Can Recycling Save My Business Money?

There are many reasons why it is beneficial for businesses to look closely at their green credentials.

Of course, being as eco-friendly as possible is the right thing to do in terms of looking after the planet, but it also can be a great way to attract new customers, and it supports your business’s reputation.

There is an economic reason for being more eco-friendly as well. There are great savings that can be made by making your business energy efficient – both in your business’s property but also in your practices. Recycling is also another eco-friendly way that you can save money.

Many people think that recycling your business’s waste is more expensive than sending everything to landfill. However that’s not necessarily the case.

Recycling Your Business Waste

The kind of waste that your business creates depends on the nature of your business. The likelihood is, however, that you will be regularly creating waste consisting of paper, packaging (usually paper, cardboard, and plastic), and perhaps glass and metal. You might also occasionally have electrical waste that can also be recycled.

Paper and cardboard can be recycled easily. The most cost-effective way to dispose of and recycle paper and cardboard is by baling it up neatly, and stored easily until it is collected.

On average, businesses save £1,248 per year by using a baling machine instead of just bins. Bales can be collected by recyclers as opposed to waste management companies who are charging more and more for bin lifts each year. Businesses which create and store high-quality bales could also receive rebates from their recycler.

It’s important to note that only clean paper and cardboard can be recycled. Printing and writing on paper are fine, but paper that has been used to clean greasy food for example, cannot be recycled.

Glass, metal, and electronic items can also be separated and collected by recycling companies.

Saving Businesses Money

When it comes to business waste disposal, the main factor that affects the amount that you are charged is how much it costs for waste or recycling companies to pick it up. Some of the key aspects that affect the amount that you will pay for waste collection include:

• The volume of waste that you need collecting
• The type of waste that needs collecting
• Where your business is located
• The prices that have been set out by the waste collector

These aspects also apply if you are recycling your waste.

Regardless of whether you are sending your business’s waste to the landfill or to be recycled, you will need to pay to have it collected. Often recycling your waste is cheaper than paying for a landfill waste collection. And if you can bale your waste – such as your cardboard or plastic, you can save even more money as it reduces its volume.

By baling your recyclable waste, you can also store it neatly, not only saving you space but also potentially reducing the number of waste collections that are necessary, saving you even more money.

By recycling your business’s waste, you can save money on landfill taxes and gate costs that you would otherwise have to pay.

Business recycling Tips

Now that you have decided that recycling your waste is the best thing for your business (and the planet), here are some tips for how to get started with recycling:

• Find out how the recycling equipment company want your waste to be separated
• Place your different recycling bins in strategic places around your business premises – put the paper waste bin near office workers, glass, metal, and food waste in the kitchen, or wherever the most waste is created. Extra bins can be put in your warehouse or storage room.
• It is important to get your staff on-side and fully aware of what is required of them regarding recycling.
• Even better than recycling your waste is to reduce the amount that you are actually creating. Look at ways that you can cut down on the amount that you are throwing away in the first place.
• Teaming up your recycling with other energy-saving initiatives and eco-friendly practices can maximise your green credentials and save you even more money.
• Don’t forget to tell the world about what you are doing!

The question of whether your business should be recycling its waste is really a no-brainer. The benefits are not only financial, but also great for the planet, your business’s reputation, and staff morale.