Tips - Buy Recycled
Closing the Loop
Do you know why the recycling symbol has three chasing arrows? Each arrow represents one step in the three step recycling process that completes the recycling loop. |
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The first step is collection. This is when you put your recyclables into your blue recycling cart or take them to a drop-off site. The collected materials are then prepared for market and sold to a manufacturing facility.
Manufacturing is the second step in the recycling process. The recyclable materials are converted into new products and shipped to stores to be sold as new consumer goods.
The third step is where you, the consumer, purchase products made with recycled content. When you "Buy Recycled", you complete the recycling loop. Always check the % post consumer recycled content (% pcr) of the products you buy. A higher % pcr means more of the product was made from recyclables collected from residential or commercial recycling programs.
Examples of Recycled Content Products
A wide variety of products containing recycled materials are available. Some products, like those made from glass, steel, aluminum, and cardboard almost always contain recycled content. Many other products can be found that contain recycled materials if you look for them. The following table lists a few of the recycled-content products that can be found locally.
| Recyclable Materials |
Recycled Content Products |
Brand Name |
Stores |
| Glass Bottles & Jars | Glass Bottles & Jars Glass bowls, vases & candle stick holders |
All brands | All stores Home Environment |
| Steel (Tin) cans | Any steel product | All brands | All stores |
| Aluminum cans | Aluminum cans | All brands | All stores |
| PET plastic | Carpet
Fleece jackets, hats & gloves |
Kid Tough, Radical, Rockhill Manor,
Patagonia |
Menards, Home Depot
REI, Erehwon |
| HDPE Plastic | Trash bags
Plastic lumber |
Renew, Seventh Generation | Copps, Cub Foods, Magic Mill, Whole Foods
Menards, Home Depot |
| Newspaper | Cellulose insulation | All brands | Menards, Home Depot |
| Office paper | Office paper | Geocycle, Great White | Office Depot, Best Buy, Office Max Staples, Wal-Mart |
| Mixed paper | Paper towels, Napkins, Bathroom tissue | Green Forest, Seventh Generation | Bergmann's Pharmacy, Cub Foods, Copps, Magic Mill, Whole Foods, Home Environment Community Pharmacy |
| Corrugated Cardboard | Corrugated cardboard boxes Cereal boxes | All brands | All stores |
Recycled Product Resources
- EPA Buy Recycled Fact Sheets
- Buy Recycled Business Alliance
- Treecycle Recycled Paper Products
- California Integrated Waste Management Board Recycled Content Product Database
- Minnesota Recycled Products Guide - Consumer Version
- Minnesota Recycled Products Guide - Business Version
