Over the last 30 years, recycling has become more and more important for many reasons. More waste means more costs and less space in landfill, so it’s vital that businesses come up with other solutions for the waste they produce. Even the UK Government agrees; national guidelines stress the importance of finding more sustainable resolutions for commercial waste, including recycling.
As our children grow older, we’re all becoming increasingly more concerned about the world we leave for them in the future. Ensuring that our management of resources is watertight and efficient means we can cut costs, help the environment, and leave the world a better place.
In this article, our team of experts have put together an overview of the benefits to businesses for recycling. We at Great Western Recycling care about keeping you informed as much as about providing an excellent waste management service so you can cater to the needs of your business the best you can.
See more: A Guide to Commercial Waste Collection & Disposal
What is Meant by Commercial Business Recycling?
Simply put, recycling is the processing of waste for use in the production of new goods. When you recycle, you’re choosing not to add your waste to landfill and instead contribute to greener manufacturing efforts.
Even though everyone’s heard of recycling, data from the government’s recycling partner charity, WRAP, suggests that two-thirds of people misuse their recycling bins and don’t know how to dispose correctly of at least one everyday household item.
Because of this, it’s essential to understand how to recycle, especially in your local area – different local districts and counties have different recycling policies. That’s why choosing Great Western Recycling as your waste management company makes everything much simpler.
What Could Your Business Recycle?
Every business produces waste. Different sectors will produce waste of different kinds, and some commercial waste will be better suited to reuse rather than recycling. It can all be a bit confusing, so here’s a handy list of things your business could recycle:
- Paper – e.g., invoices, letters, envelopes, receipts, posters, flyers, or reports
- Cardboard – e.g., boxes, packaging, or containers
- Plastic – e.g., cartons, wrapping, film, pots, pens, lids, or packets
- Metal – e.g., tins, cans, cutlery, or cooking equipment
- Glass – e.g., bottles, jars, containers, cups, or mugs
- Food – e.g., fruits, vegetables, or meats
At Great Western Recycling, we’re proud to manage all your waste management needs. If you work with us, all your dry mixed recycling will go in one bin, and we’ll sort it for you – so no need for any faff! Food waste will go in a separate bin, and the same applies there too. Whether you are a retail business in need of waste management tips, or an office premises seeking the perfect solution we can help.
The Benefits of Recycling for Businesses
With Great Western Recycling, the hassle of sorting out what to do with your waste is a thing of the past. Now, you can enjoy all the benefits of recycling without needing to worry about the nitty gritty of managing and sorting.
Financial
First, you’re going to save on having to pay landfill taxes. As we explained in our article on the importance of waste management for businesses in the UK, the businesses that recycle the most are able to avoid paying ever-increasing levies on commercial waste sent to landfill. The more you recycle, the lower the weight of loads collected for landfill, the less you pay.
Second, you’ll save money and time by leaving waste management to the experts. The more time you have to spend sorting waste into different kinds of recycling, the more you’re paying an employee to do work that doesn’t further make revenue for your business, and the less efficient you become.
See more: Commercial Waste Collection Costs & Prices – How Much is Business Waste Collection?
With Great Western Recycling, we do all of that for you, so you can get back to making your business tick.
Third, you’ll ensure that more of your expenditure doesn’t end up sending goods straight to landfill. Even if you’ve bought too much food and it goes to waste, or you buy in paper only for documents to be shredded (i.e. confidential waste), it doesn’t mean your waste has to be everyone’s waste. Recycling means that things you won’t use can be used by someone else.
Environmental
When you recycle, you’re diverting waste away from landfill. That means you’re saving space for waste that actually can’t be recycled, you’re polluting less, and thus you’re preserving the planet for future generations.
Don’t forget that a lot of waste intended for landfill can actually end up elsewhere; the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a floating pile of rubbish estimated to be twice the size of Texas weighing up to 3 million tonnes. This endangers flora and fauna alike, as well as reflecting energy back into the atmosphere and thus contributing to global warming. If you recycle with Great Western Recycling, you needn’t worry about this as much.
By contributing your commercial waste to recycled manufacturing efforts, not only are you promoting local, green businesses and jobs that rely on recycled materials, but you’re also conserving precious raw materials like timber that might’ve otherwise been harvested.
Many plastic products are now made of recycled cartons and wrapping, which otherwise would’ve taken around 450 years to decompose otherwise (according to estimates from the US National Park Service), so by recycling your plastic you’re reducing the need for petroleum extraction, fracking, and other oil-related activities.
Branding
As more people become environmentally conscious and concerned, businesses need to adapt to ensure that their values match those of their consumers. In many ways, businesses that fail to modernise their commercial waste management practices will be left behind as customers vote with their feet on their favourite brands.
In fact, a recent survey showed that nearly two-thirds of UK consumers would prefer to purchase goods that are produced sustainably if there were price parity – so it makes business sense to brand yourself as eco-friendly too!
Recycle Your Business’s Waste with Great Western Recycling
At Great Western Recycling, we ensure that being green also makes the best business sense. For dry mixed recycling, we provide businesses with a one-bin-fits-all solution: you put all your dry mixed recycling in one bin, and we’ll sort it. For food waste, we’ll do the same: just let us know when you want collection, and we’ll tailor our service to you. See more about our bin solutions in our guide to business bin sizes or for more information, get in touch today!
See more: Commercial Recycling – What is it, What Benefits Does It Provide & How to Get Started
See more: Waste Management Tips for Retail Businesses
See more: Benefits of Food Waste Recycling