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Last Updated: 10/13/04 Fall 1997 Edition 973-305-5738
in cooperation with the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders
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 and to Keep Recycling Working: We see it in all the products that are now being made from the cans and paper we put out at the curb or drop off at recycling centers. Just take a look next time you’re out shopping. Read labels and purchase the products that have the highest percentage of post-consumer recycled material.
With our purchases we can have a two-way, use-and-reuse system. Raw materials are made into products and purchased by consumers. But, when they are no longer useful, the products can be recycled back into raw materials again and re-manufactured into new products. So, buying recycled products is a key part of creating the recycling "loop".
Consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the Gross National Product. That’s us, everyday shoppers. By choosing products with recycled content, we are "voting" recycled with our dollars. Showing manufacturers that there is a clear consumer preference for recycled products will convince them to produce more of these products. Polls indicate that millions of shoppers are eager to buy recycled-content products. But, very little of the merchandise on our shelves is labeled with specific recycled-content information. In fact, you might be surprised to know that you’ve been buying some recycled products for years! Most cereal boxes, aluminum and steel cans, and glass bottles have recycled content. Many bathroom tissues and paper towels are also made with recycled paper. |
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 Recycled products are good for the environment. They are also good for our communities and the State’s economy. 1. Buying Recycled Conserves Natural Resources Making products from recycled materials allows us to get the most use out of every tree, every gallon of oil, every pound of minerals, every drop of water, and every kilowatt of energy that goes into making the products we buy. If we use something once and throw it away, most of those resources are gone. On the other hand, if we can turn that used product or packaging into something else, many of those resources can be used a second, third, or fourth time. In fact, some materials, such as aluminum and glass, can be recycled and re-manufactured over and over again without any loss of quality. 2. Buying Recycled Reduces Waste and Pollution Manufacturing creates waste and pollution. For example, turning a tree into a cardboard box requires transporting the tree to a pulping factory, where it is ground up, mixed with chemicals, and turned into pulp, which is formed into a box. Every step in the process creates waste. Some of that waste goes into landfills or incinerators. Some of it is emitted into the air. Still more waste goes into the water supply. Manufacturing that same box from recycled materials creates waste and emissions, too, but much less. Research has found that collecting, processing, transporting, and manufacturing products with recycled materials creates less air and water pollution as well as less solid waste than making the same products from "virgin" raw materials. So, by buying recycled, we help reduce the toll that pollution has on our air and water. 3. Buying Recycled Conserves Energy The energy savings from manufacturing with recycled materials can be substantial. Even when you consider the energy required collecting recyclables at curbside, sorting them and turning them into new raw materials, recycled products usually are more energy efficient than their "virgin" counterparts. Consider glass, for example. Recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than the raw materials used for making "virgin" glass. For every 10% increase in recycled material used in a batch of glass manufacturing, energy costs are reduced by about 2.5%. 4. Buying Recycled Creates Jobs How many jobs? Well, consider the following research:
5. Buying Recycled Improves Competitiveness As companies and industries use more recycled materials in their products, there is evidence that they are also becoming more efficient and competitive in the global marketplace. An analysis by the US Department of Agriculture found that "increased paper recycling will extend US fiber resources and contribute to enhanced competitiveness for the US pulp and paper industry." That, says USDA, could increase export and decrease import of pulp and paper products and "significantly improve the US balance of trade." 6. Buying Recycled . . . reduces the need to send waste materials to waste-disposal facilities, many of which are supported by tax dollars and collection fees. That could save further tax dollars, and result in fewer health problems caused by pollution and emissions. 7. Buying Recycled . . . helps create a conservation ethic in our everyday shopping habits. In this way, we communicate to our children, to manufacturers, retailers, elected officials and others an important message: our wish to play a productive role in helping ensure a positive future for our families, our communities and our planet. |
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 1. Recycled products are hard to find. Many recycled products--from groceries to office supplies to toys and gifts--can be found where you are currently shopping. Major national chains--K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, and others--sell hundreds of products made from or packaged in recycled material. So do many smaller chains and independent retailers. In addition, you can find many specialized products through mail-order catalogs and on the World Wide Web. 2. Recycled products cost more. Many recycled products are priced competitively with their non-recycled counterparts. Although some recycled products do cost more, an increase in consumer demand will enable manufacturers of recycled products to lower their manufacturing costs and start passing those savings on to consumers. 3. Recycled products are inferior in quality. There are inferior and superior products in all categories, and recycled products are no exception. Overall, recycled products enjoy the same quality, reliability and dependability as virgin products. A 1996 survey by the Buy Recycled Business Alliance, a trade association, asked hundreds of corporate purchasing agents about their satisfaction with recycled products. The survey’s finding: 97% of respondents were pleased with the performance of recycled products. |
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 Buying recycled isn’t difficult. It requires carefully reading labels or asking questions when making purchases. Post-consumer materials include any items that already have been used by consumers or businesses. When separated for recycling, these materials can be used to manufacture new products. Pre-consumer materials include "waste" items typically generated during normal manufacturing processes. These materials have not yet reached consumers. Examples include trimmings, damaged products, and production overruns. Recycling advocates believe it is important to seek out products with the highest percentage of post-consumer materials. This ensures the greatest amount of waste possible is being diverted from landfill, since pre-consumer waste would almost certainly be recycled anyway. Here Are 12 Items You Already Buy That Could Have Recycled Content
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The symbols above are used to identify recycled and recyclable materials. |
 These terms can be very confusing:
While it is important to look for both recycled and recyclable products, there are two important things to remember about recyclable products and materials:
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 The Environmental Defense Fund has compiled data on a number of different recyclable materials and state that:
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 Even though products are not always identified as containing recycled material, reading labels is still the best way to find most recycled products. When choosing between two products, remember that the one with the higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content is the better environmental choice. |
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 The more store managers are made aware of your interest in buying recycled, the more they will pay attention to product labels and claims and ask for recycled products from their suppliers and distributors. |
