A term that refers to something used and discarded by a consumer. With recyclables, purchasing items made with post-consumer material is generally considered better for the environment than buying things made with pre-consumer material (also known as post-industrial recycled content). Post-consumer content is material directly diverted from the waste stream, and buying it supports local recycling programs. The assumption is that pre-consumer material is usually going to be recycled anyway, as there is a financial incentive for industry to do so. By creating a demand for them, seeking out products made with post-consumer recycled content helps encourage industry to make more recycled products.

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