Top Ten Tips: recycling in the workplace

By Ericka Newton

We are all aware that we could do more to help save the environment and reduce our carbon footprint. But, while we may rinse out our dolphin-friendly tuna tins at home, what are we doing - or not doing - in the workplace to reduce the effects on the environment, and how easy would it be to reduce office waste? See below for 10 fascinating facts on waste in the workplace.

• On average, 60-80% of office waste is paper.
• An average-sized office of 50 staff will get through as much as a quarter of a tonne of paper every year, with more than half of this going into the bin within 72 hours of it first being used.
• Recycling just one tonne of paper saves 3,700 pounds of lumber and 24,000 gallons of water.
• An average-sized office of 50 staff can throw away over 7,000 cans and bottles per year.
• Recycling that volume of cans and bottles instead of throwing them in the normal bin would save enough energy to power all 50 employees' computers for over 6 working weeks.
• The energy saved by recycling just one bottle will power a computer for 25 minutes.
• If you recycle just one glass bottle you will save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 6 hours.
• Removing individual bins in favour of shared bins where waste can be sorted and recycled could cut down the volume of needless waste sent to the tip from your workplace by as much as 50%.
• The total amount of waste produced by UK businesses each year is approx. 79 million tonnes.
• On average, waste costs businesses 4% of their turnover.