We've all heard the bad news. Markets for recycled products are drying up. Companies that sell the items we recycle are faced with low demand and low prices for these goods. When the economy is in a downward spiral, the recycled products industry goes right down with it. What can we do to help stimulate demand for recyclables? We can buy products made with recycled materials.
This is a logical next step for those who recycle. When shopping, read labels and check packaging for information on the product's "postconsumer" content. "Postconsumer" means that a product contains materials collected through recycling programs. It might also be described as "recycled content." The higher the percentage of postconsumer or recycled content in a product, the more environmentally friendly the product.
Think beyond recycled printing paper for your computer. A trip to the grocery store will yield green choices in almost every aisle. Check out packaging on dry goods such as cereals and crackers, as well as metal, glass, and plastic containers, even household paper products.
You can find postconsumer content in more than 4,500 available products. Some possibilities might surprise you, such as carpeting, construction materials, plastic flower pots and the insulation in ski jackets.
When you purchase products with recycled content, you are helping to develop markets for materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill. You are also conserving natural resources and energy since these products require less of both compared to the manufacturing of new products from virgin materials.
Help close the recycling loop that begins in the recycling bin and ends with a remanufactured product on the shelf. Be part of the stimulus package for recycling recovery.
The Recyclinator
Links:
[1] http://www.theconcordinsider.com/photo/elaine-kellerman