Proud to support Recycle Week 2017
27th September 2017
25th September -1st October 2017 is Recycle week, Recycle Week is organised by WRAP under the Recycle Now brand. The aim of the week is to encourage the public to recycle more, by demonstrating the benefits of recycling items from all around the home and office. Visit http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/recycle-week-2017 for further ideas and suggestions..jpg&size=40)
While many of us are becoming more conscious of what we waste at home, and are making efforts to improve on this, work environments are often left behind when it comes to environmentally-friendly practices. Offices in particular can be fairly habitual environments, where things don’t change very much from year to year, find out below how we at The Mill can help you become more environmentally-friendly in your work practices.
One of the benefits of being in a managed workspace is that we can provide the smaller business with the facilities on site that would normally only be available in a larger office facility. Here are some ideas to improve your recycling efforts in the workplace and how we can assist you to do this.
A printing problem
Most of the wastage that is collected from offices is in the form of paper. The number of printed documents we see is reducing rapidly but more can be done to help the environment by simply reducing the amount we unnecessarily print. It goes without saying to only print documents that definitely require a physical copy. Otherwise, stick to making digital versions of everything.
- The first and most effective way of decreasing paper waste is to decrease the consumption of paper. Firstly, you can start by setting each printer in your office to double-sided printing mode.
- If you really need to put pen to paper to get those creative juices flowing, why not opt for a whiteboard? Brainstorm using this effective and reusable resource – if you need to save your ideas for later, capture them with a phone camera!
- If that’s truly not an option, then consider printing on recycled paper. We can provide recycled A4 paper through our stationary suppliers if you’d like to try this.
- Purchase refillable ink cartridges and recycle your empties. Our toner recycle station is in the loading bay, leave any used cartridges here to be recycled.
- If you post letters out, switch to smaller envelopes: this will use less paper, and might also save the company money on postage.
- At The Mill, we can provide any documentation by email rather than paper documents, please let us know if you would prefer your invoices to be emailed to you.
- Reuse your waste - of course, some workplace rubbish is inevitable, but there’s an array of ways that we can put it to another use before it lands in the bin. For example, keep a scrap paper box somewhere in the office and reuse the paper for rough notes or reminders. Once the paper can no longer be used for writing on, shred it and use it for packing shipments.
- Once all options to reuse paper and cardboard have been exhausted, there are 2 large cardboard and paper bins located in the loading bay for you to recycle all paper products.
Location, location, location
The hardest part of creating a green office may be convincing work colleagues to take part.
- Make it easy for them by placing handy recycling bins in easily accessed places such as next to the printer or copier.
- You could also produce a list of all materials that can be recycled at The Mill, as many may just not know which items go in which bin. Paper, cardboard, plastic, toners, electrical items, and batteries can all be included in the list.
- Why not supply a few bins in the office itself for your various recycling waste streams (paper/cardboard, plastics, etc.). Proper separation of waste streams ensures that wastage produced during normal business activity, including the manufacturing and production process, is recycled in the right manner.
- Plastic items can be left in the dustbin in the loading bay, please crush plastic bottles and containers before placing in there.
The big picture is that if waste is disposed of through proper channels using our waste & recycling bins then a company’s carbon footprint can be reduced, which in a small way helps to contribute towards tackling global warming. However there are other worthwhile benefits to companies that implement successful recycling procedures.
- It’s great for the environment – the bigger picture is simple, the more waste that is segregated and recycled reduces the amount of waste going to landfill. Cutting down the amount of waste going to landfill helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses being released at landfill. Whilst at the same time the material that is recycled reduces the need for more material to be produced. For example recycling paper reduces the need for trees or forests to be cut down as existing paper can be reused.
- Lower waste collection contracts – Waste collection is not included in business rates and is therefore a cost faced by all businesses. Segregating waste internally can help reduce waste collection charges, as waste is pre-sorted when picked up by your waste collection company. This makes it easier for your waste handling company to deal with the waste they collect and make best use of it.
- Promote a positive image – A clear recycling policy helps to show staff and visitors to your site that your company has a responsible attitude towards waste, which in turn helps to promote a positive image for the company as a whole. For example if a visitor to your site sees clearly marked recycling bins in use, they immediately know that measures are in place to deal with waste in a responsible manner.
For further information about the services available at Aizlewood’s Mill and the recycling facilities we have, please contact reception or visit http://www.aizlewoodsmill.co.uk/services.
