Do recycled content or environmentally preferable products cost more?
Overall, cost differences will depend on the product, its quality and the existing market conditions. There are environmentally preferable products that cost less. For example, several recycled printing papers cost less than virgin papers. Recycled plastic trash can liners (for commercial use) cost less than virgin because the postconsumer plastic resin is currently priced lower in the market than virgin plastic resin. The price of re-refined motor oil is now comparable with virgin motor oil. Also, many public agencies in the Bay Area and across the country have seen no overall cost increase switching to green cleaning products. On the other hand, environmentally preferable products may last longer or require less maintenance than their counterparts. So even with higher initial costs, substantial savings may occur over time as a result. A variety of building materials offer these benefits.
