An improved process for the recovery of a high-purity, ethylene oxide-water stream for use as feed to integrated ethylene glycol or ethylene oxide purification reactors by first contacting the gaseous effluent from ethylene oxide reactors with an aqueous alkaline quench solution water wash, then absorbing ethylene oxide from the washed vapor into process water to produce a dilute EO-water absorbate of which 10-90% is sent directly to the EO reabsorber/residual absorber, thereby bypassing the EO stripper.