Buying products made from recycled materials is an important part of making recycling work, it's closing the loop in the recycling cycle.  Take a moment to look closely at any item you buy to see if the packaging and/or product is made from recycled material.  Choosing an item made with recycled-content material creates demand for the same recyclables that are picked up at your curb or taken to your local drop-off center.

What’s the difference between recycled-content products and recyclable products?

• Recycled-content products are made from materials that would otherwise have been discarded. That means these products are made totally or partially from material contained in the products you recycle, like aluminum soda cans or newspaper. Recycled-content products also can be items that are rebuilt or re-manufactured from used products such as toner cartridges or computers. There are more than 4,500 recycled-content products available, and this number continues to grow. In fact, many of the products people regularly purchase contain recycled-content. 

• Post-consumer content is a material that has served its intended use and instead of being disposed of it is being reused in a different product. If a product is labeled “recycled content,” the 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.

Recycled Products Resource Lists

Resource Recycling 2010 Recycled Products Holiday Buyers' Guide

US EPA

California Recycled-Content Product Directory

California Publications on Buying Recycled

Ecomall

Recycled Products Cooperative

INNOVATIVE RECYCLED PRODUCTS

Recycled Yarn - REPREVE