Buy Recycled Products

Have you ever heard of "Buy Recycled"?  Read the following information to learn how you can "close the loop."

The familiar recycling symbol of three chasing arrows is designed to represent the three stages of recycling:

1. Collection
2. Manufacturing
3. Buying recycled products

The first step, collection, is when you put your recyclable materials into your curbside bin or take them to a convenience site. The second step, manufacturing, is where the recyclable material is reprocessed into new products. The third step, buying recycled products, involves the consumer purchasing products manufactured with recycled materials. Buying recycled products helps establish demand and maintain markets for these items. As demand increases, more markets for the materials will develop and, in turn, collection programs will prosper.

Don't let the different recycling symbols fool you though. An empty recycling triangle may not indicate the product is recyclable or made from recycled products. It may simply be a reminder to recycle.

Look for other wording or symbols to indicate recyclability. For example, a plastic bottle with a number 1 through 7 inside the recycling symbol would be more specific regarding its recycling content.

The recycling symbol inside a circle is the sign that a product contains some recycled material. Not all products will have this, such as steel, aluminum and glass products. Also, remember to look for products that have the highest percentage of "post-consumer recycled content." This supports our recycling program by being an end user of the materials we collect in our community.

Consumers should take interest in their shopping carts and check the store shelves to see how they can support the final step of the recycling loop.

Examples of Recycled Content Products

Look for these symbols on your plastic recyclables!