CLOSE THE LOOP - BUY RECYCLED


Collecting recyclables is just the beginning. What happens after they are collected? They are reprocessed and made into new products...closing the loop and benefiting us all!



Here are some items that are manufactured from with recycled materials (including your curbside programs).

• Aluminum & Other Metals:  appliances, cans, building materials, furniture
• Glass:  bottles, kitchenware, mosaics, tile flooring, fiberglass insulation
• Laser & Inkjet Cartridges:  refurbished cartridges
• Paint:  recycled content latex paint
• Paper:  office & printing paper, chipboard, cardboard, paper towels, toilet paper & tissues, insulation, hydraulic mulch (usually mixed with seed for highways), absorbents
• PET plastics (clear bottles):  toter-bags, t-shirts, office & promotional products; Eco-fi™ or Polartec™ for fleece jackets, blankets, athletic wear
• Plastics:  poly-wood (decking), playground equipment, picnic tables, planter boxers, office materials, landscaping materials (e.g. lawn edging, fence posts, garden hose), collection bins, waste cans, street barricades, street cones, carpet
• Textiles:  canvas bags, t-shirts, polo shirts, absorbents
• Tires:  flooring, floor mats, walking paths, shoes, mouse pads, roofing, soil enhancements, tires (2%-6%), arena footing
• Used Motor Oil:  re-refined motor oil
• Yardwaste & Wood:  compost, topsoil, wood chips/mulch, absorbents  

What happens when you buy recycled?

• Reduce the extraction of virgin materials
• Save energy; reducing the need for coal, oil or other nonrenewable energy resources
• Help fight global warming by cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions
• Use less transportation - manufacturing facilities are often near the source of materials
• Create new enterprises, markets & jobs
• Reduce solid waste and keep useful materials out of our rapidly filling landfills
• Reduce air and water pollutants; recycled materials manufacturing is a much cleaner process
• Create a greater demand for manufacturers to use recycled materials
• Demonstrate a commitment to the environment and a sustainable economy
• Help California reach its mandated recycling goals of 50% and beyond

Recycled Product Databases, Directories, and Catalogs

• Find recycled content paper towels, toilet paper, etc. at the Natural Resource Defense Council's Shopper's Guide to Home Tissue Products.
• California Integrated Waste Management Board - Search the recycled-content product database to find products, vendors, etc.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) program that encourages and assists Executive agencies in the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services.  Also, check out their Greener Products database!
• Check out a great Environmentally Preferable Purchasing guide from stopwaste.org.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) provides a database of products that meet FSC standards.
• The U.S. General Services Administration has a recycled products guide.  Go to the main website www.gsa.gov and search for "recycled products."
• The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has a comprehensive online guide to greening your small business.
• Green Home sells a wide array of environmentally friendly products online.
• Green Seal provides updates on available recycled products.
• Recycled Products Guide provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
• Pennsylvania Resources Council. Their Buyer’s Guide to Recycled Products may help you in your recycled-content product search.

• RecycleStore - an online catalog of recycled-content products.