In a recent EDF member survey, many members asked for more frequent stories about everyday ways to help the environment. "Buying Recycled" is one of the most important. See the special section at the end of this story for more ways you can help.

Recycling is working! The proof is that the paper, plastic, metal, and glass that you have been recycling are being made into all sorts of everyday products and packaging. There's just one thing left to do: Buy them!.

That's the "cycle" in recycling: You sort out recyclable materials, cities and towns collect them, and manufacturers buy them to make into products again. By selecting and buying those products, you can spur companies to use more recycled materials. That keeps the ball rolling. Here are some suggestions to make it easy to choose.

Read the Label!

Compare labels to find the product or package with the highest percentage of "post-consumer" recycled content. Post-consumer is material that consumers have already used and recycled. It doesn't include factory scrap, which manufacturers regularly collect and reuse so it never ends up in landfills.

Beware of this symbol. It doesn't necessarily mean that a product has any recycled content. It may simply be there to remind the consumer to recycle. Check the percentages.

Don't be misled by phrases such as "eco-safe," "Earth Safe," or "environmentally friendly" that mean nothing without specific information. And "recyclable" only means able to be recycled, but it means nothing unless it can be recycled in your community.

When the products listed below are made from recycled materials, it usually says so right on the label.

Paperboard Boxes: Lightweight cardboard boxes such as cereal, cracker, and shoe boxes are often made from recycled paper. Read the label.

Plastic Bottles & Jugs: Some household cleaners, dishwashing liquids, shampoos, and other products come in plastic bottles with 25% or higher post-consumer recycled content. Check the label.

Bath and Facial Tissue: Toilet paper and facial tissue made from recycled paper meet consumer expectations and cost about the same as--or less than--their non-recycled counterparts.

Paper Towels: Paper towels with recycled content are competitive in price and performance. But don't forget you can use a sponge or rag to do the same job!

Writing Paper & Envelopes: Top quality stationery and greeting cards are increasingly easy to find. Some "designer" recycled stationery is meant to look rough and unfinished, but most recycled paper looks just like the paper made directly from trees. Check the label for post-consumer recycled content.

Printing and Copying Paper: Printing and copying paper with post-consumer recycled content is increasingly available and performs well. (EDF Letter, for example, is printed on 100% recycled 75% post-consumer paper.)

. . . And Many More: Other products made from recycled materials include re-refined motor oil, fiberfill for sleeping bags, carpets, shoes, pencils, recycling bins, building insulation, wallboard, tiles, and many more. Get in the habit of reading the labels.

It's important to let store managers and manufacturers know that you care about products made from recycled materials. Many packages have a toll-free number for calling manufacturers with questions and comments.

Four Safe Bets

Aluminum Beverage Cans: About 50% of the aluminum in beverage cans comes from used cans that were recycled and melted to make new cans.

Glass Bottles & Jars: Nearly 25% of the glass in bottles and jars has been used before, recycled, and remanufactured.

"Tin" (Steel) Cans: These cans are actually made of steel, usually with a thin coating of tin. About 25% of the content is recycled steel, half of that being post-consumer.

Molded Pulp Containers: Gray or brown cardboard egg cartons, fruit trays, and flower pots are made from recycled paper that is repulped and reshaped.

Buying Recycled Saves A Lot

Making products from recycled glass, aluminum, paper, and plastic, instead of from virgin materials, reduces the need to cut down forests, drill for oil, and dig for minerals. For example, it takes 95% less energy to make recycled aluminum than to make new aluminum from bauxite ore. It also avoids the environmental impacts involved in harvesting and extracting new materials.

In most cases, making products from recycled materials creates less air pollution and water pollution than making products from virgin materials.

When the materials that you recycle go into new products, they don't go into landfills or incinerators, so landfill space is conserved.

Finally, 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.

Recycling has already made a big difference for the environment. So look for products made from recycled materials, and buy them. Your choices can make a world of difference.

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