We recently carried out a business-wide survey surrounding the topic of recycling.
And the results were interesting…
When it comes to the subject of recycling, we’d like to think that this has become a major consideration in society today. Issues surrounding climate change, our oceans and protecting the planet – plus the ever-apparent campaigns of the young Greta Thunberg – are now appearing as daily news items and the population as a whole seems to have embraced the need for progress.
However, of the businesspeople surveyed as part of Riverside’s recent study, there were numerous reasons given as to why their companies didn’t recycle – including not being sure on the benefits and finding recycling complicated – with a third of the participants citing lack of space as the main issue.
Although organisations with smaller sites can find it a challenge due to restrictions in footprint, no company is too small to ‘do their bit’. Plus, our range of balers and compactors are available in a variety of sizes, and we offer a number of space-saving options. In addition, bales can be collected regularly by recycling companies that will often provide a rebate for the items, ensuring that no excess waste should be piling up and limiting surface area even further.
When asked about their rate of recycling effectiveness on a scale of one to ten, 50% of those surveyed said that they featured between 5 and 7, indicating that there is still work to be done to increase this figure, in general.
When asked about the top recycling drivers in their business, the most popular answer given was environmental responsibility, with 91% of participants choosing this.
Also high in the list were legislative compliance – chosen by 54% – with more space/a tidier site and rebate/revenue generation both at 45%.
These statistics suggest that companies are now more aware of their ever-increasing environmental responsibilities – and the laws that are in place to ensure these are adhered to – which is great to hear. But now we need to see action.
Although it won’t necessarily be easy for companies to change their stance overnight, the recognition of tidier sites and revenue from recyclable items should hopefully highlight that recycling can have a positive impact on the business as a whole. In fact, the commercial, safety and environmental benefits are multi-faceted.
And people need to be made more aware of this – to ensure that recycling rates in the UK continue to improve.
