So you’re going to the hardware store for just a few things?  Or maybe you’re looking at a major redecorating or landscaping job?  You can definitely make a difference for recycling by looking for recycled products.

Using recycled products is just one way to lower your environmental impact.  Here’s how:
Recycled products require less energy to produce than virgin products.
Recycled products reduce our need to extract natural resources.
Recycled products help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Unlike the grocery store—where most recycled materials are found in packaging—the hardware store or home improvement store contains many products that use recycled feedstock.

DISCLAIMER
This web page is not an exhaustive list of recycled products.  If you know of other types of recycled products, or are a vendor interested in linking to this page, please e-mail us at ramrecycle@comcast.net.  Mention of certain products and vendors does not necessarily imply an endorsement; our purpose is to help consumer find and support recycled products of all types. We encourage you as a consumer to use this information to make informed choices.

Framing
Many commercial buildings use structural steel.  It is durable and does not rot like wood.  Now the steel industry is reaching out to residential homebuilders.  Steel framing contains a minimum of 25 percent recycled content steel from cars, cans, appliances, and other recycled scrap.  Steel is also recyclable when your contractor creates scrap materials during construction or remodeling.  You can find out about structural steel at the Steel Framing Alliance web site. 

Here's a little known fact: If you find yourself buying pallets of structural wood and other home improvement products, it just may be that the green plastic strapping is made from recycled soda bottles and other recycled PET plastic.  Roughly ten percent of all PET plastic recycled in the United States is made into strapping.  Encourage your retailer or contractor to recycle this material.  Contact the National Association for PET Container Recovery (NAPCOR) about its recyclability in your local recycling program.

Reclaimed Wood
Several vendors and organizations offer reclaimed wood products for structural or interior use.

The Green Institute’s Deconstruction Services dismantles old structures in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and either sells the building materials on-site or makes them available to the Re-Use Center in Minneapolis.  Among the finds in older homes are wood beams, floors, and trim from wood that would not be found on the market today.  Find out more information at the Green Institute’s web site or call 612-724-2608.

Duluth Timbers of Duluth, Minnesota offers reclaimed timbers from deconstructed buildings for structural use, flooring, furniture and trim. 

Manomin Resawn Timbers in Forest Lake, Minnesota features remilled wood as well.  You can call them at 651-464-1771 check them out on the web.

Old Growth Woods of St. Paul, Minnesota dismantles old buildings, using the lumber to build their own line of furniture and to supply architects, interior designers and artisans.  Visit their web site here or call 651-690-3188.

Roofing
Steel and aluminum roofing has emerged as a recycled content and recyclable alternative to asphaltshingles.  Metal roofing tends to cost more initially, but it has a lower cost of ownership.  You can get some more facts and calculate costs at the Metal Roofing Alliance web site.  You can also find a steel roofing contractor or request a metal roofing manufacturer.

If you are installing a roof, a Minnesota-made product is available to hold down your roofing paper.  Bedford Technology of Worthington makes Rolath, a recycled plastic lath that replaces traditional wood lath. 

Asphalt shingles usually do not have recycled content, but the organic felt backing for the shingles is often recycled paper.  CertainTeed's Shakopee, Minnesota plant manufactures this type of backing under the name Roofers' Select™.  

The opportunities for recycling asphalt shingles are increasing.  Several states--including Minnesota--have completed studies that made hot-mix asphalt for road projects that included five percent recycled shingles.  You can find out more about shingle recycling at www.shinglerecycling.org.  When removing your current shingles, encourage your hauler to recycle the waste material.

Insulation
Most cellulose insulation (e.g., the stuff that you blow into your attic) is made almost entirely from recycled newsprint and some flame retardant.  Old newspapers and inserts are shredded up into fiber and bagged and then you place or blow the insulation into walls and attics.  You can find an insulation contractor on the web.

Fiberglass insulation contains about 40% recycled glass that is both pre-consumer and post-consumer content.  Slag wool insulation, often sold in batts or rolls like fiberglass insulation, contains post-industrial blast furnace slag.  You can find out about the fiberglass and slag wool insulation industry’s recycling efforts or find an insulation contractor. 

Windows
You can find new and replacement windows that have recycled content that are made right here in Minnesota.

Renewal by Andersen Windows of Cottage Grove, Minnesota uses recycled content in replacement windows.  Its Fibrex™ material is made of reclaimed wood and vinyl and can be recycled back into the same material.  Locate a Renewal by Andersen dealer at Andersen’s web site.

Marvin Windows & Doors in Warroad, Minnesota makes new windows and doors using 15 to 33 percent recycled glass.  The aluminum used in the windows and doors contains recycled content aluminum of around 40 percent (in extruded form) and 98 percent (in rolled form).  Find out about Marvin’s environmental record or locate a Marvin dealer at the company’s web site.

Carpet
You can find carpet that is either recycled content or recyclable, or both.  

A large portion of the polyester carpet industry uses recycled PET plastic (often from recycled bottles).  You can read how PET plastic bottles get made into carpet at the Mohawk Industries web site. 

You can find a list of recycled polyester carpet brands in our 36 page recycled products guide by clicking here.

At the present time, most residential carpet is difficult to recycle because most carpet recycling initiatives have focused on commercial carpet.  Unlike residential carpet, which is installed in smaller sizes and may include different resin types in different rooms, commercial carpet comes in larger quantities and it is usually the same resin type.  Therefore, the most recyclable type of carpet is nylon carpet (particularly “nylon-6” carpet), which is used most in commercial settings and is expensive for residential use. 

For the most part, residential carpet includes polyester, polyolefin, wool, and other natural fibers.  Presently, none of these carpet types can be recycled back into carpet, although when collected in sufficient quantity it can be recycled into making cement and other products.  The future of recycling carpet looks bright.  The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency signed an agreement with the carpet industry and many other states to promote carpet recycling and using recycled material in new carpet. 

Furniture
By the Yard of Jordan, Minnesota offers lawn furniture made from recycled plastic lumber. 

Plastic Lumber
One of the hottest recycled products in the market today is plastic lumber.  Plastic lumber has an advantage over wood because you don't have to paint or treat it and it doesn't rot or crack.  Plastic lumber tends to be more expensive than wood at the outset, but the total life-cycle cost of plastic lumber is cheaper due to reduced maintenance.

Plastic lumber is an alternative to CCA (chromated copper arsenic) treated lumber.  In an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the treated lumber industry will phase out CCA treated lumber in most applications by the end of 2003.  Find out more about the concerns associated with arsenic-treated wood at http://www.healthybuilding.net/index.html and http://www.ewg.org/reports/poisonedplaygrounds/.

Plastic lumber is usually made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, which is the same type of plastic used in milk jugs.  Other material used in the product includes low-density polyethylene (LDPE) that often comes from used plastic film, and wood waste.

Plastic lumber is also an alternative to treated wood, which can leach harmful chemicals into the soil.

If you are interested in investigating more about plastic lumber, try these links.

• You can find out the performance characteristics of plastic lumber from the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board.
• Trex is one of the nation's largest manufacturers of plastic lumber.  You can link to their web site by clicking here.  The site allows you to search for dealers, distributors, and contractors in your area. Trex uses plastic bags collected in the Twin Cities for making its plastic lumber.
• Minnesota's own Master Mark Plastics of Albany makes Rhino decking as well as other recycled plastic landscaping products.  You can click here to find out more and to locate a dealer.
• Bedford Technology in Worthington, Minnesota also manufactures plastic lumber.
• In Jordan, Minnesota, By the Yard makes Maintenance-Free EcoSmart Outdoor Furniture & Accessories. 
• The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has a good web page about plastic lumber, its specifications, and its characteristics. 

Landscaping
Master Mark Plastics in Albany, Minnesota manufacturers several products made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE).  HDPE is the type of plastic used for plastic milk jugs and a variety of other plastic bottles.  Master Mark makes plastic lawn edging, fencing, lattices, plastic decking, and other lawn and garden accessories. 

You can find a Master Mark dealer for its plastic decking (RhinoDeck) at the company’s web site.  Products like lawn edging and lattices can be found at your local home improvement retailer.

Paint
You probably know that you shouldn’t throw away your oil-based paint as well as latex paint.  If you’re not sure where to take your old paint, find your county household hazardous waste office.  If you are in the Twin Cities metro area, click here for your county contact and to get tips of storing your paint to optimize recycling.  It costs your county a lot of money to safely dispose of this material, so avoid having to generate a lot of leftover paint!

The good news is that two Minnesota companies are re-blending interior latex paint into new paint!

Hirshfield’s Paint Manufacturing in Minneapolis makes an interior latex paint called RenewWall that contains 20 percent post-consumer latex paint.  This is often from paint that you drop off at your county’s household hazardous waste program. 

Amazon Environmental in Roseville uses 80 percent post-consumer latex paint to make new paint.  The product comes in six standard colors, although you can make a custom color order.  Amazon sells the product in five and 55 gallon containers.

Miscellaneous
The American Plastics Council also has a great resources for recycled plastic products on their web site.

Green Building Resources
There are other ways to make your home friendlier to the environment.  You can make your home’s heating and air conditioning work more efficiently; reduce the use of toxic materials; and so on.  If you’re looking for solutions on these items, check out the Blue Sky Guide web site at or the Green Building web page at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Reduce Your Waste
You can also play an important role in reducing your waste when improving your yard, garden, or home.  Check out a great web site on this topic from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Giving Feedback to Your Retailer
Retailers tell us that they sell the products that their customers want.  If you would like your retailer to know that recycled products are important to you, fill out a comment card at the store.  You can also go on-line to planetfeedback.com to comment to your retailer.