Consumers looking to buy environmentally-friendly products can benefit by understanding a few key terms.

"Recycled" products may or may not be made from 100 percent recycled material. The package should tell you how much of the product is actually recycled.

If a product is made from "post-consumer" materials, it is made from items such as used newspapers and glass, plastic or aluminum containers. Products made from "pre-consumer" materials likely were made from recycled scraps left over from the manufacturing of other goods.

"Recyclable" claims on product packaging refer to products that are re-usable or can be made into other useful products. For these products to help the environment, consumers must actually follow their community's recycling programs.

Also, think about taking advantage of retailers' efforts to help you recycle. For example, grocery stores may take back grocery bags or other retailers may let you return empty printer ink cartridges to their stores.

"Biodegradable" products are those that break down naturally when exposed to moisture or the air. "Photodegradable" products disintegrate on exposure to sufficient sunlight.

As the Federal Trade Commission points out, just because a product is biodegradable or photodegradable doesn't necessarily mean that it's better for the environment, especially if it winds up in a landfill. It can take decades for these products to break down when"buried under tons of garbage in a landfill.

For more information, see the FTC's publication, "Taking Out the Trash: Sorting Out Recycling Claims" (available online at www.ftc.gov).

Opinions expressed solely are those of the writer. Joseph Pellicciotti is a lawyer, professor and associate vice chancellor at Indiana University Northwest.