Cooperative Recycled Paper Purchasing

The Integrated Waste Management Board is pleased to refer interested parties to the following recycled paper procurement opportunity made possible through the efforts of the Solana Center of Encinitas, California, and funding support by the U.S. EPA Region 9. (Note: The information on this page is revised and updated from a message that was originally posted with the title of "Buying Recycled Doesn't Have to Be More Expensive" on the Grass Roots Recycling Network's electronic mailing list (listserv), Green Yes.)

Purchasers for public agencies or businesses will be interested in knowing:

• The Solana Center has formed the Recycled Products Cooperative (RPC) and offers this service to both the public and private sectors.
• The goal of the RPC is to increase the use of recycled paper in the public and private sectors. The cooperative is accomplishing this goal by providing 30 percent postconsumer recycled paper that meets or beats the price that many businesses and public agencies pay for virgin fiber paper.
• The purchasing process is easy. There is no cost to be a member of the cooperative. Interested parties contact the Solana Center to receive pricing information and a customer number, which guarantees the co-op's discount pricing schedule. This number is then used by the member to purchase direct through the supplier for all future orders.
• The paper available is tested and recommended by the U.S. Government Printing Office. It is 8.5-by-11-inch white, multiuse office copy paper, consisting of 30 percent postconsumer recycled content, and it is processed elemental chlorine-free.

The co-op is open for enrollment in all 50 states and lists its contact information on its website.