Seal of the City of St. Louis
City of St. Louis
Department of Streets
Refuse Division
Recycling Program
St. Louis Recycles

Buy Reused and Recycled
Building and Construction Materials

What You Can Do

NOTE: The following information is also available as a downloadable PDF Flyer or Word document.

Whether rehabbing existing buildings or constructing new buildings, property owners and occupants can affect the recycling industry through their purchases. Buying post-consumer reused or recycled content products ensures that the materials you place in recycling bins have end uses. Useful, creative, and attractive building and construction materials are constantly being newly designed, so keep your eyes and ears open for post-consumer reused or recycled content products being introduced into the marketplace. Below are options for a variety of post-consumer reused or recycled content building and construction materials, from lighting to roofing to walls. Companies located within the City of St. Louis are noted with an image of the Arch (if in Missouri, they’re marked with the State silhouette).

When shopping, ask your retailer about the availability of products with post-consumer reused or recycled content. Even if they don’t have it now, it’ll be something for them to consider in the future, either when they’re restocking or if approached by manufacturers. If working with a contractor or a distributor, specify your preference for post-consumer reused or recycled content building and construction materials. They should be able to locate such products for you. Lastly, keep in mind that some of these products may require installation by a professional; be sure to hire an installer when recommended.

Buying Recycled Means Closing The Loop

Each time you buy post-consumer reused or recycled content products, you are supporting sustainable markets and improving the quality of our environment. Reusable and recyclable materials, such as glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, wood, steel, aluminum, and rubber, can be used multiple times in various products. Listed below are some materials you can recycle and the construction products they can be reused or recycled into. The next time you have a construction project around your house, save energy and resources by building with products reused or recycled from your waste. Also consider reusing and recycling materials discarded during demolition. glass bottle jar

Glass bottles and jars can be recycled into insulation, floor and counter tiles, drawer pulls, and glassphalt paving material. plastic bottle jug

Plastic milk jugs, soda and water bottles, and detergent containers can be recycled into carpet, lumber, pipes, and flooring. newspaper

Newspaper, office paper, food container boxes, and other paper products can be recycled into wall paneling, carpet underlayment, fiberboard, insulation and gypsum board.

Note: Check out our "Buy Reused and Recycled: Flooring" flyer for additional building and construction products.

The City of St. Louis offers this list of retailers, which is not inclusive, to help residents buy recycled. The City does not endorse any of these businesses or services. Space does not allow us to include all stores and products that may be applicable to this list. The variety and availability of these products in stores may change at anytime.

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This Page Last Modified: 10/26/09