Committing to recycling your office waste can make a big difference to the impact that your organisation has on the environment. When you make a commitment to recycling you’re not only reducing the waste that you send to landfill but also helping to create options for materials that can be used to make new products. There are also some great tax benefits to recycling and this kind of approach makes your values clear, which can boost confidence and engagement with the business among staff. There are obviously many clear benefits to office recycling but how do you start to get a scheme set up?

Recycling tips for offices

• Go further than just paper and plastic. There are many more materials that can be recycled other than just paper and plastic. For example, you can set up office recycling that also extends to electronics, metal and food waste too.
• Make the switch to a more paperless environment. Paper can be one of the biggest waste products for any business, simply because so much of it gets used every day. Although a fully paperless environment may not be feasible for your business right now, any steps that you can take towards this will make a difference. Think carefully about where, and how, you use paper in the business and what options are available to take this online instead.
• Do a waste audit. This is a great place to start when it comes to recycling because you’ll be able to see exactly where the business is creating a lot of waste and where recycling could make a big difference. This may be especially necessary in the post-COVID return to work, for example is your business now generating much more cardboard waste from delivery boxes.
• Set the tone in the office with a recycling policy. The more you encourage your staff to recycle, the more they will start to look for other opportunities to help the business be greener. Embed this into the business’ values and provide incentives for getting on board with a recycling-driven approach.
• Focus on key areas e.g. takeaway lunches. If your business is dealing with a lot more waste from individual lunch purchases, encourage your team to choose options that are recyclable so that you’re not ending up with a lot of polystyrene or single use plastic cutlery that can only end up in landfill.
• Put plenty of recycling bins around the office. The more opportunities you provide to your staff to recycle, the easier they will find it and the more it will become a habit.
• Have your own reusable bottles and cups. The more landfill waste your business generates, the more you will have to pay for this to be removed from the premises so it’s in your interests to encourage people to make more positive choices. One simple way to do this is to provide reusable bottles and cups so that disposable options aren’t being purchased externally and then dumped in the office bins.

Integrating more recycling into your office environment requires a few simple shifts – and can make a big difference. Find out how MBM Omega can help your office become more sustainable through our Office Recycling services…