5 Materials That You Can Recycle at Work

5 Materials That You Can Recycle at Work

Recycling is essential for everyone, whether you are a student, a large family of five or even a business. If we want to slow down the global climate crisis and have a brighter future, then we need to think about our impact on the environment.

As a business, it is likely that you produce a lot of waste; from paper and cardboard to glass and metal. The good thing is that most of the materials in the workplace are recyclable, and so you need to ensure that you are disposing of your waste effectively, not just for your morality as a business but because it is the law too.

The UK recently adopted a Sustainability Strategic Plan which main target is to divert 50% of all waste streams from landfill by 2022. That’s less than 2 years away! By doing your part and creating a waste management plan, you can start to make a difference as a business, too.

But, the question is, what can you recycle at work? Keep reading for 5 materials that you can recycle at work to reduce the amount of waste that you are sending to landfills.

Paper and Cardboard In The Office

Paper and cardboard will most likely be the most significant material that you can recycle at work. This is due to using paper every day in the office when printing, creating posters, and having excess cardboard from product materials and office stationery arriving in boxes day in and day out. Government legislation now places responsibility on many businesses and organisations to recycle their packaging waste and provide evidence that they have done so, too. So, not only is recycling your paper and cardboard important for boosting your brand and helping the environment, but it is the law, too.

Make sure that your workers have bins to dispose of their paper and cardboard waste quickly and efficiently. Central containers in the office are a great idea, as well as placing them next to printers where wasted paper can get recycled quickly rather than thrown away with the general waste.

Glass In Hospitality

Glass might not be something that you think of as part of your day to day office life. But for companies who work in the food industry, it can be something which passes through their employees’ hands every hour. Food sauces, for instance, tend to come in glass jars, so you need to make sure that you are cleaning them out and recycling each and every one. 

Having a bin dedicated to throwing away glass jars would be ideal so that you don’t find yourself wasting time rifling through your general container later that night or week. Glass is such an easy material to recycle, and it can be recycled numerous times so let’s do our part in making sure that jars aren’t being used just once. 

Plastic In The Office

Plastic and polystyrene is something which your office might see and use on a daily basis. Polystyrene is mainly used for packaging, so whenever you order in materials or supplies, you may have tons of this stuff laying around. Due to its bulky nature, however, you might be looking for an economical solution to disposing of this type of waste.

Plastic can be a tough material to recycle, and if we don’t dispose of this waste stream appropriately, it has devastating effects on the environment. The results have become so hard hitting that supermarkets now impose a cost for using plastic bags in their stores, to encourage people to reuse bags or bring their own. Scientists conducted tests to figure out the decomposition rate of polyethene. They recorded no Co2 production and no decomposition as the microorganisms don’t recognise it as food (unlike newspapers which take 2 to 5 months to biodegrade and banana peels which take several days).

Metal In Distribution

Depending on your business, whether it’s in distribution or labour, you could also produce a lot of metal waste. But this doesn’t need to be just another waste stream that you recycle; metal can also be a source of revenue for your company. You can turn your metal waste into a regular income stream which can be highly profitable and economically friendly at the same time

Utilise your harmful waste and recycle it; not only does this benefit the environment but your pocket, too. You’ll be able to save valuable time and expenditure while also reducing the adverse impact your company has on the environment; your overall carbon and environmental footprints are reduced, and you divert metal waste from landfills.

WEEE In The Workplace

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is classified as hazardous waste, including WEEE which contains substances like polychlorinated biphenyls and ozone-depleting substances (like fridges or freezers). The WEEE Directive (2012/12/EU) was designed to reduce the amount of electrical waste which ends up in landfills. There are national WEEE processing systems and collection points that have been created to allow consumers to separate their waste streams correctly.

As a business, this can be hard to stick to; it’s a confusing and sometimes timely process which takes time away from your working day. Not only that, but taking your waste to the collection points is just as stressful; all of your vans are being used, or maybe it’s a case of not having vans for your business to start with. Throwing away a fridge isn’t as easy as piling it into the back of your Ford Fiesta, but, this is where Fresco Environment can help…

Get Help and Support From Fresco

At Fresco Environmental, we understand it can be challenging to organise recycling when you have so many other responsibilities to take care of. As an expert in your industry and not in recycling, you might not have a clue where to start either. It’s worthwhile working with someone who knows the ins and outs of the recycling industry and how to properly dispose of your waste and diverting it away from landfills. 

Although handling your waste management strategy can be costly, Fresco Environment can help drastically decrease this cost while also taking care of the removal and recycling of your waste, too. Fresco Environmental offers competitive rebates for recycling, as well as supplying collection services, front end loaders (FEL), wheelie bins, compactors and balers, depending on your businesses needs. 

We work with all of our customers on a business to business nature, treating each company as an individual. As part of the total waste management plan we offer, we handle everything and make a continuous effort to evolve your waste management plan for your business while you focus on your duties.

Do you want more information on these materials that you can recycle at work?  Check out our website to learn more about each of these materials, as well as how Fresco Environmental can support your businesses recycling needs. No matter the size or needs of your business, we can help divert your waste from landfills and towards recycling plants where it can be recycled and reused to benefit our planet.

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