Recycling Hub

There are more than 4,500 recycled-content products available, and this number continues to grow. In fact, many of the products we regularly purchase contain recycled-content. The following list presents just a sampling of products that can be made with recycled content:

• Aluminum cans
• Car bumpers
• Carpeting
• Cereal boxes
• Comic books
• Egg cartons
• Glass containers
• Laundry detergent bottles
• Motor oil
• Nails
• Newspapers
• Paper towels
• Steel products
• Trash bags

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/buyrecycled.htm

Product labels can be confusing to consumers interested in buying recycled because of the different recycling terminology used. The following definitions might help clarify any uncertainty regarding manufacturers’ claims. For more detailed guidance, view a summary of the Federal Trade Commission’s brochure Sorting Out Green Advertising Claims or their Official Guidance for the use of environmental marketing claims.

• Recycled-content products are made from materials that would otherwise have been discarded. Items in this category are made totally or partially from material destined for disposal or recovered from industrial activities-like aluminum soda cans or newspaper. Recycled-content products also can be items that are rebuilt or remanufactured from used products such as toner cartridges or computers.
• Postconsumer content refers to material from products that were used by consumers or businesses and would otherwise be discarded as waste. If a product is labeled “recycled content,” the rest of the product 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. Check with your local recycling program to determine which items are recyclable in your community.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/buyrecycled.htm

Do NOT compost the following:

* Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
o Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
* Coal or charcoal ash
o Might contain substances harmful to plants
* Dairy products (e.g., butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream, yogurt)
o Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
* Diseased or insect-ridden plants
o Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
* Fats, grease, lard, or oils
o Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
* Meat or fish bones and scraps
o Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
* Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
o Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
* Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
o Might kill beneficial composting organisms

Source: U.S. Environmental Agency

* Animal manure
* Cardboard rolls
* Clean paper
* Coffee grounds and filters
* Cotton rags
* Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
* Eggshells
* Fireplace ashes
* Fruits and vegetables
* Grass clippings
* Hair and fur
* Hay and straw
* Houseplants
* Leaves
* Nut shells
* Sawdust
* Shredded newspaper
* Tea bags
* Wood chips
* Wool rags
* Yard trimmings

Source: U.S. Enviornmental

ard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 23 percent of the U.S. waste stream, as documented by EPA. An estimated 56.9 percent of yard trimmings were recovered for composting or grasscycled in 2000, a dramatic increase from the 12 percent recovery rate in 1990. Accompanying this surge in yard waste recovery is a composting industry that has grown from less than 1,000 facilities in 1988 to nearly 3,800 in 2000. Once dominated by public sector operations, the composting industry is increasingly entrepreneurial and private-sector driven, led by firms that add value to compost products through processing and marketing. Compost prices have been as high as $26 per ton for landscape mulch to more than $100 per ton for high-grade compost, which is bagged and sold at the retail level.

While yard trimmings recovery typically involves leaf compost and mulch, yard trimmings can also be combined with other organic waste, such as food residuals, animal manure, and biosolids to produce a variety of products with slightly different chemical and physical characteristics. In contrast to yard trimmings recovery, only 2.6 percent of food waste was composted in 2000. The cost-prohibitive nature of residential food waste separation and collection is the primary deterant to expanding food waste recovery efforts. Yet in many communities, edible food residuals are donated to the needy, while inedible food residuals are blended into compost or reprocessed into animal feed. In some areas, composting operations are working with high-volume commercial and institutional food producers to recover their food byproducts, saving these firms significant disposal costs.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.htm

Compost Can…

* Suppress plant diseases and pests.
* Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
* Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
* Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
* Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
* Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
* Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
* Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/

Compost is organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. Mature compost is a stable material with a content called humus that is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell. It is created by: combining organic wastes (e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes, manures) in proper ratios into piles, rows, or vessels; adding bulking agents (e.g., wood chips) as necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials; and allowing the finished material to fully stabilize and mature through a curing process.

Natural composting, or biological decomposition, began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since. As vegetation falls to the ground, it slowly decays, providing minerals and nutrients needed for plants, animals, and microorganisms. Mature compost, however, includes the production of high temperatures to destroy pathogens and weed seeds that natural decomposition does not destroy.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/

Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. That’s a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead!

Composting offers the obvious benefits of resource efficiency and creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been landfilled.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/

Recycling includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials such as fibers, manufacturing raw materials into new products, and purchasing recycled products.

Collecting and processing secondary materials, manufacturing recycled-content products, and then buying recycled products creates a circle or loop that ensures the overall success and value of recycling.

Step 1. Collection and Processing
Collecting recyclables varies from community to community, but there are four primary methods: curbside, drop-off centers, buy-back centers, and deposit/refund programs.

Regardless of the method used to collect the recyclables, the next leg of their journey is usually the same. Recyclables are sent to a materials recovery facility to be sorted and prepared into marketable commodities for manufacturing. Recyclables are bought and sold just like any other commodity, and prices for the materials change and fluctuate with the market.

Step 2. Manufacturing
Once cleaned and separated, the recyclables are ready to undergo the second part of the recycling loop. More and more of today’s products are being manufactured with total or partial recycled content. Common household items that contain recycled materials include newspapers and paper towels; aluminum, plastic, and glass soft drink containers; steel cans; and plastic laundry detergent bottles. Recycled materials also are used in innovative applications such as recovered glass in roadway asphalt (glassphalt) or recovered plastic in carpeting, park benches, and pedestrian bridges.

Step 3. Purchasing Recycled Products
Purchasing recycled products completes the recycling loop. By “buying recycled,” governments, as well as businesses and individual consumers, each play an important role in making the recycling process a success. As consumers demand more environmentally sound products, manufacturers will continue to meet that demand by producing high-quality recycled products. Learn more about recycling terminology and to find tips on identifying recycled products.

Source: http://www.epa.gov

* Recycling protects and expands U.S. manufacturing jobs and increases U.S. competitiveness.
* Recycling reduces the need for landfilling and incineration.
* Recycling prevents pollution caused by the manufacturing of products from virgin materials.
* Recycling saves energy.
* Recycling decreases emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.
* Recycling conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals.
* Recycling helps sustain the environment for future generations.

Source: http://www.epa.gov/