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Office recycling - A creative approach

Landfill Taxes are rising and managers are constantly being urged to try to reduce the waste production and other alternatives to merely filling skips need to be investigated, with new ideas and ways to recycle discarded materials and products form offices.

Office furniture is often the first thing to get 'chucked out' when an office is moved around or changed, but if recycling was considered and thought about from the start then Lego-type furniture can be used and reused any number of times. This is also the case for partitioning, doors, shelving and other straightforward fittings, that can all be dismantled and stored with one member of the maintenance team being responsible for the construction, dismantle and storage of these furnishings. There are some companies who collect unwanted furniture for recycling.

There are over 160 companies across the country that recycle electrical appliances. The full list is available on the Furniture Reuse Network (FRN) website. The policy of the FRN is to supply and reuse items for the alleviation of need, hardship, distress and poverty. It supplies 1.5 million appliances to needy people every year, and as a result the FRN saves 63,000 tonnes of waste form landfill every year.

A similar scheme is run for unwanted computers to be upgraded and refurbished to be provided for 'Tools for Schools' to bring more technology into the classroom. This scheme was established three years ago and has now brought computers to over 350,000 pupils. The computers are refurbished and then loaded with multi-media and Internet capability to exceed the technical standard recommended by the National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education (NAACE). Electronic media, CD'' and cassettes are also recycled by various companies.

Inkjet and toner cartridges can also be recycled and used to benefit schools and other educational premises.

Office refurbishment often generates skips full of carpeting, but this too can be recycled. There are two solutions, one is a high powered cleaning service, with the carpet fibres then being retextured re-coloured and re-patterned, then the new carpet is installed. The second method is to produce a cushion backing system.

Polystyrene packaging is always a hazard to dispose of and compress especially as when it is broken and compressed it sticks to all surfaces and is then a cleaning problem. Some companies have come up with a solution, the polystyrene is passed on to firms which manufacture garden tables and double glazed windows and doors.

Paper is always wasted in every office, and often very little thought goes into recycling it, and, now more than ever, increased amounts of paper are needed for its production and fewer raw materials are being used. With new paper produced from a minimum of 70% recycled material using much less raw material in its production.

The recycling industry is now worth £12 billion and many new opportunities are being made available for the reuse of many office and household materials and appliances.

For information on companies who specify in this recycling please contact Karen Forrest on 01254 669031.