In terms of recycling, what do pre-consumer material and post-consumer material mean?
Pre-consumer material is defined as material diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process. Excluded is reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it. Example: Glass wine bottles are rejected by the wine bottle maker before having been filled with wine or sold. Another manufacturer takes these bottles and uses them in its manufacturing process. Products from this process contain pre-consumer material. Post-consumer material is defined as material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. Example: Glass wine bottles are filled with wine and sold to end-users, who consume the wine and discard the bottles. These bottles, instead of being sent to a landfill, are taken by a manufacturer, who uses them in its manufacturing process.
