Have you heard that recycled products are difficult to find, inferior in quality, or too high in cost? These myths are dispelled by the fact that business and governments around the world buy billions of dollars worth of products with recycled content every year. Don’t let misconceptions about recycled products prevent you or your organization from investigating new opportunities—learn the facts that counter these myths.

Here are some common myths and misconceptions about buying recycled:

Many recycled products are priced competitively with their non-recycled counterparts. In fact, some (such as retread tires) may be less expensive! Take time to investigate prices. The truth is that many products with and without recovered feedstock will often have competitive prices; many variables—including feedstock availability, quantity produced, energy costs, distributor mark-up, transportation charges, quantity ordered, and geographic location—ultimately influence the price of both virgin and recycled products. In some cases, the recycled products will cost more; however, recycled products are not inherently more expensive.

Take time to investigate prices and make a decision based on facts, not perceptions. NRC’s Buy Recycled Business Alliance (BRBA) compared prices between recycled general use copier paper and virgin paper of the same grade. [National Recycling Coalition’s Buy Recycled Business Alliance. Spring 1996. Are You Paying Too Much for Recycled Copier Paper? Buy Recycled Newsline.] BRBA asked several mills and retailers nationwide about the perception that recycled paper costs more—as much as 20 percent more—than virgin paper. Of the eight people interviewed, only one agreed that recycled paper can cost up to 20% more. Other respondents offered estimates closer to 5%. In fact, some of the retail representatives noted that recycled content paper often costs the same or less than virgin paper. Furthermore, BRBA expects price differential to be less of a factor as manufacturers continue adding to their infrastructure and as paper recycling continues to grow throughout the country.

DEFINITIONSrefers to a material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been discarded for disposal or recovery, having completed its life as a consumer item.

Preconsumer material refers to material such as factory trimmings, damaged or obsolete products, and overruns generated by manufacturers and product converters.

Recovered material refers to waste material and byproducts that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, but the term does not include those materials and byproducts generated from and commonly used within an original manufacturing process. It includes both postconsumer and preconsumer waste.

This is simply not true. Recycled products have the same quality, reliability, dependability, and performance characteristics as their virgin equivalents. Recycled products often look no different and offer the same level of reliability and functionality as non-recycled products. A recent survey of hundreds of corporate purchasing agents showed that 97% of respondents were pleased with the performance of recycled products. These days recycled content products undergo the same stringent testing and exacting performance documentation to which virgin products are subjected. Again, recycled content is not the only factor in product quality. Often the engineering of the product and quality control are the crucial factors. In many cases, people have been using recycled products for years, even before recycling became popular, without any stigma. Most cereal boxes, for example, are manufactured from paper scraps. Current users of recycled products express satisfaction with product performance as well. According to William Meng of The Southern Company, a WasteWise charter partner, the company "purchases products on a competitive basis and still finds some recycled-content products of equal or better quality at equal or better prices."

To help move beyond the misconception that recycled products offer inferior quality, investigate the results for yourself. Obtain samples of a desired product with recycled content and conduct a pilot test to see how the product meets your needs. Richard Keller of the Maryland Environmental Services, author of the Buy-Recycled Training Manual, suggests, "Use blind tests for recycled products. Some users, jaded by a poor experience with recycled products in the past, may automatically think that recycled products are inferior. Give the products a fair test." Moreover, he continues, "Don’t expect superior performance; only require that the products perform as well as non-recycled products.

"Myth #3: Recycled products are difficult to get into procurement specifications.

It is a fact that some current procurement specifications preclude recycled products or supplies. Now may be the perfect time to review the product specifications, however, to find out why and how they can be modified to foster recycled products. Unless your process genuinely requires virgin materials, keep specifications language neutral. Be on the lookout for wording in your specifications that unintentionally precludes buying recycled products. Do your purchasing specifications require "virgin only" material or do they specifically prevent the use of recycled products? Do you allow substitutions that meet your needs without specifying the type of materials used? If you prefer to explicitly require recycled products, consider using contract language that "encourages the use of recycled or environmentally sound materials wherever practical" or "includes consideration of the use of recovered materials as a practical alternative to virgin materials." As alternative sample language, create a policy that any reason for not procuring recycled products must be submitted in writing to the purchasing manager.

You also can help suppliers and purchasing agents if you define your terms (e.g., recovered material and postconsumer content) or offer minimum content standards whenever feasible. EPA’s Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) contains widely accepted definitions and recommends levels of recycled content.

This used to be true, but no longer. The average consumer can find quality recycled products everywhere from the neighborhood grocery store to national retailers. Stores sell thousands of products made from or packaged in recycled material. Read the labels on paper and plastic items, and look for "safe bets" such as steel, aluminum, and glass. If you can’t find the products made of or packaged in recycled content, ask your retailer or suppliers to offer more recycled products or indicate in their catalogues which products contain recycled content.

Businesses should start looking for recycled products from current suppliers. More recycled products enter the market every day, and a little encouragement to suppliers could help solve the problem of finding sources. Ask your suppliers to offer more recycled-content products or to clearly indicate in their catalogues which products contain recovered materials. Emphasize your commitment to purchasing recycled products, ask for their support, and explain your willingness to investigate other vendors if they are unable to cooperate. Then follow up with them to make sure you receive the most competitive price and the best quality product for your needs. Encourage service contractors, such as janitorial services, print shops, and maintenance contractors, to use recycled products as well.

Additionally, you will find a variety of recycled product directories available to help you locate specific recycled products. Consult resources, such as the Official Recycled Products Guide, which includes more than 4,500 recycled product listings for a wide range of products, and The Harris Directory, which includes more than 4,000 recycled products for construction, gardening, home furnishing, and decorating.