Why Buy Recycled? Recycling doesn't end at your curbside or workplace. An item is not recycled until it is made into a new product and that new product is used. Buying that new, recycled content product "closes the loop" on recycling.
Buying recycled creates demand for recycled products. While some products have traditionally been made with recycled content (such as steel and cardboard), many more products can be made with recycled content. In order to get manufacturers to produce recycled products, demand needs to be created for these goods. Buying recycled is good for the environment. In addition to reducing waste going to landfills, buying recycled saves natural resources, energy and water. When recyclable materials are made into new recycled products, less virgin natural resources such as trees, oil, and minerals are used. Energy is saved from not having to extract as many virgin materials. Also, often the manufacturing process for recycled content products requires less energy and water than non-recycled content products. Buying recycled is good business. Consumers can get high-quality, recycled-content products at competitive prices. Some recycled content products, such as tires and steel, are less expensive than their virgin-content counterparts. Because buying recycled reduces waste, saves landfill space and is good for the environment, it is good for communities, people, and businesses. 'Tis the Season: Buy Recycled-Content Gifts Looking for gift ideas this holiday season? Not sure what to get the person who has everything? Consider giving recycled-content gifts. Giving a gift like a wine rack made from steel bicycle rims, a wall vase made from recycled glass or a popcorn bowl made from a record album will not only please friends and loved ones, it will also help the environment.
There are many creative and innovative recycled-content gifts available. Many can be found on the Internet. Try a search using "recycled content" or "recycled gifts". Below are a few websites to get you started on your search:
www.ciwmb.ca.gov/recyclestore
www.consrv.ca.gov/DOR/GreenHolidayGuide02.pdf
www.greenmarketplace.com
www.abundantearth.com
Buy Recycled Paper - Local Sources for purchasing recycled paper, pdf, 347k Sources for purchasing tree-free paper, pdf, 13k Why buy recycled paper? Recycling paper saves landfill space, forests, water, and energy. One ton of recycled paper saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, saves approximately 17 trees, and requires 42% less water to process than virgin paper. Recycling paper is less energy intensive than producing virgin paper when including harvesting trees, transporting, debarking and chipping the logs. Recycled paper requires less bleaching than virgin paper resulting in less water pollution through the use of chlorine in the bleaching process. One of the pollutants, dioxin, a by-product of the chlorine bleaching process, travels up the food chain, bioaccumulating in the fatty tissues of fish, sea birds and mammals. Therefore, even a minuscule amount in water can create a significant risk in humans and wildlife. Recycling paper, rather than producing paper from virgin pulp, results in far less resource and environmental demand.
