Are there any comics characters who derive their powers and abilities from recycling materials?

Too late you would be plagiarizing if you made such a thing - there is a comic out there - Michael Recycle -

MICHAEL RECYCLE MEETS LITTERBUG DOUG HC Already Published Item
Ellie Bethel (w) Alexandra Colombo (a) Litterbug Doug is lazy... He is wasteful... He is messy... Only Michael Recycle, planet Earth's super-green hero, can save the day and change Doug's wasteful littering ways! Join Michael in another adventure to save the planet in this brilliant sequel to Michael Recycle.

And another one:

‘Hyoma recycle story’ comic book

Uncle Stosh willed me his comic book collection from the 50's and a bit into the 60's.
I have a whole bunch of 5 cent and 10 cent Tales from the Crypt" "Crypt Keeper" and "Vault of Horror". There was a small series about a pile of living garbage called "HEAP". Heap would traipse around with super powers of stench, vomitous air, and putrifaction. He could call hordes of sewage and blue bottle flies to do his bidding.

Uncle Stosh lived alone in the desrt most summers then would teach at NMU and ND chool of Mines. He was a great story teller and Ill bet it cam a lot through "HEAP".

Whats wrong with Super anti heroes??? who ingest and absorb all the detritus and filth and acquire poers for evil.

Remember the tales of the "Sin Eaters"??

Goldman doesnt know that EC comics (well before DC) did it all and he better search the time limits of infringement claims. I still get the willies about one comic story about a guy, lost in the desert who was being eaten alive by buzzards who'd fly in , attack, take a chunk of hiis body and fly off.

LOL.

Seriously, I was talking about a SERIOUS character.

Here's a good question:

Is recycling a type of transmutation?

No, you're talking about comic book characters.

I think he's worried the kid's will be better. Or at the very least completed.

SERIOUS comic book characters. I meant for my character to be a SERIOUS one. Not a silly one from any kiddie book.

If the kid just started it she'd be way ahead of Goldman.

How does that work? The two are antonyms.

You are doing cartoon character development. These can be serious or not.

BATMAN, for example, is considered a SERIOUS character. A lot of people take him seriously.

Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were SERIOUS movies.

According to https://stillunfold.com/entertainment/10-most-serious-superheroes-who-are-the-ultimate-fan-favourites :

10) Wonder Woman.
9) Punisher.
8) Daredevil.
7) John Stewart.
6) Captain America.
5) Batman.
4) Superman.
3) Spawn.
2) Wolverine.
1) Jean Grey.

You're ignorant if you think people can't or don't take any fictional characters seriously.

What genre do most people, especially kids, prefer? Which one is more popular- action or comedy?

Most people take ACTION stuff seriously.

Adventure is another genre, but action often overlaps with adventure. You can also have comedy adventure.

I would put adventure in the same boat as action because there is often action involved in adventure. I assume most people take adventure seriously, but not all adventure is meant to be taken seriously. As I said, there is also comedy adventure.

Generally speaking, cartoons and comics I presume generally fit under either action or comedy.

Cartoons and comics are either serious or non-serious.

Most video games, whether they are cartoony or not, or whether they are comedic or not, I presume generally fit under action, adventure or action-adventure.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

There have been comedic incarnations of Batman, like the Batman from the '60s American live-action TV show that starred Adam West, or some cartoon versions, but I am not talking about those.

JGoldman10 - you are an angry little man.

I think you misread Sturgis' comment.

They said cartoon characters "can be serious or not". They didn't say cartoons can never be serious.
They are presumably suggesting that your recycling powered character could work in a lighthearted setting like in Captain Planet, instead of a serious setting.

Don't be daft, Die Hard is a great deal of fun, but it's not at all serious like say, Lincoln, Capote or Twelve Years a Slave.

The Lethal Weapon movies and the Rush Hour movies were somewhat comedic.

I'm not angry, nor am I "little". How old is your kid, if I may ask?
I doubt your kid is going to produce some professional-level material. I am not concerned about that.

I am not sure, but I think you or someone else referred to me as an "angry little man" before. I think I recall someone posting this crap in reference to me about a decade ago.

Point proven.

I have never referred to anyone here as such previously nor do I remember anyone ever using that terminology on here before.

Seems there might be a reason this was stated about you before.