Switching to recycled products takes minimal effort, but can have a large impact on resource consumption. Consider this, the average American uses 50 pounds of tissue paper (toilet paper, paper towels, etc) a year, according to Conservatree, a non-profit seeking to convert paper markets to environmental papers.

The key to shopping for recycled paper products is to pay attention to labels. Beyond the brand names and colorful pictures lies information on recycled content, post consumer waste content and the method of bleaching used. Be sure to look for goods that have the highest Post Consumer Waste (PCW) content. The percentage of PCW in a recycled product refers to the amount of pulp derived from paper that was used by consumers and then recycled. This saves trees and promotes the use of recycled paper.

Seek out products labeled Processed Chlorine Free (PCF). This means that no additional chlorine or chlorine derivatives have been used to bleach the final recycled product. Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) may also appear on labels of recycled products. However, such labels mean a chlorine derivative has been used to bleach the paper. Although ECF reduces emissions compared with chlorine gas, it still contributes dioxins into the environment.