With our carbon footprint an increasingly pressing topic on everyone’s mind, there’s no better place to implement more environmentally-friendly practices than in the office. As well as reusing workplace resources and reducing energy consumption as much as possible, recycling is a key facet of improving your company’s environmental profile.
It’s estimated that on average, an office of 100 people will produce 20 bags of rubbish each week. Over the course of a year, that adds up to well over 1,000 bags of the stuff! Recycling as much as possible in the workplace is key to bringing that figure down, so here are some pointers to get you started on your journey towards becoming a zero-landfill enterprise (or as close to it as humanly possible).
Paper and cardboard
The most obvious commodity which springs to mind when it comes to recycling office wares is paper. First of all, you can reduce the amount of paper you produce significantly by only printing when absolutely necessary – with more and more information being stored in the cloud and more and more transactions taking place online, you might find that printing has become all-but obsolete.
Of course, there are some occasions when you do require a hard copy, but you can immediately slash your paper consumption in half simply by always choosing a double-sided layout, preferably with black and white ink as opposed to colour. Finally, have plenty of paper recycling receptacles around the office for people to responsibly dispose of unwanted waste.
Food and drink items
Another prime suspect when it comes to recycling in the office are the bottles, cans and other food and drink receptacles which employees bring in with them. While individually these may not amount to much, collectively the output from an entire workforce can be huge. For that reason, it’s vital to have adequate recycling facilities posted all over the premises with colour-coded displays to make sure everyone knows what goes where.
If possible, you could even introduce an organic food recycling programme, whereby scraps from the office kitchen are saved from landfill and instead diverted towards serving as compost. A really green office could even use these resources to service its own herb or plant garden onsite.
Electronic waste
Offices are invariably choc-a-bloc with mountains of hardware, from computers and telephones to printers and scanners. Regardless of the size of the item involved, it’s essential that you dispose of it responsibly, since many units can contain hazardous materials such as lead and mercury, so contract professional e-waste services to make sure you are not inadvertently harming the environment when upgrading your office equipment.
This doesn’t just stop at hardware, either. The fluorescent bulbs which light most offices, the toner cartridges which service office printers and the batteries which power all manner of office devices can also be disposed of in a conscientious and environmentally-friendly way.
Get professional help
While it might seem like a chore to undertake recycling of all of the products that are used and exhausted on almost a daily basis in a bustling office, doing so will lessen your company’s impact on the planet and keep the environment healthy for future generations.
With that lofty ideal in mind, it’s a good idea to contract a professional outfit who can take care of all your recycling needs in one bespoke package. Whether it’s simple mixed recycling services you require or more complex disposal of difficult and cumbersome items, Regional Services have a recycling package on hand that’s right for you. Give us a call on 020 7708 3814 or send us a message today and we’ll work with you to devise an appropriate recycling service that meets your needs.
