Global Recycling Day takes place on 18 March 2023. The day aims to raise awareness of the importance of recycling. It is a key part of the circular economy, helping to protect the earth’s natural resources.
The seventh resource
We tend to think of six natural resources that come from the earth – water, air, oil, natural gas, coal and minerals. All of our food, sustenance and belongings are derived from one of these six elements. Humanity cannot survive without them. These resources are finite though, and they are rapidly running out.
We are using the earth’s natural resources with little regard for how they will be replaced in the future, whilst billions of tons of waste are added to landfill sites every year.
The simple solution is the seventh resource – recycling – which enables the resources to be used again and again.
Benefits of recycling
The benefits of recycling are significant. It helps to
- combat climate change; each and every year recycling saves over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions. In the UK, recycling saves about 10-15 million tonnes of carbon emissions a year, the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road.
- boost local employment around the world; approximately 1.6 million people worldwide are employed in processing recyclables. The market was valued at $55.1 US Dollars in 2020 and is predicted to reach almost $90 million by 2030.
- conserve the earth’s primary resources; the seventh resource supplies 40% of the world’s raw materials.
Small changes
We are encouraging our customers to consider what small change that they could make this Global Recycling Day. Small, incremental changes will all add up over time potentially leading to an increase in your recycling rates, a decrease in the purchase of new goods & equipment and ultimately more profit on the bottom line.
Have you recently audited your waste provision? Audits are a great way of streamlining your waste management and ensuring that your waste gets to the right place. We can review your collection schedule and frequency, identify potential economies of scale and cost saving opportunities, and ensure you are getting the best value.
Recent research from Uswitch found that the UK is the second largest producer of E-waste at 23.9 kg per person, as E-waste increases 98% since 2008. Review your IT provision and before purchasing new stock, consider whether poor performance can be combatted by good hardware processes and a clean up, rather than adding to the E-waste increase. If you do need to dispose of electrical goods, ensure it is done so safely and using a professional company, such as Printwaste.
Contamination of materials is significant in the recycling industry, so maybe your one thing could be to train staff and add notices to encourage the right items to go into the right bins, therefore increasing the quality of your recyclate.
At Printwaste we can collect a range of materials from your business including:
- Paper
- Cardboard
- Cans & Metal
- Cartons
- Coffee Cups
- Glass
- Hazardous waste
- Plastics
- Polystyrene
- Wood
Talk to our team about how we can help you and your business to make one small change this Global Recycling Day.
