Recycled (“reclaimed”) Materials

Most products headed to the landfills at this very moment could have been recycled, or better yet, reclaimed for use in a new building or other practical or artistic function. Recycled products are multitudinous in number and diverse in sources as well. For instance, recycled newspaper can be reused for home insulation, plastic bottles transformed into playgrounds, tires into sidewalks and so on.

Reclaimed materials skip the recycling process, thus using less energy between removal and reuse. Common reclaimed materials include: wood products from old barns and homes, bricks and other used masonry units, doors, paneling and a slew of other building products. While there is no specific certification for reclaimed materials, their use counts significantly toward LEED and Living Building certification.

Products claiming to be part or all recycled content can be certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) and will bear the SCS Certified logo. SCS offers certification to manufacturers of products made from recycled or biodegradable materials. An excellent online resource for recycled and reclaimed materials is PlanetReuse, a global guide for finding locally available reclaimed and reusable materials. In the following articles, you'll find a list of recycled products and materials commonly available in most areas, as well as information to help locate and purchase them.

http://www.greenhomeimprovement.com/certifications/recycled-materials