New Zealand is a wasteful country. According to research, New Zealanders send 2.5 million tonnes of waste to landfills annually. There is so much waste that is generated, but people do not make enough effort to recycle. Of the 735,000 tonnes of packaging that Kiwis produce, only 58% of it is recycled. Since both industries and households generate this waste, it’s safe to assume that your organization is part of the problem.
To do your part in saving the environment, you have to implement strategies that will get everyone to reuse and recycle. Here are some recycling methods to get your organization started:
1. Bring in recycling bins with visible labels
Chances are, everyone and every department in your organization generates different types of waste. These can include bottles, plastics, cardboard and paper, food waste, etc. If you want to get people to take part in your recycling efforts, then you need to make it easy for them to do so.
Thus, investigate the recycling organizations in your local area. And get recycling bins from them. These bins should be labeled so that people can know where to throw each kind of waste. That makes it easier for recyclers to sort everything.
As for food waste, you should consider having a composting bin for that. If you have gardens as part of your organization’s landscape, then the compost waste can be used to fertilize the plants and flowers. Once people begin to see how useful some scraps can be in beautifying the environment, they will take a greater interest in doing it more often.
2. Buy multiple-use and bio-degradable items for your organization
Where possible, avoid buying single-use items for your organization. They might be cheaper, but their impact on the environment is more harmful and lasts a long time. So consider purchasing multiple-use items. They will probably cost more at the beginning, but they are a long-term investment that will save money because you will use them several items, and they will have less of a negative impact on the environment.
And where it is impossible to buy items you can use many times, consider purchasing bio-degradable items. These can be thrown away with minimal adverse effects to the environment that you live in.
Examples of multiple-use and bio-degradable items you can buy for use in your organization include cotton dish towels, biodegradable garbage bags, etc.
3. Recycle and repurpose your existing items
Your organization, like many others, probably uses cardboard in some capacity. Do you know that you can recycle and repurpose cardboard? With equipment like an HSM Profipack 425 cardboard shredder, your organization can reduce the waste that it generates. It will shred your cardboards and repurpose them into packing materials. That will also help you reduce packaging costs.
But that is not all. You can use other items you generate as waste. Paper can be recycled into new paper products. Wooden pallets can be turned into furniture for use by workers as seating. Discarded bottles can be used to build office extensions, etc.
Recycling will take financial investment on your part. You will also have to train and involved your workers. But the economic and environmental benefits of recycling are long term and well worth your efforts. So be sure that your organization does its part to reduce waste.
