|
| | STATE RECYCLING
BUY RECYCLED
View a list of State contracts that contain recycled products
YOU'RE
NOT REALLY RECYCLING UNTIL YOU'RE BUYING RECYCLED.
Why Buy Recycled Products? |
|
Most Americans help the recycling effort by putting
materials in their recycling bin or taking them to a drop-off center.
In addition to thinking about whether a particular product of packaging
can be recycled when deciding what to buy, another important step to
keep recycling working is to "Buy Recycled" or "Close the Loop" by
purchasing products made from recycled content materials.
Purchasing recycled content products helps maintain market demand for
recyclables and ensures the continuation and expansion of recycling
programs everywhere. If consumers purchase more products with recycled
content, manufacturers will continue to use it in their products and
expand the usage to even more products. |
| FIVE
IMPORTANT REASONS WHY AMERICANS SHOULD BUY RECYCLED |
-
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.
-
Clean Air and Water- In most cases, making products from
recycled materials creates less air and water pollution than making
products from virgin materials.
-
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.
-
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.
|
| BUY
RECYCLED MYTHS AND REALITY |
 |
Myth: Recycled products are poor quality.
 | Reality: False. Aluminum and glass can be recycled
repeatedly without a loss in quality. Paper does suffer a
reduction in quality as paper fibers shorten with each
reprocessing, which limits the number of times it can be
recycled. But high quality paper is readily available and lower
grades of paper are suitable for many used.
|
|
|
| Myth: The product range is too small and hard to find.
| Reality: Recycled products should not cost more but
for some product areas economies of scale to result in higher
prices. That is why creating consumer demand is so important. It
can help lower prices. |
|
|
| Myth: Recycled products are not attractive.
| Reality: Gone are the days of gray and grainy
recycled paper. For many items it is impossible to distinguish
between recycled and non-recycled items. |
|
|
| Myth: The product range is too small and hard to find
| Reality: Recycled products are increasingly found in
everyday retail outlets, specialist stores and in business
supplies catalogues. |
|
|
| BUY
RECYCLED THE THIRD STEP IN
CLOSING THE RECYCLING LOOP |
-
Collection -
Placing materials in recycling bins
-
Manufacturing -
The physical process of recycling the materials
-
Rebuying -
Rebuying materials with recycled content
|
| VISIT
OTHER "BUY RECYCLED' WEBSITES |
|
|
|
For
More Information Contact
State Recycling Coordinator
Phone:
(402)
471-3030
Fax: (402) 471-2089
Send E-Mail
|
|
