We used to be able to look at a container, note the recycle logo and feel happy. Now there are some terms thrown in that might throw you.

Pre-consumer: When a package says “Pre-consumer” it’s referring to the actual waste made during a manufacturing process. This means no-one used the item ever, but it was recycled into something new. This is not the best situation because it creates energy waste that benefited no one. Such as the thick Sunday paper no one buys. It’s not used, but it did take energy and trees to make

The good news is that at least it’s being recycled. Other items that end up as pre-consumer are items never meant for consumers. An example is trimmings from when a company makes envelopes or notebook paper.

Post-consumer: As you might have guessed, post-consumer is material that is used by consumers before being recycled. So say you did buy that Sunday paper, then you recycle it, that’s post-consumer material now.

The same goes for any object, not just paper. It could be a plastic container, a glass milk jug, any item. Now, it’s better to buy post-consumer because obviously we’re reusing items to a greater capacity. That said, currently humans barely recycle – honestly we as a group of humans on the planet recycle far under 50% total of what we could. It’s terrible. So, pre-consumer is still far better than nothing. But if you have a choice choose high post-consumer material products.

I hope the terms today and yesterday help you on your recycling journey. It’s nice sometimes to have everything laid out.

To learn more read:

• US Postal Service Helps You Recycle
• School Waste Reduction
• Who Said Plastic Bags Are Good for Nothing?
• Trash Control
• Two Weeks Worth of Reuse

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Recycling:  We all know what recycling is… or do we? When it comes right down to it, recycling means we collect materials that CAN actually be used again. A material must be able to be turned back into raw material and then into something new, or there’s no point in even trying to recycle an object.

Juice lids are one example. We can toss them in a recycle bin, but they can’t be re-made into anything, so we haven’t really recycled them, have we? To be sure that your recycling efforts aren’t for nothing, the first step is to only buy products that you’re positive can be recycled.

Reuse: Reuse is part of the recycling process (see above) however, reuse is also something we can do with objects that cannot be recycled.  Reuse means that we reuse an item, either for the same tasks or objective over and over, or that we think up a new and useful use for said object. Let’s use those juice jar lids from above again. Now we can’t recycle juice lids – can we re-use them? Why sure we can. Here are some of my ideas:

• To mix paints in (for a picture, not a house obviously).
• Make a big checker board out of recycled paper and paint some lids black.
• Hold beads that you’re working with to make a necklace.
• Turn them into dolhouse furniture – a sink, a fountain, a little stool.

What else can you think of?  

Tomorrow we’ll look at two more recycling terms.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family