This study has focused on the characterization, recovery and treatment of apple processing wastes, which are important in terms of sustainability and circular economy. Apple processing wastewater (AW) was noted for its acidity (pH 4.2), high chemical oxygen demand (COD) (114 g/L), total solids (TS; 13.5 %) and oil/grease content (16.5 g/L), as well as the presence of valuable fatty acids and phenolics. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC) and antioxidant activity were determined in the wastewater as 1660 mg GAE/L, 421 mg QE/L and 2.1 mM TE, respectively. The extraction of phenolic compounds from AW and apple pomace (AP) using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC–CO2) extraction was investigated as a first step. The results indicate that SC–CO2 extraction is effective in recovering phenolic compounds from apple processing wastes. The extraction yields for AW and AP using SC–CO2 reached up to 76 % and 43 % of the extractable oils, respectively. Recovery efficiencies of the TPC were observed to be up to 3.8 % for AW and 11.4 % for AP. Furthermore, the phenolic and fatty acid profiles of extracts were also evaluated, indicating the recovery of valuable compounds such as quercetin, catechin, procyanidin B2, ω–6 and ω–9 fatty acids. In terms of wastewater treatment, the use of ozone oxidation (OO) and supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) for the removal of COD, suspended solids (SS), TPC and toxicity from AW were also investigated. The OO exhibited relatively low COD removal efficiency, while SCWO demonstrated high efficiency ranging from 84 % to 99.8 %. This study has revealed that while SCWO effectively removes COD, TPC, SS and color from fruit processing wastewater, OO demonstrates greater effectiveness in reducing toxicity in the Vibrio fischeri test.