The recycle bin in SharePoint works as a first line of defense for intentionally or unintentionally deleted documents. This video shows how the recycle bin works and the two stages of recycle bin that exist in SharePoint to further protect your information.

SharePoint out of the box does not contain the functionality to archive deleted sites. Use the Site Delete Capture feature made by available by Microsoft IT team on CodePlex to implement the site delete capture functionality.

This video walks you through obtaining this component, installing it and how to use it.

The first layer of protection for you list and library items in a site is the built in recycle bin. Watch this video to learn how the two tier recycle bin works in SharePoint.