Recycling for a greener office
Recycling for a greener office

Recycling for a greener office

Nowadays most business people would like to run their firms in an environmentally friendly way wherever possible, both for themselves and for their clients and staff. The best way to start is with an overhaul of recycling arrangements, which can produce an immediate positive effect without too much cost or upheaval.

The first major benefit of recycling is the reduction of landfill. At present, a large proportion of domestic and industrial rubbish goes into dumps, where it presents an environmental hazard through the pollution of the air and watercourses. The space used by landfill is also at a premium.

In addition to reducing landfill, recycling also cuts down on the demand for the raw materials (such as metals) used in industrial production. Manufacturing processes which use recycled materials are also more energy-efficient, so require less fuel. This means a saving of fossil fuels and also fewer carbon emissions, and therefore less greenhouse gases.

In addition to paper of various kinds, your office is likely to produce waste in the form of metals such as aluminium cans, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles, disposable cups and more. All of these can be recycled and should be considered as part of your policy, as well as items such as printer cartridges and batteries.

If you have to engage a local recycling contractor, make sure the firm can deal with the whole range of waste your office produces. Different types of paper will need to be handled separately, and you will need to check how many other materials can be accepted.

When making arrangements with your recycling contractor, you will probably have to choose between delivering the recycling containers yourself and having them collected from the office. This may be more convenient, but don’t forget that waste takes up a lot of room and you will have to find a place to store it whilst awaiting collection.

If your office produces quantities of confidential waste you will need to consider how to incorporate its disposal into your recycling strategy. Shredding it on site may not be the best way; bear in mind that there are specialist firms which will shred papers securely and then recycle them.

Your employees are going to be making an important contribution to the success of your recycling policy, so be sure to involve them in the planning process. Most people nowadays accept the importance of recycling, but they will still need training and support if the policy is to work out as it should.

Bear in mind that going green is likely to benefit your business as well as the environment; many leading companies have acknowledged the advantages of adopting green policies. Being seen to act with corporate responsibility will improve your brand image and can also attract ecologically-minded customers.

It’s not difficult to start working out a new office recycling policy, and the results can be good for your company as well as the environment. Your workforce and your customers will appreciate your efforts and you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you are acting responsibly.

Do note that Buff Power do recycling of batteries in a safe way without harming the environment. So do contact us when you have any batteries for you to recycle. You will also be saving money by doing this.

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