Here are some recycling facts that may surprise you:
Water
• the US would save more than $18 billion and three trillion gallons of water if every household were fitted with water-efficient appliances
• approximately 75% of water used in American homes is used in bathrooms
• the country, as a whole, would save around 38 million kilowatt hours of electricity if a further one per cent
• while brushing your teeth in the morning and evening, turning off the faucet can save 240 gallons every month, or eight gallons per day.
Energy
• around 25% of heat loss in housing is due to badly sealed windows
• across America, lighting is responsible for 34% of all electricity consumption; if we all used Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, which last ten times as long as previous bulbs, the country could save one third of its electricity output
• modern refrigerators use 70% less power than those mad 20 years ago
Paper
• more than 360 pounds of paper per person was recycled in America last year
• every person in the US uses the equivalent of one 100ft fir tree in paper every year
• recycling paper uses 50% less water and causes 74% less air pollution than making fresh paper
Your recycling contractor will expect you to place items in separate recycling containers. These are usually for glass, paper and aluminium. It is a sensible idea to have smaller containers in the office for each of these, which can then be emptied into the contractor’s larger recycling container, for his regular collection.
Everyone in the workplace will have waste food, either leftover food from home, or the remains of their lunch. There is sure to be someone in the company who can turn this into compost, rather than simply throwing it in the trash. Composting is the simplest way to recycle food that would otherwise be ditched. Of course, the bin will begin to smell, so should be taken away regularly.
Recycling containers are stackable, which means that you can use that empty space in the office above workers’ heads. It’s an easy, once-a-week job to take the paper, aluminium and glass out to fill the larger containers. You want to make a profit, and more next year, so it isn’t good business sense to throw anything away if you don’t need to. Everything you can’t put in a recycling container is just a dollar bill thrown down the drain.
The recycling business is worth billions of dollars around the world, all of it created from materials that were formerly just taken to the dump. Plastics, paper, glass and aluminium are now regularly recycled and re-used to make many different products. Recycling products not only helps to save our planet’s essential resources, but the recycling business also provides an outlet for creative, forward-thinking designers.
It is bad business sense to throw away anything that can be re-used, without thinking. Almost any product that comes into your business can be recycled, from paper and plastics, to glass and oil.
If you are paying a fortune for new printer cartridges, for instance, there is sure to be a company in your area who offer a cartridge-refilling service, at a fraction of the cost of buying new units. Similarly, recycled paper and other office supplies can be purchased, either locally or through the internet, for less than the cost of newly-produced items.
Waste plastics, paper, glass and aluminium are now used as the raw components produced around the world. It is a sensible idea to do some research and find a local recycling company who will pay you to take away your recyclable waste, instead of paying somebody else to take it to the dump.
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