If you recycle less than 100% of your recyclable items, now’s the time to make a change! With more companies striving to achieve carbon-neutral status, it's essential to direct all waste materials down the appropriate route for their type. As the population grows year on year, our environmental impact increases too. We need to take responsibility to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible. Simple actions like recycling everything we can and ensuring proper recycling practices go a long way.
Get Workplace Recycling Right
This is crucial as the commercial sector produces huge amounts of waste, and improper processing and segregation can harm the environment. It's also important for all employees to work together to recycle, just as they do at home. Follow these top tips:
Find out what recycling processes your organisation has in place – if these are minimal, could more be implemented or existing ones improved?
Each room should have a general waste bin and mixed recyclables bin. Label the bins clearly to avoid confusion.
Ensure all recyclable items go into the bins clean and dry.
Don’t be lazy – clean dirty tins, jars, and bottles before recycling!
Check if your company offers recycling of items like WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment), batteries, and glass.
If you're part of a managed building, ask the management about recycling processes and be sure to follow them.
Construction and Manufacturing Companies
In addition to standard recycling procedures, construction and manufacturing companies need to consider the waste materials they generate and whether these could be recycled. Most things can! Site Management Services works with several partners to provide specialist services to ensure certain materials are recycled. Examples include:
Plastic ice cream tubs
Plasterboard
Wood
Metal
Mattresses
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
How else can your business reduce its carbon footprint?
Reduce your energy usage – switch off lights, monitors, and equipment when not in use.
Use energy-efficient light bulbs or LED lighting.
Try to use less paper in office environments.
Buy recycled paper where you can.
Opt for laptops instead of desktop computers – they can use up to 80% less power!
Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
Ensure company appliances – fridges, dishwashers, kettles, toasters, and microwaves – are energy-efficient models.
Consider using ceiling fans rather than power-hungry air conditioning.
Evaluate your heating system – is it efficient? Is the building well insulated? These factors help keep costs and emissions to a minimum.
Encourage employees to walk or cycle to work to reduce car usage.
Consider electric cars for company car schemes.
Household Recycling
Recycling at home and when out and about is just as important as in the workplace. Make sure you are recycling all possible items – paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, metal tins and cans, and aerosols.
Ensure items are clean and dry before recycling.
Check your local council website to confirm what items are locally recycled.
If your council doesn’t offer kerbside glass collections, take your clean, dry glass containers to your local bring bank.
Take any unwanted clothing or textiles to a local bring bank where they can be reused, repurposed, or recycled.
If there are no recycling bins in public, consider taking recyclable items home to recycle.
Developments in Plastic Recycling
Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental concerns. Globally, a million plastic bottles are purchased per minute, with most of this plastic ending up in the ocean. Manufacturers are now offering mineral water in metal cans to lower the amount of plastic waste generated. Site Management Services is always looking for new ways to recycle different types of plastic and is planning a plastic recycling trial soon. In the meantime, we already work with partners to highlight the impact of plastic pollution on our environment, local seas, and wider oceans.
Site Management Services Can Help You Go Green!
We offer a varied and flexible commercial waste management service and are happy to chat through the most appropriate options for your business – every company is different and will require a slightly tailored approach. We also offer skip and grab hire for one-off projects. Rest assured that all our skips and grab loads are taken to our materials recovery facilities across the south coast and thoroughly sorted to ensure every recyclable item is extracted and directed to the right place. We are proud advocates of diverting waste from landfill and endeavour to recycle up to 100% of the waste that we handle.
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