Post-consumer waste are items that have reached their end use and then have been placed in recycling bin and sent to a waste collection facility. At the collection facility, the items are sorted by type and sent to reclamation sites. For paper, post-consumer fiber is sent to a pulp mill to be made into post-consumer pulp. The pulp is then used in the paper making process.

Pre-consumer waste is waste that has not reached its end use. It can best be described with an example. A large (or parent size) sheet of paper is used when making paper envelopes. However, the pattern for the envelope is cut out of the parent size sheet and used as an envelope. The remaining portion of the sheet is then sent back to a pulp mill to be pulped and then used as pre-consumer recycled fiber.