Why Buy Goods Made From Recycled Material?

Because it...

• Creates Jobs!
  The Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Washington, D.C. estimates
  • 9 jobs are created for every 15,000 tons of solid waste recycled into new products
  • 7 jobs are created for every 15,000 tons of yard trimmings that are composted
  • But only 2 jobs are created for every 15,000 tons of waste incinerated, and
  • Just 1 job is created for every 15,000 tons of waste sent to landfills
    
    
• Closes the Loop!
  ‘Buying recycled’ creates stable markets for recycled materials.
  
  
• Passes it On!
  Buying goods with recycled material in them also conveys to our children, manufacturers, retailers, and elected officials that we want to play an active role in helping to ensure a positive future for our families, our communities, and our planet.
  
  

Are recycled products hard to find?

No! You may be surprised to learn that you have been buying recycled content products for years!

These items all typically have recycled content, and so do lots of other things you buy.

In addition, many department and hardware stores now carry an assortment of products made from recycled content. Unfortunately, many companies, particularly overseas, do not specify on their products that they contain recycled material.

A Few Tips From Us

• Post-consumer vs. Pre-consumer

  • Pre-consumer materials =  "waste" items generated during manufacturing, such as paper trimmings at paper mills, which almost always end up being recycled anyway.

  • Post-consumer materials = any items that have been used by consumers or businesses and collected for recycling. Buying products with a high percentage of post-consumer materials in them supports our local recycling collection programs as well as reducing energy use and pollution.

• Recycled vs. Recyclable

  • Recycled product = something made from recycled material.

  • Recyclable product = something that can be recycled after it has reached the end of its useful life.

• Compare apples to apples
  Sometimes recycled products may appear to be more expensive than other products because of differences in size or quantity. With toilet paper, for example, the recycled brands usually have many more sheets per roll than the "virgin" brands, so it appears more expensive when actually you are getting more of the product and in more efficient packaging.
  
  

• Speak up!
  The more store managers are made aware of your interest in buying recycled, the more they will pay attention to product labels and ask for recycled products from their suppliers and distributors.

Resources for Buying Recycled

• Fact Sheet: Buy Recycled and Close the Loop PDF 104KB

• Check out our Recycled / Environmentally Preferable Product Links

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