Green Terms

Recycling Means the series of activities, including collection, separation, and processing, by which products or other materials are recovered from the solid waste stream for use in the form of raw materials in the manufacture of new products other than fuel for producing heat or power by combustion.

Reduce The act of using less of a product in order to limit the impact on the environment. It also means consuming and throwing away less; including purchasing durable, long-lasting goods; seeking products and packaging that are as free of toxins as possible; redesigning products to use less raw material in production, have a longer life, or be used again after its original use.

Reuse Reusing items by repairing them, donating them to charity and community groups, or selling them- also reduces waste. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.

Green A general term that means products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or disposal of the product or service.

Recyclable The ability of a product or material to be recovered from, or otherwise diverted from, the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling.

Biodegradable Materials that are capable of undergoing biological degradation when oxygen is present. Process requires bacteria, heat, moisture, and time. Composting is a type of biodegrading.

Natural Resource Produced by nature, or naturally occurring, that is considered valuable in their relatively unmodified form.

Compostable Materials that are able to be composted or will biodegrade in warm, moist conditions with oxygen and bacteria over periods of several weeks to several months.

American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) The national trade association of the forest, paper and wood products industry, which works on public policy to benefit the U.S. paper and forest products industry.

Chlorine Bleaching Classifications A way of classifying the methods used to process paper. There are three chlorine bleaching classifications, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), Process Chlorine Free (PCF), and Total Chlorine Free (TCF).

Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guideline that promotes the use of materials recovered from solid waste to ensure the inclusion of recycled materials in the manufacturing of new products. The guideline is a key component of the government's buy recycled initiative and is authorized by Congress.

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) A process where paper is bleached with a chlorine compound, such as chlorine dioxide. This manufacturing process meets all the regulatory requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding effluent discharges for protection of the environment.

Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) Term used by the U.S. EPA to define products or services that reduce a company's impact on human health and the environment, when compared to competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

Green Cleaning A term that has been coined to describe a trend away from chemically-reactive and toxic cleaning products which contain toxic chemicals some of which emit VOCs causing harmful affects to humans. Green cleaning also describes the way residential and industrial cleaning products are manufactured, packaged and distributed.

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Are components of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect, which is the increase in temperature that the Earth experiences when certain gases in the atmosphere trap energy from the sun. Some GHG occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. GHG include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.

Green-washing A term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising green, rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) A green building rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable design and construction.

Post Consumer Materials A material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been discarded for disposal or recovery, having completed its life as a consumer item.

Process Chlorine Free (PCF) A process where recycle-content paper is bleached without the use of any chlorine or chlorine derivatives. The term is used only with recycled manufacturing facilities.

Recovered Materials Waste materials and by products that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, but such terms does not include those materials and by products generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process.

Renewable Material A substance that is derived from a living tree, plant, animal, or ecosystem which has the ability to regenerate itself. They may have reduced net emissions CO2 across their life cycle compared to materials from fossil fuels. Renewable material results in biodegradable waste.

Source Reduction Refers to any change in the design, manufacture, purchase, or use of materials or products; including packaging to reduce their amount or toxicity before they become municipal solid waste.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) A new fully independent organization, was created based on the premise that responsible environmental behavior and sound business decisions can co-exist.

Total Chlorine Free (TCF) A process where virgin paper is manufactured and bleached without the use of any chlorine compounds. The term is used only with virgin pulp and paper manufacturing facilities.