Waste Recycling

a cryptic puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Puzzle grid
Every clue answer discards one letter before entry into the diagram. These 34 thrown-away letters are not wasted, however. Taken in order, with Acrosses preceding Downs, they combine to spell out a complete cryptic clue for the (otherwise unclued) word in the center of the diagram. Answers include three proper nouns; 2 Down and 7 Down are less-than-common words.

Across

  • 1.
    Plan to recycle liqueur (CHARTREUSE)
  • 10.
    Sprang for a wine (AROSE)
  • 11.
    Choose one flower that's ideal (OPTIMUM)
  • 12.
    Outside Italian river, farm products decay (SPOILAGE)
  • 13.
    Indian returned one's cases (ETUIS)
  • 14.
    Slug, grabbing bottle nearest here (HITHERMOST)
  • 16.
    Acid rock has its origin among top British (ACERB)
  • 17.
    Southern field worker is less active (STILLER)
  • 21.
    Dessert draws reverent comments (PIETIES)
  • 23.
    Father keeps piano in part of church (SPIRE)
  • 26.
    Backward poet experiments with soap, cologne, etc. (TOILETRIES)
  • 28.
    Girl's name: Dotty Ainge (ANGIE)
  • 29.
    Beasts of burden eating most of Art's candies (CARAMELS)
  • 31.
    Harry has large and small herbs (TEASELS)
  • 32.
    Confine one macho guy (hyphenated) (HEMAN)
  • 33.
    Overworking, Hollywood's Dracula gets dull (BELABORING)

Down

  • 1.
    Mountain pass has tarn inside (SHASTA)
  • 2.
    Shy taxi passenger withholds word of pain (FAROUCHE)
  • 3.
    Closer to red, red dogwood (ROSIER)
  • 4.
    Regular at sides and back (REAR)
  • 5.
    Vital statistic: work number (WEIGHT)
  • 6.
    A box with bland sweetener (ASPARTAME)
  • 7.
    Penny I pinched, and gold coin (PISTOLE)
  • 8.
    Left-leaning short newsmagazine issues (EMITS)
  • 9.
    Looked for Queen playing etudes (QUESTED)
  • 15.
    Conclude floor material is not productive (INFERTILE)
  • 18.
    Lion (Elsa) mauled journalist (two words) (LOISLANE)
  • 19.
    Order it acted out (DICTATE)
  • 20.
    Writer makes pen tilt (STYLIST)
  • 22.
    Spy group covers baddie with bug (CICADA)
  • 24.
    Fish caught by each kitchen utensil (PEELER)
  • 25.
    Moderating each session of vocal music (EASING)
  • 27.
    Private meal excluding chief (INNER)
  • 30.
    Reversing direction, crow makes appearance (GARB)