Buy Recycled

Resources

Many resources are available to help you learn more about recycled-content products (RCP) and other environmentally preferable products (EPP). The resources are organized into three specialized sections, in addition to the general resources listed on this page:

• Audience-Specific. These resources were designed with specific audiences in mind, such as state agencies or schools, but they may be useful to others.
• Product Category-Specific. These resources highlight specific product categories, such as paper or glass.
• Purchasing and Tracking Tools. This page includes directories, databases, catalogs, product libraries/collections, etc.

You may also be interested in these other CIWMB purchasing resources:

• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Tools and Resources
• Waste Prevention Information Exchange, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing

General Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Resources

• Buy Green
• Buy Recycled Training Institute (BRTI) was established in 1995 by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Municipal Waste Management Association. BRTI is dedicated to training people and agencies on how to buy recycled.
• California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) Buy Recycled Publications
• California Resource Recovery Association
• Californians Against Waste
• Center for a New American Dream, Procurement Strategies. This site provides general information about environmentally preferable purchasing and specific information about how state and local governments can reduce the environmental impacts of their purchasing decisions.
• Clean Washington Center (CWC). The CWC focuses on increasing markets and uses of recyclable commodities by manufacturers and end users, thereby promoting economic development and increased diversion of recyclables. Numerous technical publications are available.
• Economics: Two studies on the economics of recycling were conducted for the CIWMB.
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Best Practices Manual. A manual provided by the California Department of General Services as part of its Green California effort.
• Garbage Reincarnation
• The Government Purchasing Project works to encourage the government to use its immense purchasing power to promote safe, cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally-sound products.
• L.A. Shares is a nonprofit materials reuse organization that links schools and other nonprofit organizations with local businesses whose surplus goods and materials are needlessly cluttering up warehouses, or might otherwise be headed for landfills.
• National Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery (NC3R). NC3R is internationally recognized as a leading center for applied research in remanufacturing.
• Northeast Recycling Council (NERC)
• Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) has compiled information that will assist purchasers in their efforts to establish or maintain an environmental purchasing program.
• Resource Recycling. This site contains information on periodicals, directories, and services related to recycling.

Reuse Resources

• CIWMB Reuse Site.
• CIWMB California Materials Exchange (CalMAX).
• Urban Ore, located in Berkeley, California, buys, trades, and sells used or surplus building materials, household items, furniture, fixtures, art, and computers. Call (510) 548-4515 for more information.