Abans de reciclar l'ampolla, l'hem de buidar.

Abans de means before when it is followed by a verb in the infinitive.

So:

• abans de reciclar = before recycling
• literally: before to recycle, but in natural English we say before recycling or before we recycle

The de is required here in Catalan before an infinitive.

After abans de, Catalan normally uses the infinitive.

So:

• Abans de reciclar l'ampolla... = Before recycling the bottle...

This is very similar to English before recycling. Catalan does not need a fully conjugated verb here unless you build a different structure, such as abans que... with a subjunctive verb.

Because the feminine singular article la is elided before a vowel.

• la + ampolla becomes l'ampolla

This is like how Catalan avoids a clash of vowels. The apostrophe shows that the vowel in the article has dropped.

Other examples:

• la escola → l'escola
• la amiga → l'amiga

So l'ampolla simply means the bottle.

That l' is not the article. It is a direct object pronoun meaning it.

So:

• l'ampolla = the bottle
• l'hem de buidar = we have to empty it

Catalan often repeats the object as a pronoun when referring back to it. In this sentence:

• first the noun is named: l'ampolla
• then it is referred to again with the pronoun: l'

This is very natural in Catalan.

In Catalan, object pronouns usually go before a conjugated verb.

So:

• l'hem de buidar
• literally: it-we have to empty

In natural English, we say we have to empty it, but Catalan places it before the verb hem.

This is a very common word order with pronouns in Catalan.

Hem de means we have to or we must.

It is made of:

• hem = we have
• de = part of the obligation structure
• buidar = to empty

So:

• hem de buidar = we have to empty

This structure is very common in Catalan:

• he de = I have to
• has de = you have to
• ha de = he/she has to
• hem de = we have to
• heu de = you all have to
• han de = they have to

Because after hem de, Catalan uses an infinitive.

So:

• hem de buidar = we have to empty

This works like English:

• we have to empty, not we have to emptying
• Catalan: hem de buidar, not hem de buidem

The conjugated part is already hem. The following verb stays in the infinitive.

Yes, that is possible.

It would mean:

• Before recycling it, we have to empty it.

Here, -la replaces l'ampolla after the infinitive reciclar:

• reciclar l'ampolla → reciclar-la

And then l' again refers to the bottle in the second clause:

• l'hem de buidar = we have to empty it

So both are grammatical:

• Abans de reciclar l'ampolla, l'hem de buidar.
• Abans de reciclar-la, l'hem de buidar.

The first version names the bottle explicitly; the second is more compact.

The comma separates the introductory phrase from the main clause.

• Abans de reciclar l'ampolla = introductory time phrase
• l'hem de buidar = main clause

So the comma helps show the structure clearly:

• Before recycling the bottle, we have to empty it.

In Catalan, this comma is natural and helpful, especially when the sentence begins with a longer introductory phrase.

Hem is the 1st person plural form of haver in this structure, so it means we have.

Therefore:

• l'hem de buidar = we have to empty it

The subject nosaltres is not stated because Catalan usually leaves subject pronouns out when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

So:

• (Nosaltres) l'hem de buidar

Both mean the same thing, but the subject pronoun is usually omitted.

Usually yes in a sentence like this.

• buidar una ampolla = to empty a bottle

It means to remove what is inside. Depending on context, that could mean:

• drinking it
• pouring it out
• getting rid of the contents

So in this sentence, buidar is the normal and natural verb for empty.

Because abans de + infinitive is the simplest and most natural structure when the subject is general or understood.

• Abans de reciclar l'ampolla... = Before recycling the bottle...

Catalan can also use abans que + a conjugated verb, but that is a different structure and usually needs the subjunctive:

• Abans que la reciclem...

That version is possible in some contexts, but the infinitive structure in your sentence is more straightforward and very common.