.