Recycling – Good For Your Company & The Planet
There is a great deal of emphasis placed on making our homes greener by recycling our waste responsibly but there is nothing to stop businesses getting in on the act too by extending these principles to the workplace.
Whether your business is large or small, being greener benefits your company and of course it is great for the planet too!
Why Recycle?
Taking used materials and recycling them into new products, reduces the quantity of raw materials being taken from the earth and reduces energy usage, because less energy is required to process recycled materials.
Recycling;
- Saves energy
- Reduces carbon emissions and global warming
- Reduces the quantity of rubbish that ends up in landfill
It is estimated that up to 60% of the rubbish thrown in dustbins annually in the UK could have been recycled.
What Could Your Company Recycle?
PAPER & CARDBOARD – If nothing else, the majority of businesses tend to recycle their paper products. This reduces the number of trees that are cut down and because the process of recycling paper produces 70% less air pollution than in production from raw materials.
PLASTIC – Considering it takes up to 500 years for some plastics to decompose, this is an important material to recycle, even though it is more difficult to process than other materials.
GLASS – No glass bottles or jars should end up in landfill sites because this material that will not decompose over time and it is a 100% recyclable material that can be used over and over again.
SUITABLE FOOD WASTE – Wherever there is a kitchen, there is food waste and even in the workplace it is worth providing a facility for all of your used coffee grounds, teabags, fruit peelings and so on. This material can be turned into excellent quality compost for planters or the garden and will repay you with healthy happy plants!
The type of waste you produce as a company will depend on your industry but other items to consider could include:
BATTERIES – The vital resources in batteries; including lead, cadmium, zinc, mercury and lithium can be recovered and reused when batteries are recycled. That’s got to beat putting them in landfill where in the long term they will pollute the soil and our water ways. Some companies will collect your batteries on request so this is an option worth considering.
COMPUTERS – Ever changing technology and regular upgrades mean that computers account for a depressing quantity of technological waste.
It is however possible to recycle your unwanted PC’s in an environmentally friendly way. Options include; donating your equipment to a charity, taking advantage of retailer take back schemes when purchasing new equipment and making use of recycling points.
MOBILE PHONES – There are a number of different companies that will pay you for your used and unwanted mobile telephones and some even use them to raise money for charity organisations, creating a win, win situation all round!
INK CARTRIDGES – This is another product that as a business you can recycle and earn some extra money from, just like mobile phones. So it would be crazy to throw them in the bin and let them end up in landfill.
Does Your Business Produce A High Volume Of Waste?
If the answer to this question is yes, you would benefit from a high tech solution from a specialist company like Phoenix Compactors & Balers who could help your business to increase efficiency, save money and become greener.
The Bottom Line…
If you make it easy for individuals to recycle, they will. Half the battle is providing the right facilities for the different materials and then making it convenient. Help your company do it’s bit for the planet and recycle.
