Recycled Content
Search Attribute Abbreviation = RC. Include products and materials which contain high levels of pre- and post-consumer recycled content. This practice saves precious natural resources and limits some of the destructive processes required to harvest them. Use of these products helps close the loop – stimulating demand for recycled materials and increasing the everyday practice of recycling.
In addition to the products listed on mr.greenpoints, the following materials commonly have recycled content:
Recycled Concrete
Concrete can be specified to include fly ash, slag cement, or silica fume, which are all industrial by-products that can be used as a partial replacement for portland cement. These supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are pre-consumer materials. Other post-consumer recycled material, such as glass or recycled concrete, can be used as aggregate.
Recycled Steel
Steel almost invariably contains recycled materials since scrap is relatively easy to recover and of high value. Steel is the most widely recycled material – the reclamation rate for all products is approximately 88%! Check with your supplier to determine actual percentages of pre- and post-consumer recycled content. If the percentages are unknown, see if your building certification program offers a predetermined minimum value that you can include in calculations. Stainless steel has an even higher likelihood of being recycled. Stainless steel objects have an average recycled content of around 60%.
Recycled Aluminum
Aluminum may also contain recycled material since scrap is of high value. If pre- and post-consumer recycled content percentages for aluminum products are not explicitly stated, check with the manufacturer to see if the percentages are known. In some cases, aluminum billet containing high recycled content can be used.
Concrete, steel and aluminum products may be used as important components of strategies to achieve other credits as well.
