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Company Recycling Schemes – Guidelines For Buying Recycling Containers

by Mark Walters on March 1, 2010


There are many factors that need to be considered when setting up a new recycling scheme in your company. For example, what types of waste will be recycled, how much waste will be produced, how many, and what type, of containers will be required, and do these need to adhere to a particular color scheme? With all these different aspects to think about, it is easy to forget to take into consideration the environmental impact of the recycling bins themselves.

A large proportion of recycling and waste bins are manufactured from plastic, and a around 9% of global oil production is presently used in the manufacturing of plastics. Extracting this resource requires vast quantities of energy, and the process of plastic production uses harmful chemicals, whilst emitting pollutants and greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. It is easy to see how, despite being created with the intention of benefiting the environment, the manufacturing of recycling bins still have detrimental effects.

Fortunately, there are things that you can do to minimize the negative effects that result from recycling bins…

- Purchase quality products. Look for containers that are well constructed and durable. Recycling containers for commercial use will need to withstand far greater wear and tear than those used within homes. Opt for well made products that are less likely to need replacing and will last for years to come. Many recycling schemes will become self funding in just a few years from the cost savings of diverting waste from landfill.

- Look for products with recycled plastic content. Many recycling containers are now manufactured with a percentage of recycled plastic. This reduces the need for extraction of virgin materials and will also reduce energy consumption and emissions. As an example, producing recycled plastic carrier bags uses two thirds less energy, and 90% less water, compared to virgin production.

- Buy second-hand recycling containers. The best way you can minimize environmental impacts in waste management is through re-using existing products. If you can find good quality second-hand recycling containers then this will prevent the bins from simply being discarded. You would be surprised at how many large corporations end up with redundant containers from an altered pilot recycling project.

Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years. For more info, visit http://www.ware4.co.uk

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Can Your Company Become Greener?

by Mark Walters on February 3, 2010


Being an environmentally aware company not only looks good to customers and the community, it can also significantly reduce costs. So, what can be done to make a company greener and cleaner?

Reduce wastage – Practically every company produces waste of some sort, whether it be paper or left over raw products, and where there is waste, there is a way of reducing it. Being more careful and precise when creating products, using less packaging, and sending invoices electronically, are just a few examples of ways that wastage can be reduced.

Re-Use Paper – Paper is the most wasted item in most companies, despite it being relatively easy to re-use, or to not use at all. A few ideas to consider are printing on both sides of a piece of paper, keeping scrap paper next to the printer for use for internal / test documents, and sending emails rather than letters.

Buy Recycled Paper – Producing one tonne of recycled paper saves 3000 liters of water and 78% energy use. Air emissions of gases such as CO2 are cut by 95% and there is less pollution because recycled paper is not bleached with chlorine. As for purchasing recycled paper, it is no more expensive than virgin paper, and nowadays the quality is as good.

Recycle Printer Cartridges – Around 2 million printer cartridges are discarded every year. Recycling cartridges is easy as many suppliers offer a return scheme for used cartridges. Using recycled toner cartridges reduces demand for raw materials and they can be purchased for as little as half the price of non-recycled cartridges.

Re-Use Cups – Plastics are harmful to the environment both when they are produced (various chemicals are emitted) and when they are disposed of (taking hundreds of years to decompose). Therefore, it really is inexcusable to not re-use the same plastic cup throughout the day, or to even do away with plastic cups altogether and just use mugs instead.

Recycle Aluminum – Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, and the production of a recycled aluminum product emits just 5% of the amount of CO2 that is emitted when a brand new aluminum product is produced. So, considering the benefits, surely setting up an aluminum collection point next to vending machines, and in canteen areas, is the right thing to do.

Ware 4 Recycling Bins Ltd have been promoting cost effective bins, trolleys and waste containers for over 5 years. For more info, visit Ware 4 Ltd.

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Exploring and transforming alternative energy resources

November 12, 2009

We don’t notice it often since we are so focused on petroleum and its derivatives, but there are many other alternative sources of energy which are in abundance on our planet. These sources are virtually in exhaustible and have been used across the globe in many different forms. However, they have just been used in lieu or the deficiency of petroleum and not as the primary sources.

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How Solar Electricity Works

November 11, 2009

In some parts of the world, there are already people benefiting from the use of solar electricity. This alternative energy is very popular all around the world because of it’s positive effect on both the economy and the environment. With all the research done for solar electricity, we have definitely made a lot of progress over the years.

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