Recycling has been a hot topic for many years, but it is only recently that offices have jumped on board and started to recycle. If your workplace isn’t one of those organisations that’s joined the trend, here are few ways to get you on the right track to being environmentally friendly.
1. Set up recycling paper bin
Offices use too much paper, even in this “paperless” world we are all supposed to be working in. A simple way to counteract this is to ensure you have a recycled paper box where people can quickly and easily dispose of paper they no longer need.
One way to reduce the number amount of paper used in the first place is to set up swipe cards for your copy machine. This means people will have to swipe the photocopier with their card to retrieve their printing job. All jobs will be wiped at the end of the day, saving time and the amount of paper that’s used for printing.
2. Encourage bottle recycling
People go through many bottles of water per day, so make sure there is a place where people can recycle their water. In some countries, people are reimbursed for every bottle they bring in to be recycled. Implement a similar system in your workplace: Encourage employees to recycle by offering small monetary rewards, and save up the money you generated to be spent on a night out with colleagues.
3. Recycle printer cartridges
Not enough people know that these can be recycled as well, with just 15 percent of the 60 million printer cartridges sold in the UK recycled each year.
A few organisations offer free collection if you have more than 25 print cartridges ready to be recycled. There are some recycling programmes that are affiliated to a remanufacturer, office dealer or printing services company, so check where you bought the cartridges from to see if they run this scheme.
4. Do a big Spring clean-put
Encourage your staff to get rid of items they don’t need every Spring. This can be anything from clothes to books, or even furniture. Set up a car boot sale and the money generated can go to the company’s charity – it’s really important to Spring clean your office to clear out all the stuff you no longer need. Remember – what’s one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
5. Support the community
Charities and schools often recycle as a way to earn money for themselves or for a chosen charity. If you’re a large company or simply don’t need any additional revenue from recycling, donate your cartridges or bottles to your favourite charity or school in the local community.
It’s very easy to set up a recycling scheme, so everyone should be actively doing it. It can be as simple as contacting your local council to find the best places in your area to recycle. For those in Victoria, there are many printing services in Melbourne who take old printer and ink cartridges so they avoid going into landfill.
