Office Waste And Recycling

What can you do with waste produced in the office?

Offices typically produce waste such as paper, plastic bottles, tin cans, drinks cans, printer cartridges and toners. All of these items can now be regularly recycled, and there are collection services available for most if not all of these.

What is the most commonly wasted resource in offices?

The most commonly wasted resource in offices is still paper. Most times paper is not necessarily needed to be printed out, or reports printed out. It's just as easy to read information on screen and keep electronic communications rather than hard copy. Also, paper can be printed double sided rather than single sided, cutting down the amount of paper consumed, and companies can buy recycled paper that's now of a quality that matches paper supplied from virgin pulp.

Where is the best place to start with office recycling?

The best place to start with office recycling is to undertake a waste audit. Companies such as "Green Your Office" offer a cleaning and greening service. This means that if your company has a high volume of items such as paper and cardboard, they can set up a skip system and introduce a collection service on a regular basis. If there is a lower volume of paper, for example, that is being wasted, then bags or boxes can be used, and companies can come and collect that with the cleaners offering an oversight facility to try and encourage that recycling to take place.

How long will it take to establish an office recycling system?

An office recycling system can take just a few days to become very well established in an organization. Once you've drawn up a policy and you've conducted a waste audit, you can move quickly to ordering some appropriate recycling containers and introduce a system that just becomes a habit for people in the work place. This is a simple process to go through; it really doesn't have to take a great deal of time.

Who runs recycling schemes for businesses?

Traditional companies that have provided waste management services often also provide a recycling service. There are also a number of charities and smaller companies now who are providing this - both recycling collection and reprocessing services. Therefore it's best to look at what your needs are in your own particular company before choosing a particular supplier.

What are recycling collection services?

In a typical office, containers need to be at convenient locations. Say, for example, there might be a handy desk-side container to place your office waste in. There would be containers in the kitchens, in the washrooms, in communal areas, in meeting rooms to collect cans, bottles, etc. These will then be bagged or otherwise transferred to the external containers, the wheelibins or the skips for the collection company to come and take away.

How much is an office recycling policy likely to cost?

An office recycling policy and it's implementation is likely to cost a minimal amount of money. Firstly, most offices are already paying for their waste to be properly disposed of. Therefore, introducing a recycling system can be offset against this cost. Some companies can even save money by increasing their recycling and reducing their residual waste collection.