Green Glossary

Biodegradability - relates to the amount of time it takes a substance to break down into harmless components. 

Toxicity  - relates to the negative effects of the substance on all types of organisms.

Phosphate-Free – Means that a compound is free of phosphates.  Phosphates have long been used in many cleaning products and fertilizers. They can also be found in sewage, urban and agricultural runoff. Phosphates promote plant and algae growth that can be harmful as it depletes oxygen in the water needed by other organisms. 

Post Consumer Recycled - Post-consumer material is an end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste. Post-consumer materials include recyclables collected in commercial and residential recycling programs, such as office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastics and metals.

Recyclable – the product is suitable for recycling though common methods.  This product does not necessarily contain any recycled content. 

Recycled – composed of materials that have been recovered. Recovered materials are wastes that have been diverted from conventional disposal such as landfills for another use. Recovered materials include both pre-consumer and post-consumer wastes. Pre-consumer materials are generated by manufacturers and processors, and may consist of scrap, trimmings and other by-products that were never used in the consumer market.