The Cost of Recycled Products

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Myth

Recycled products cost more than their virgin counterparts.

Fact

In many cases recycled products are already cost-competitive with alternatives. Prices may be higher for products that are in limited supply or that are only produced in a few plants across the country. Where prices have not fully achieved desirable levels, purchasing in large quantities through purchasing cooperatives or by shifting periodic purchasing policy to annualized buying often allows for the negotiation of a lower price. Often product specifications do not take into account the life cycle cost of products or their effect on equipment either. These issues should also be taken into account. See Carnegie Mellon's DraftÝEnvironmental Procurement Mission Statement.

Increased demand for recycled products has already led to investment by industry in more modern technologies and more strategically located plants that can take full advantage of economies of scale, so that over the course of the coming years prices will come down for many products even further.