Purchasing Recycling Containers – A Guide For Companies

There are numerous factors that need to be considered when setting up a new recycling scheme in your company. For example, what types of waste will be recycled, how much waste will be produced, how many, and what type, of containers will I need, and do these need to adhere to a particular color scheme? With all these different, and sometimes confusing, aspects to think about, we may forget to consider the environmental impact of the recycling bins themselves.

A large proportion of recycling and waste bins are manufactured from plastic, and a around 8% of global annual oil production is currently used in the manufacturing of plastics. Extracting this resource requires vast quantities of energy, and the process of plastic production uses harmful chemicals, whilst emitting pollutants and greenhouse gases. It is easy to see how, despite being created with the intention of benefiting the environment, the manufacturing process of recycling bins still have detrimental effects.

So, what can you do about this?

1) Purchase quality products. Look for containers that are well constructed and durable. Those used commercially will need to withstand far more wear and tear than those used in the home. Invest in well made products which will last for years. Many recycling schemes will become self funding in just a few years from the cost savings of diverting waste from landfill.

2) Purchase second-hand containers. The optimal way to minimize environmental impacts in waste management is through re-using existing products. If you can find good quality second-hand recycling containers then this will prevent the bins from simply being discarded. It is surprising how many large corporations end up with redundant containers from an altered pilot recycling project.

3) Choose products manufactured from recycled plastic. Many containers are now manufactured with a percentage of post-consumer recycled plastic. This reduces the need for extraction of virgin materials and also reduces energy consumption and emissions during the production process. As an example, producing recycled plastic bags uses two thirds less energy, and 90% less water, compared to virgin production.

4) Source from the right places. Source products that are manufactured in the same country as your own. Reducing the distance needed to deliver the goods will help reduce the overall carbon footprint of products.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 8:32 pm and is filed under Environmental. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.