. it’s not easy being green                                                               by the Spencer Design Group Team

Eco-Speak:   A User’s Guide to the Language of Recycling . It's no secret that consumers are interested in buying products that are kind to the environment. But when it comes to recycling, can you heed what you read?
The Federal Trade Commission, which seeks to protect consumers from deceptive and unsubstantiated advertising, says claims on products and packaging about recyclability and recycled content may be misunderstood. Here’s what the FTC wants consumers to know:
A product or package can be marketed as "recyclable" if it can be separated and collected from household and commercial trash for reuse, or to make another product or package, through an established recycling program.
Product labels that say "Please Recycle" are relevant only if your community collects the products for recycling—and meaningless if it doesn’t. Contact your city or county government to find out about curbside pick-up or drop-off alternatives for recycling plastic, glass, metal, and newspapers and other paper products.
Sometimes, businesses recycle products for you. For example, many grocery stores take back their plastic grocery bags. And some manufacturers of toner cartridges have programs that allow consumers to return their empty cartridges, which are then re-used for remanufacturing.
Manufacturers and marketers may claim that a product or package has recycled content if it is made with materials that have been recovered or separated from the trash during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer) or after consumer use (post-consumer). Previously used newspapers, shipping cartons, plastic bottles, glass containers, and metal cans are considered post-consumer waste. Leftover manufacturing scraps—for example, the scraps left over when envelopes are cut from paper—are considered pre-consumer waste.
Recycled products are made from products that have been melted down or ground up and made into new products. Or they may have been made from materials that are used, reconditioned or remanufactured. If a product is labeled recycled because it contains used, reconditioned or remanufactured parts, the label also must say the product is "used," "reconditioned" or "remanufactured" unless that fact is obvious to the buyer. It's no secret that consumers are interested in buying products that are kind to the environment. But when it comes to recycling, can you heed what you read?
The Federal Trade Commission, which seeks to protect consumers from deceptive and unsubstantiated advertising, says claims on products and packaging about recyclability and recycled content may be misunderstood. Here’s what the FTC wants consumers to know:
A product or package can be marketed as "recyclable" if it can be separated and collected from household and commercial trash for reuse, or to make another product or package, through an established recycling program.
Product labels that say "Please Recycle" are relevant only if your community collects the products for recycling—and meaningless if it doesn’t. Contact your city or county government to find out about curbside pick-up or drop-off alternatives for recycling plastic, glass, metal, and newspapers and other paper products.
Sometimes, businesses recycle products for you. For example, many grocery stores take back their plastic grocery bags. And some manufacturers of toner cartridges have programs that allow consumers to return their empty cartridges, which are then re-used for remanufacturing.
Manufacturers and marketers may claim that a product or package has recycled content if it is made with materials that have been recovered or separated from the trash during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer) or after consumer use (post-consumer). Previously used newspapers, shipping cartons, plastic bottles, glass containers, and metal cans are considered post-consumer waste. Leftover manufacturing scraps—for example, the scraps left over when envelopes are cut from paper—are considered pre-consumer waste.
Recycled products are made from products that have been melted down or ground up and made into new products. Or they may have been made from materials that are used, reconditioned or remanufactured. If a product is labeled recycled because it contains used, reconditioned or remanufactured parts, the label also must say the product is "used," "reconditioned" or "remanufactured" unless that fact is obvious to the buyer.