"Post-consumer waste and Pre-consumer waste: What exactly is the difference?"

By Darrel R.
Green Office Store.com's Associate Content Editor
September 1, 2007

According to Annenberg Media, the United States generates approximately 230 million tons of solid waste every year. That translates to approximately 4.6 pounds per person, per day.

This waste, either a material or a product, can be divided into two categories: pre-consumer waste and post-consumer waste. Pre-consumer waste is a material that was discarded before it was ready for consumer use. Post-consumer waste is material discarded after someone uses it.

Post-consumer waste has served its intended purpose, passed through the hands of a final consumer, and has been discarded for disposal or recovery. Quite commonly, it is simply the garbage that individuals routinely discard, either in the trash can or a dump, or by littering, incinerating, or pouring down the drain. Pre-consumer waste is the reintroduction of manufacturing scrap (such as trimmings from paper production, defective aluminum cans, etc.) back into the manufacturing process. Pre-consumer waste is commonly used in manufacturing industries, and is often not considered recycling in the traditional sense.

In the case of paper, pre-consumer waste would be that which was printed but never used. Such as newspapers that were never bought by a consumer. Post-consumer waste in this example would be the newspaper that was bought and read and then discarded.

Another example is textiles. Pre-consumer waste textiles consist of by-product materials from the textile, fiber and cotton industries. According to the Council for Textile Recycling, each year 750,000 tons of this waste is recycled into new raw materials for the automotive, furniture, mattress, coarse yarn, home furnishings, paper and other industries. Through the efforts of this industry approximately 75 per cent of the pre-consumer textile waste that is generated is diverted from landfills and instead recycled. Post-consumer textile waste consists of any type of garments or household article, made of some manufactured textile that the owner no longer needs and decides to throw away. These articles are discarded either because they are worn out, damaged, outgrown, or out of style. They are sometimes given to charities or sold second hand, but more typically are disposed of into the trash and end up in municipal landfills.

While most recyclable materials that are sold come from post-consumer waste, both pre-consumer waste and post-consumer waste play equally invaluable roles in conserving natural resources and decreasing man's impact on the environment.