There’s more to recycling than setting out your recyclables at the curb. In order to make recycling economically feasible, we must buy recycled products and packaging. When we buy recycled products, we create an economic incentive for recyclable materials to be collected, manufactured, and marketed as new products. Buying recycled products has both economic and environmental benefits. Purchasing products made from or packaged in recycled materials saves resources for future generations.

• Recycled-Content Products are made from materials that would otherwise have been discarded. Items in this category are made totally or partially from material destined for disposal or recovered from industrial activities-like aluminum soda cans or newspaper. Recycled-content products also can be items that are rebuilt or remanufactured from used products such as toner cartridges or computers.

• Post Consumer Content refers to material from products that were used by consumers or businesses and would otherwise be discarded as waste. If a product is labeled “recycled content,” the rest of the product material might have come from excess or damaged items generated during normal manufacturing processes-not collected through a local recycling program.

• Recyclable Products can be collected and remanufactured into new products after they’ve been used. These products do not necessarily contain recycled materials and only benefit the environment if people recycle them after use. Check with your local recycling program to determine which items are recyclable in your community.

• Buying Local Products: purchasing locally produced products is another way to help offset the carbon emissions of transporting products.  Further, purchasing products from local merchants who use recycled materials in their packaging can also help set a greater demand for recycling.