Completing the Recycling Loop. What is All Means.

Many people recycle paper, aluminum, plastic and other products as part of their daily routine, but this is only one step in the recycling circle.  Purchasing products made from recycled materials completes the process.  

However, the various product labels regarding recycled content can be a bit confusing.  It’s important to understand these terms though so, as a consumer, you know the value your purchase is making for the environment.

It’s within the purchasing of recycled material products that people have the most questions.  What does a product labeled 75% post-consumer, for example, really mean?  Is there a difference between just the words recycled content and pre-consumer content?
The answer to all of these questions is yes.  

Post-consumer is a term that refers to materials that have been returned, recycled, and the made into a new product that is ready for use.  The higher the post-consumer percentage, the more you help create demand for materials collected in recycling programs.

Pre-consumer is material that was leftover or discarded in the process of making something else.  Industry scraps. Instead of wasting the material all together, it is recycled and made into raw material again.  Good examples of this kind of recycling are factory trimmings, damaged or obsolete products, or overruns generated by a manufacturer.

If you want to be sure you’re purchasing a product made from recycled materials, you’ll need to check the label and look for words and not just the three arrow recycle symbol.  The logo alone really doesn’t mean very much.  Instead look for something like this:

Why Buy Recycled in the First Place?

Buying recycled materials completes the recycling circle.  It helps to reduce waste by creating a demand for recycled materials.  The Stanford University website lists several good reasons you should consider recycling.

• Saves Natural Resources - By making products from recycled materials instead of virgin materials, we conserve land and reduce the need to drill for oil and dig for minerals.
• Saves Energy - It usually takes less energy to make recycled products; recycled aluminum, for example, takes 95% less energy to make than new aluminum from bauxite ore.
• Saves Clean Air and Water - In most cases, making products from recycled products creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.
• Saves Landfill Space - When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don't go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.
• Saves Money and Creates Jobs - The recycling process creates far more jobs than landfills or incinerators, and recycling can frequently be the least expensive waste management method for cities and towns.

Great River Office Products offers a variety of products made from recycled materials.  Some of these items include:

Zebra Pen Jimnie Clip ECO Ballpoint Black Pens.  These pens are 75% Post-consumer.

Post-it Plain Note. 100% recycled.

Smead Tob Tab File Jacket. 100% recycled.

Smead TUFF Pocket Expanding File Pocket.  100% recycled.

BeGreen VBoard Master Whiteboard Markers.  91% recycled.

Fiskars Recycled Scissors.  Handle 100% Post-consumer.

Looking for office products at great prices?  Visit www.greatriverofficeproducts.com for more information.

 Source:   Stanford University