Office Recycling and Waste Management Made Easy

It often seems there is a lot written about companies needing to focus on recycling and waste management, but there is little in the way of practical guidance on the subject for SMEs. However, there is a lot that can be achieved without too much effort, and there are rewards from it too. What follows explains the effective options. 

In reality, many SMEs have a lot of their recycling and waste management needs already sorted out through local authority bin collections, but if not the first thing is to create a simple plan. It does not take much doing, and is based on recycling categories, which in most cases are: 

• Paper

• Cardboard

• Glass

• Batteries

• Tins and cans

• Plastics, including bottles

• Printer cartridges

• Food waste

• Electrical equipment 
  

We know the basics of what to do for most of these categories from how we sort through them at home. With the exception of companies that produce industrial or chemical waste, the practices involved are similar to domestic situations, just on a bigger scale. If the challenge is too large or complex, then free advice is available.  Waste management companies will provide a free audit, and produce a tailored plan, but usually it is mostly a matter of having recycling bins as part of a straightforward recycling and waste management protocol.

Managed offices often have community recycling bins, in which case landlords take care of most of the practical element. However, many businesses do have to establish a way of recycling. 

Making it as easy as possible for staff to recycle is important, and having the appropriate bins readily accessible makes their correct use more likely – nobody wants to trudge around the back of a building in the cold and wet to start sorting waste into different containers. One way to make is easier is as follows:   

• Put bins for paper and card near desks. 

• Bins for printer cartridges should unsurprisingly, be placed next to printers. 

• Bins for cans and plastics should be placed in kitchen or dining areas. 

In addition, it may be helpful to have a small bin for batteries that can be emptied a few times a year. Unwanted electrical items can normally be taken to local authority recycling and waste centre to strip them for useful components. However, there is a growing movement towards refurbishing photocopiers, PCs, laptops and mobile telephones. Not only is it good for the planet, but it saves money too.    

Then there is the question of what to do with the sorted material when it needs taking away. If there is not too much of it, local authorities will take care of it as part of the normal rubbish collection round, but if there is a lot, it may be necessary to get a company to take it. Such companies frequently charge by weight. It is useful to understand typical costs.

• Mixed paper £12 to 26 per tonne

• Mixed glass £9 to 19 per tonne

• Mixed plastics £10 to 80 per tonne

A tonne is a large amount no matter what type of waste, which means most smaller businesses can usually absorb the costs involved without too much difficulty. But there are ways to make things cheaper. For example, bailers for compacting carboard can make it possible to transport card waste by car from office to a local authority recycling centre.

Introducing a composter for food waste is also popular with some businesses, and are best located in kitchen areas. Disposal of contents is not normally a problem. Often a keen gardener is to be found within a company, or a local allotment group is grateful for being able to take contents away. However, it is best to sort out disposal before introducing a composter.  

There is also a need to create employee buy in to recycling. Some members of staff will be keen to be involved. It can be productive to ask staff for recycling ideas, and thoughts on reducing the amount of waste. They know how their element of the business works better than anyone else, and they will have insights nobody else does. There is extensive research to show most people want to work for companies with robust environmental programmes, and that this is becoming a key factor in talent retention and recruitment. For these reasons, it helps to track success with recycling, and report progress to staff. Understanding results helps to give purpose to actions.

Because every business is different, each has a unique waste pattern that has to be assed individually. Many hours can be spent on this trying to fine tune measurement, but it can usually be done more simply by finding out the volume of the bins being used and roughly how much they are being filled each week or every two weeks depending on the local authority collection cycle. If more is going into bins, then the amount of recycling is increasing. The free self assessment calculator by The Business of Recycling may help https://businessofrecycling.wrap.org.uk/calculator

Ironically, increasing the amount of recycling may not always be a good thing with the best result coming from reducing consumption through initiatives such as reducing use of paper, or managing to repurpose or refurbish products such as furniture and electronic equipment. There are impressive examples of doing this, and the cost savings can be considerable. In one case, a medium sized legal practice went paper free and calculated that it saved more than £300,000 a year. It may not be possible to stop the use of paper altogether, but reducing its use can make a noticeable difference in paper and ink usage. 

Not buying single use items can make a difference too. For example, not using plastic cups and utensils, which are a more expensive short term option compared to traditional metal, glass and ceramic alternatives. Water cooler cups can be a problem because although they may be card based, many have a plastic coating that prevents recycling.

One more initiative to consider is reducing waste through employee homeworking. It clearly makes a difference to the amount of waste produced in offices. It means the savings can be considerable, and it also reduces the emissions created from travelling to and from work. 

Next Steps

Getting started is always the biggest step on the road to sustainability, and waste management and recycling is no exception. Drawing up a plan with simple action points under the main waste categories such as paper, plastics, glass etc is a convenient way to begin. It provides an opportunity to establish a system that can be refined and increased in scope and effect as it develops. As more knowledge and recycling ideas are discovered, the more progress can be made. It will add up to make a real difference.