With the GreenOps program, that plastic water bottle you shouldn't have bought could become a dress few people should wear.

RODALE NEWS, ANAHEIM, CA—Last week, more than 53,000 members of the natural products industry crowded into the Anaheim Convention Center for Natural Products Expo West to seek out the next big things in the organic and natural-products world. Despite the lagging economy, more than 1,900 exhibiting companies sprawled over 300,000 square feet, trying to entice buyers to carry their products.

Rodale.com was there, and here are the five biggest trends we spotted. Some of these are starting to surface in stores already; all will likely gain momentum as the year rolls on.

1. Trackable recyclables. If tossing plastic bottles into curbside recycling makes you wonder where they end up, you'll like the EcoStations slated to pop up in Whole Foods stores around Earth Day. These stations will recycle 100 percent of the approved containers consumers drop off, which isn't always true with other recycling programs. Under the GreenOps program, consumers take plastic, glass, and aluminum beverage containers marked with the GreenOps label to EcoStations, scan the barcode, and get a receipt to track them through the recycling process. Your containers could be turned into other containers, rugs, shirts, jeans, bags, or other cool things.

2. Non-GM food labels. USDA-certified organic food products don't use genetically modified (GM) food crops in their products. But even nonorganic companies are starting to let consumers know that they’re keeping these controversial ingredients out of their edibles. For now, you’ll have to take the food maker’s word, but independent certification is in the works. GM foods have been linked to an increase in allergies, immune problems, and even cancer.

3. Greek yogurt. Check this out if you want yogurt with a little more substance to it. Greek is thicker and creamier because of a skimming process that removes a lot of the liquid, leaving a concentrated product that offers twice the protein and fewer carbs than traditional yogurt. Greek yogurt stands were all over the Expo; we particularly liked Stonyfield's Oikos brand—it's certified organic.

4. Stainless steel instead of plastic. The BPA scare had many people switch to stainless steel water bottles. Now a lot of those same folks are stoked about stainless steel food containers. Why? Because plastic containers have been shown to leech chemicals into food, even when they're not heated. Plus, stainless steel is so much sleeker and shinier.

5. NSF-certified organic personal care products. In the next few months, you'll start to see the NSF "Made with Organic" and Quality Assurance International labels on certain personal care products that have been certified by a third party. This is a big step, and one consumers are demanding. Shampoos, lotions, and cosmetics with the label won't contain potentially harmful ingredients like parabens, petroleum-derived chemical fragrances, sodium laureth sulfate, or compounds whose names are such a mouthful that they’re referred to by acronyms, such as PEG, MEA, DEA, or PPG.