The Federal Trade Commission defines post-consumer recycled content as materials that have been recovered or diverted from the municipal solid waste stream. A good example is that plastic water bottle you tossed into your curb-side recycle bin. Instead of that item going to a landfill, it goes to a recycling center where it is processed and reconstituted into an acceptable aftermarket material. That material is sold to converters (like Genpak) who turn it into usable products once again.
According to the EPA, one of the best ways to reduce the amount of waste headed to a landfill is to recycle. The good news is, as a country we are dramatically increasing the amount of municipal solid waste we recycle every year. As this chart indicates, in 2012 we recycled over 34% of the MSW generated! Let us keep up that great work!