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Recycling and Buying Recycled Products

New York City residents, schools, institutions, agencies, and commercial businesses are required by law to recycle. See what to recycle for more information.

Buying Recycled Products

Buying recycled products and packaging supports New York City’s recycling program by “closing the loop.” By purchasing products made with recycled content, you help to create long-term, stable markets for the recyclable materials that are collected from your home and workplace. Making products from recycled materials saves resources, energy, and water.

Today’s recycled products offer excellent quality, and are available at a competitive price. You may be surprised at the variety of recycled products available. While most consumers are familiar with recycled-content paper products (printing and writing paper, paper towels, and toilet tissue), a variety of other recycled-content items exist, including trash bags, notebooks, carpet, garden hoses, clothing, furniture, and motor oil.

Ask your local stores to sell recycled products. When you shop, read the label to determine whether the product or packaging contains recycled content. Look for products made with the highest percentage of post-consumer recycled content. “Post-consumer” means that the product contains materials from things that consumers used and then recycled instead of from manufacturers’ discards.

ALSO SEE recycled-content products in shopping tips.

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