The correct answer is A) recovery from both the high and low sides. In a small appliance with a capillary tube as the metering device and a non-operating compressor, passive recovery should be performed by recovering the refrigerant from both the high and low sides. This is because the refrigerant will be distributed throughout the system, and recovering from only one side would not effectively remove all the refrigerant. Recovering from both sides ensures complete removal of the refrigerant, which is important for proper disposal and environmental considerations. The other options are incorrect because B) venting to the atmosphere is not allowed, as it would release refrigerant into the environment, and C) and D) recovering from only one side would not effectively remove all the refrigerant from the system.