Waste not want not
Reduce re-use recycle doesn’t stop at our homes, it follows us to work and is involved in all our businesses, where it can have a wider impact and require wider action.
In 2021 Scottish businesses produced 3,259,312 tonnes of waste. 1,439,545 tonnes of waste (almost 288,000 African elephants!) of this was produced by the commerce industry alone according to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).
If we want a Scotland which has a sustainable economy, future and climate where we move from a take, make and dispose model of our economy to one where we keep our materials in use, then businesses need to step up our waste game and:
- redesign our products and packaging to produce minimal/ zero waste
- repurpose and repair instead of throwing out
- buy pre-owned items instead of new
As important as recycling is, it can’t be the first answer to our waste problems. Not everything can be recycled, and recycling still requires energy and money. We need to redesign our products and packaging to prevent waste accumulating in the first place and do our part to build towards a circular Scotland.
Re-design, Reduce, Re-use and Recycle.
Why should I bother reducing my business waste?
“Everything we buy and use has an impact on the environment. It all must come from somewhere, and that uses energy, water and sometimes scarce materials. It can also create pollution in the environment, and use land which could be used for something else or left to nature”
Edinburgh Council
The drive towards a circular economy in Scotland and the wider United Kingdom is not stopping and, just like the move to a Net Zero economy, targets and advisory actions are going to transition to mandatory legislation, waste reporting requirements and additional charges on wasteful items. If businesses do not take action now, they will be left behind and struggle to catch up.
These changes are already on the horizon with a likely 25p charge on disposable cups currently under review and the new Circular Economy Bill passed in June of this year giving ministers and local authorities the powers to:
- set statutory targets for delivery of a circular economy to measure progress in transforming the economy
- restrict the disposal of unsold consumer goods, to prevent good products ending up in landfill
Responsibly disposing of your waste is already a legal requirement of businesses, but there is also strong moral and business rationale to creating a waste management plan, and minimising your waste as far as possible, which could potentially reduce your costs.
This doesn’t have to be hard. According to @Changeworks Recycling, 80% of office waste can be recycled. Yet this is rarely achieved with a typical office of 100 people producing on average 20 bags of waste a week and this is before taking action to reduce the waste before recycling it. Imagine the progress that could be made.
What’s my next move?
Three easy options…
- Donate your old office furniture by using Recycle Scotland who can collect your office furniture, re-use and re-engineer it and if they can’t they can break it down to use/ recycle the parts
- Donate your old electronic equipment to Edinburgh Remakery for free tech disposal for your business where they wipe, repair and sell on to help keep electronic equipment out of landfill for longer
- Buy refurbished/ second hand office furniture at City Used Office Furniture and Recycle Scotland to help the circular economy start turning
- Buy refurbished electronic equipment from social enterprise Edinburgh Remakery or even the Back Market
Simple everyday changes to reduce waste
We know you won’t be replacing your electric equipment and office furniture every day.
We know that our daily habits at work can add up to a big effect on our business waste and are just as important to improve if we want to reduce our waste.
We have gathered some everyday changes you can make to your personal work routine and the wider office to do your part in reducing your waste and, as a result, save money!
Paper
Around 50% of all waste businesses produce is paper according to business waste and if you were to recycle a tonne of paper you would save 17 trees from being cut down and made into paper
To save paper always:
- Keep used paper to take unimportant notes or to make a notebook
- Print double sided
- If you want to show your colleague something don’t print it off for them not to use again, just call them over to show them
- Set it up so you have to go to the printer to collect prints to put a barrier in place and so you don’t forget and print more later
- Recycle used paper
WRAP have an excellent guide to reducing waste in the office.
Packaging and cardboard
Business waste says the UK generates around 11 billion items of packaging waste annually. That is 159 pieces of packaging per person in the UK. Excessive use of packaging is wasteful and costs everyone extra money.
There are two simple ways businesses can reduce their packaging waste and that is to order resources in bulk and redesign your products so they require minimal packaging. Ordering in bulk reduces the amount of packaging required, and it usually saves you money in the long run.
Zero Waste Scotland is a mine of useful resources from simple steps like these to circular design solutions.
The next step
Among many other practical actions, you could also take the free CPD certified training course by Business Energy Scotland to become a Green Champion at your work which can teach you to…
- Identify cost savings and environmental improvement opportunities
- Effectively collect and analyse data
- Bring about change
Doing this could help you create a more waste aware work culture at your business which everyone will benefit from and potentially go on to install in their homes tackling domestic waste too.
For those that go on to be a green champion in their workplace we would love to hear what you end up doing to reduce your waste?
For more information please contact Jayne Saywell, one of Business Advisors. Her knowledge, experience and ideas can help your company thrive in a wellbeing economy, and find joy in a sustainable future.
