Recycling At Work

Some people may wonder why recycling is so important. In the world we live in now, we should all be ideally recycling at home and in the work place to protect the environment for the future. Materials collected from recycling are used to manufacture new products and require less energy to make compared to producing products from virgin materials. In a landfill, many types of waste generate harmful greenhouse gases. By recycling one tonne of aluminium, it saves seven tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere! Setting up and putting in place recycling procedures can be easy for people to stick to and remember. Recycling in the work place can be cost effective and can save the company money in the long term. It is often cheaper or a comparable price to general waste disposal. In many cases, businesses save money on general waste services by introducing recycling schemes. If you are recycling materials you are therefore reducing the amount of waste that needs to be sent to landfills, as a result you will be able to renegotiate your waste disposal contract. Receiving less general waste collections and saving money. In the UK, we use 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard every year! By just recycling paper and cardboard in the workplace, it could save space and reduce clutter. Over a quarter of companies who recycle at work say that they have saved space by having designated areas and clearly labelled containers and bins for specific materials. When setting up a recycling scheme, it is important to consider the design and how the materials will be managed. Regular collections need to be set up and arranged, the business will also need to be aware that a recycling waste contractor may request a visit to review their needs. It is very important to consider the locations of both internal and external recycling containers and bins on business premises. A well situated recycling container will increase the capture of the requested material and minimise contamination. When situating a container you need to think where the material will be most likely to be generated, also consider the health and safety implications of where the containers will be placed. An external container will require easy access for the recycling waste contractor. The general waste and recyclable material collections need to be managed. Dependant on service provision, the general waste and recyclable materials can be collected by separate waste contractors, on different days. When setting up a recycling scheme, it needs to be co-ordinated to meet the requirements of the recycling waste carriers. To make sure that the segregation of the requested recyclable materials is efficient, recycling containers must be clearly labelled. A successful recycling scheme requires support from all staff. Staff will not mind change, as long as it is convenient and easy to use. Staff need to understand what materials are being requested to be recycled and where they should put them. When the recycling scheme has been set up, it will require a launch date, so staff are clear about when to start using the service and how to use it. This could include a demonstration or training sessions of the service, where staff are able to ask any questions they may have. It is important that once the scheme has begun, staff should receive regular updates on the achievements it has brought in order to aid motivation and keep the recycling scheme successful!