5 Ways To Recycle Your Goods At Work

Recycling at work is relatively easy to set up and it can save you heaps of money, as well as helping you protect our environment from harm. Recycling reduces global warming and prevents any unnecessary greenhouse gases from reaching the atmosphere.

Our natural resources on our planet are limited so we must make the most to conserve, recycle and reuse whenever possible. As a company, or business you can take small steps to help with this process, by purchasing recycle friendly consumables, and parts and encouraging your staff and employees to participate.

So, you ask, why should we bother recycling?

Well good environmental practices at work will, earn your business recognition and persuade eco-minded customers to buy your products or services.

Here are the five steps you and your employees need to follow to recycle your goods:

Upcycling

Upcycling is the process of converting old or discarded materials into something useful. Doing this prevents any unnecessary waste of recyclables, that would otherwise end up in landfill and take years to degrade on site.

Consider donating old computing or audio-visual equipment to schools or charities. They will always be appreciative of equipment or materials they can use to make jumpers, candle holders and bags for example. Schools can also find new and exciting ways of crafting recyclable products that students can take home with them. DIY your electronics in the workplace rather than throw parts away.

Manage Print and Paper Consumption

Save trees. Print only what you need to. Printing paper you are not intending on using, wastes paper, electricity and money. Check if your documents need printing first. If it is an all important employee contract that needs signing (unless you use a digital signature on Microsoft Word) then fair enough. Set your documents to print double-sided.

Take advantage of digital technology by storing most of your files online, and sharing across platforms, including Google Drive and Outlook email. Skype call your long-distance workers rather than send them letters in the post.

Staff Incentives and Training

One of the biggest barriers employees face is that they are afraid of getting it wrong. Offer rewards and incentives for the most eco-conscious colleague of the month. A little friendly competition never does any harm.

Educate your staff on the many benefits on recycling as well as the process that is involved. Take them out for a day to a landfill site to see the masses of plastic and waste that will take centuries to degrade, and will pollute the oceans. Show them the devastating effects of not recycling on the planet.

Make it fun. Set up leagues to track which team is recycling the most and offer prizes at the end of each month.

Colour Code and Label your Bins

Label your waste bins at work with lists of what you can and can’t recycle. Source bins that are highly visible, and place them in as many of your work spaces as possible, to encourage your staff to dispose of their rubbish correctly.

Separate your waste bins to prevent waste contamination and to make it easy for your staff to recycle. Once you have a recycling system in place, remove any general waste bins in the office and under desks. If your staff have any concerns about this, be sure you reiterate the benefits of the new recycling system including waste reduction and cost savings.

Correct Disposal of Waste

Think about how you are storing, transporting and disposing of your waste. Immediately cutting down on your plastic usage including the use of plastic cups and cutlery can be extremely beneficial, especially if you replace with reusable glass dishware and cutlery instead. Yes, it will need to make an initial financial investment, but it will work out in the long run by reducing non-recyclable waste.

What can I recycle?

• Paper and Ink Cartridges
• Coffee grounds
• Glass bottles
• Paper rolls including kitchen and toilet roll
• Books
• Clothes
• Egg cartons
• Shoe boxes
• Mailing tubes
• Bottle caps
• Electrical equipment
• Batteries
• Cardboard
• Food and drink cans

Find out how we are working to overcome sustainability challenges here.