What Real Waste Reduction Looks Like In The Workplace

We’ve already considered the urgency of needing more waste reduction in Australian business and how this urgency fits into Integra’s values and our creation of circular manufactured products to help others with their sustainability. 

Now, we’d like to put forward some practical advice on how all businesses in Australia can step up their game when it comes to waste reduction and recycling. 

RECYCLING MYTHS

There’s no shortage of myths and misconceptions out there when it comes to recycling in the workplace — as well as at home. 

It’s not uncommon to find people who are cynical enough to suggest that recycling doesn’t make any kind of positive impact on the environment, or that management is only doing it for show. At the opposite end of the spectrum, despite our best intentions, there are many things we put in our recycling bins at work that we should not and, in the process, we’re only increasing the amount of landfill generated by business.  

Wherever you sit on this scale, it’s time to take a fresh look at what real waste reduction looks like in the workplace, its role in driving a more sustainable future and how we can all be better at it.

Here are some of the most common myths on recycling, be it at home or at the workplace.

All plastic can be recycled = false

Plastics are among the biggest contributors to waste and landfill. Because of this, many recycling awareness campaigns have targeted all kinds of plastic products – like soft drink and water bottles, laundry detergent bottles and a wide range of other plastic containers. The unfortunate truth is, however, that not all plastics can be recycled. 

There are two kinds of plastics: thermoplastics and thermoset. Thermoplastic containers can be melted down and re-made into new products, which means they are recyclable. However, thermoset plastics contain polymers that cross-link to form an irreversible chemical bond – like resin, bakelite and vulcanised rubber – and these plastics cannot be re-moulded into new products. 

Thermoset plastics — straws, black food trays used for take-out food and microwave dinners, toner cartridges, plastic bags with foil lining, fresh produce packaging, tableware, laminates for work surfaces, computer parts — end up as landfill. 

Hot drink cups — another thermoset plastic— are estimated to be the second largest contributor to litter after plastic bottles. When they’re placed with your office’s ‘regular’ paper and cardboard collection, they unfortunately end up as landfill. While it’s possible to recycle used coffee cups, they require a specialised collection like printer and toner cartridges to ensure that they can be broken down and reused. 

You don’t need to wash your recycling = false

You actually do need to wash your recycling because only clean plastic is recyclable. 

Any recyclable plastic with food residue in or on it cannot be recycled due to contamination. This contamination makes them unsafe to be re-used for food and drink packaging, so they end up as landfill. Always give your plastics a rinse or wash before adding them to your recycling collection. 

You can recycle shredded paper = false

It’s paper, yeah? Paper is recyclable, right? While paper is definitely recyclable, it can cause a myriad of problems when shredded paper is included in your office, home or workplace recycling. 

The fibres that bind paper are weakened by shredding. This means they can clog up paper recycling machines, and they can also end up mixing with glass fragments and other potentially dangerous materials when they go through the sorting process.

There are any number of important reasons that a workplace needs to shred documents, so if you want to make sure all of that paper doesn’t end up as landfill, firstly, don’t put shredded paper in with your general recycling collection. Instead, encourage your workplace to engage the services of a secure document destruction company. This way, sensitive documents and personal information are still destroyed but in a manner in which the paper can still be recycled and not increase landfill.

REDUCING WASTE IN LANDFILL

Considering workplaces and industry are major contributors to waste in Australia, proper waste reduction at work can make a big dent in what ends up in landfill. There are some simple, everyday solutions that your organisation might like to adopt, if they haven't already, and there are also some big picture moves you might like to introduce, which will make a massive contribution to a more sustainable future.

Remember, baby steps

If your workplace hasn’t already, separating waste with compartmentalised bins is a very easy place to start. Additionally, organisations like Planet Ark have programs such as Cartridges 4 Planet Ark and Batteries for Planet Ark, which focus on safely recycling and repurposing waste that your ordinary council recycling program isn’t set up to handle. 

Likewise, If your workplace uses coffee capsules, most of the leading manufacturers, such as Nespresso, have their own recycling programs that they operate at no cost to your business. Instead of toner and printer cartridges, batteries and coffee capsules ending up in landfill, you can ensure they’re given every chance to be reused and, in the process, cutting down on waste. 

Instead of disposable coffee cups, encourage the people in your workplace to switch to coffee mugs or reusable cups. Whether you have an in-house machine or a nearby cafe that offers you a nice break-out space away from the office, there are so many alternatives to single use coffee cups, and a number of companies design attractive, environmentally friendly cups with your company’s branding that you can give to clients, staff, and their families and friends.    

If your workplace generates a lot of food or garden waste, look into organisations that offer organic waste recycling services for businesses. Food scraps that end up in landfill contribute to the creation of methane; a substance that Planet Ark describes as a “greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide”. Alternatively, if it’s an option, start a compost heap in your office’s garden space. 

Setting up recycling posters where you have your recycling bins is also an easy way to help your workers know what items can be recycled and which ones cannot be recycled. 

Doing the heavy lifting

There are many ‘big picture’ ways that your organisation can reduce waste and support the environment. Switching to solar energy requires a bit of planning and investment but the long-term gains are significant, as is looking at how your company uses energy (i.e. introducing automatic power cut-off switches, low-energy lighting options, etc) 

One of the best ways to reduce waste in your workplace is getting your organisation to adopt the principles of what’s also known as circularity. Circularity is a cradle-to-cradle methodology for manufacturing products in a way that tackles global challenges like climate change. It does this by eliminating waste and pollution, re-circulating products and giving them new life and, ultimately, regenerating the environment. 

In conclusion  

We’re fast-reaching a point of no return when it comes to irreversible climate change and irreparable damage to our environment. Reducing the amount of waste we generate is one of many things that has to be done to sustainably repair our environment. 

While businesses are major culprits when it comes to the waste produced in Australia that goes to landfill, implementing a number of simple programs in all of our workplaces is the least we can do to support a better future for our planet.    

Talk to us about taking the first steps to waste reduction with Integra’s Lune Collection. Email integratransform@integrasystems.com.au to see how we can help.