Buy recycled
Recycling waste helps the environment by saving natural resources and reducing the amount of waste for disposal. However, we need to make sure that new useful products are made from recycled materials and we need to use those materials rather than buying products made from new/virgin materials.
Buying recycled closes the recycling loop and helps to:
- stimulate markets for reclaimed materials.
- reduce the amount of materials going to landfill.
- conserve resources and energy.
- create jobs.
A variety of recycled products are now widely available in high street stores and supermarkets, from toilet rolls to stationery. See if you can buy the same product made from recycled materials. If not, ask your local store why.
What is a recycled product?
A recycled product is one made in whole or in part from materials recovered from waste either post-consumer waste (from households or business) or pre-consumer waste (recovered during processing e.g. offcuts).
The higher the post-consumer waste content the more desirable the product is in terms of supporting recycling markets.
Recycled products myths
| Myth: | Recycled products are of poor quality |
| Reality: | False. Aluminium, steel and glass can all be recycled repeatedly without a loss in quality. Paper does suffer quality reduction as paper fibres shorten which limits the number of times it can be recycled. Even so, high quality recycled paper is readily available. |
| Myth: | Recycled products are expensive |
| Reality: | Recycled products shouldn't cost more and are often competitively priced |
| Myth: | Recycled products are hard to find |
| Reality: | Recycled products are increasingly found on the supermarket shelves and in high street stores. |
| Myth: | Recycled products are not attractive to look at. |
| Reality: | False. For some products it is impossible to distinguish between recycled and non-recycled items. |
| Myth: | Recycled products consume more energy and resources than a product made from virgin materials. |
| Reality: | False. Many recycled products offer significant savings in terms of energy and water as well as primary raw materials. For example every tonne of recycled paper saves trees, electricity and water resulting in 74% less air pollution and 34% less water pollution than manufacturing a tonne of paper from virgin wood pulp. |
How to find out more about buying recycled
See our fact-sheet or visit the online Recycled Products Guide (a national, comprehensive database of products made from recycled materials). Find gifts and products for your home, garden or office.
