Recycling - AT WORK 

 

It can be difficult enough at work as it is, without thinking of recycling.

 
But the facts are the amount of waste we generate in the office - be it paper, cardboard, plastic cups or milk cartons - is all ending up in the worst possible place - landfill sites.

 
And they're filling up at a rate of an Oasis full every two hours! A pretty frightening thought, we hope you agree.

That's why we've teamed up with the Hills Group here in Swindon to try and show what a difference recycling at work can make - and how simple it can be, even for the busiest of workforces.

 
Simple steps

 
The key thing to remember here is:

 
Reduce, Re-use and Recycle

 
Quite obviously, if we reduce the amount of office material we use during the day, we will also reduce the amount of waste we produce.

 
Paper: is it possible to re-use scrap pieces of paper for note taking? Or at least write on both sides.

 

Photocopying: only copying documents when it's absolutely necessary is a good start. As is copying on both sides of the paper.

 
Envelopes: for internal documents, it's always worth re-using envelope.

Stickers: is the computerised mailing list full of dud addresses? Regular checking will not only reduce label use but also paper and envelopes - and postage costs!

 
Wallet folders: always re-use file dividers and other storage items.

 
Paper clips and staples: we all know staples can't be re-used, so the use of paper clips is the better option. It may sound like a pretty insignificant gesture, but if everyone in office saved one staple a day in the UK, 72 tonnes of metal would be saved evey year!

 

Pens: it's the plastic bit that causes the problems, so if you can buy them made of recycled plastic all the better. We can vouch that they certainly don't taste any different!

Teamwork

 
The secret of any successful business - and certainly one that wants to recycle properly and efficiently.

 
The only takes one cynic in the office to flatterly refuse to recycle even a paper cup, and you'll find his workmates (if he/she has got any) soon pretty ambivalent to the whole 'green thing' as well.

 
It just takes a little thought and a polite request for everyone to try their hardest.

 
The simple thing being that if everyone makes an effort to reduce, re-use and recycle as little as 20%, collectively they can make a real difference.

 
What now?

 
If you've been inspired by what you've seen here then now's the time to take action.

 
Appoint someone in charge of recycling: someone who is keen to make it happen and can organise what needs to be done.

 
Ask Hills: as Swindon's recycling experts, Hills can help make the whole process easier than you think. Even extending to a pick-up service where they can supply special recycling bins and remove and sort the contents for you.

 
That way, the people at work don't have to worry about which bin is which - they just put their items in marked container and Hills do the rest.

 
For full details, please click on the link below.