We describe a guided-inquiry laboratory experiment for instrumental analysis in which our students test an improved protocol for the recycling of silver chloride to produce nontoxic waste. Students are provided with samples of silver chloride that they created as waste products in a previous lab experiment and tasked with performing a stepwise reduction of silver ions with copper metal, and then of copper ions with iron metal. Along the way, the students select appropriate analytical methods to determine the concentrations of various metal ions present and use their results to evaluate the efficiency of the metal recycling protocol. The stepwise reduction method reliably recovers silver and copper metals in high yields, making it a practical method for silver chloride waste management. This experiment served to assess students' lab skills and scientific writing while providing them with opportunities to reflect on the importance of sustainable lab practices.