According to a new report, Wales is now being cited as a ‘global leader’ in recycling after appear third in global rankings behind Taiwan and Germany. As a business that operates from the heart of South Wales, but with connections all over the world, it’s amazing for us to think about the benefits local recycling is having on the international stage.
According to the Welsh Government, they put a lot of the success down to investment and political leadership. Welsh Government are investing heavily into Local Authorities to update their recycling levels and on a ground level, there have been vast improvements in local recycling and domestic collection changes.
At home, most of us will be given all of our different bags and bins by the council and it should (hopefully) be fairly straightforward! Commercial recycling however, can be so much more complex, especially in industries which handle hazardous or unusual materials.
To help you combat this, we’ve put together these five handy hints and tips for simple ways to increase recycling at your workplace, whether it’s in a manufacturing environment, a warehouse, an office block or food court.
5 Easy Ways to Increase Recycling at Work
1. Identify non-recyclable items that could be replaced
Many of the disposable items used in manufacturing or automotive are non-recyclable because of their base materials. Filmy materials like shoe covers for instance, could be replaced with a good installation of footwear cleaning machines or a system such as ProfilGate CleanTrax for pedestrians. Automatically and effectively brushing off dirt and debris, this system can be installed at the staff point of entry where everyone has to walk over it in order to begin their shifts. This could all but eliminate the need for shoe covers in certain settings.
Another big problem area with items such as disposable gloves. Instead of using plastic or rubber gloves at work, try out an innovative product such as Hanzl Stop-It, a pre-work cream to protect hands and ensure easy washing.
2. Make Sorting Easy
When you’re in a busy work environment, recycling is often the last thing on people’s minds. It’s therefore essential, to make it as easy as possible for staff to throw their waste into the right places. Installing high volume modern recycling bins can give your workplace a chic twist and have the added bonus of encouraging recycling. Take a look at our brand new and ultra-modern line of recycling stations and recycling systems which are ideal for recycling. Combining these with vinyl decals ensure that it’s crystal clear to staff and the public what goes where. Because many of these bins have very large capacities too, there’s never the excuse of ‘the recycling bin was too full’.
3. Use Bright Colours
This sounds very simplistic, but making your recycling stations, bright, colourful and well branded encourages recycling no end. Especially in public environments where you might have young children, bright colours and sorting slots can help make recycling into a game that everyone wants to play, regardless of age!
4. Incentivise your staff
Everyone loves some friendly competition and it’s no different when it comes to recycling. Perhaps you could run some competitions in between departments as to who beat their recycling targets the quickest. If you’re looking for something to help incentisivise individuals too, take a look at our CafeCrush machines. Available with printouts to tell you how much you’ve recycled, these machines not only provide the space for your recycling, but they also dramatically reduce your waste volumes of vending machine cups, cans and bottles by shredding, crushing and compacting each item.
5. Buy Recycled Materials
Ok, this one might not technically be helping you recycle, but by making sure you use your buying power as a company on sustainable products, you’re helping everyone to invest in new technology to recycle. Investing in good products can help you achieve your sustainability targets and also you’ll be helping other companies to innovate and increase research into ongoing recycled products.
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