Buying Recycled Material: Myths

Here are four common myths and misconceptions about buying recycled:

•Recycled products are hard to find.

This used to be true, but no longer. From the neighborhood grocery store to national retailers, stores sell thousands of products made from or packaged in recycled content material.

•Recycled paper isn't as good as non recycled paper.

Recycled content papers now share the same printing and performance characteristics as their virgin equivalent. Recycled papers no longer look different. You can now find recycled content papers with the same whiteness and brightness as virgin papers. They also offer the same level of runnability and high quality imaging on copiers, and laser and ink jet printers.

•Recycled products cost more.

This used to be the case for some materials, but things have changed. Many recycled products are priced competitively with their non recycled counterparts. In fact, some may be less expensive!

•Recycled products are inferior in quality.

This is simply not true. Recycled products have the same quality, reliability, and dependability. A 1996 survey by the Buy Recycled Business Alliance asked hundreds of corporate purchasing agents about their satisfaction with recycled content products. The survey results showed that 97% of respondents were pleased with the performance of recycled content products.