Awareness and action on sustainability and environmental protection continue to rise in the UK. The use it once and throw it away mindset is increasingly less prominent, and the recycling persona is becoming prevalent in individuals and businesses. However, recycling and waste management continue to be challenging, from eradicating single-use plastics to reusing and recycling industry consumables, such as industrial wipers.
Many individuals and business owners may be surprised to know that the UK has been recycling, in some fashion, for more than eighty years. However, things have really heated up over the past two decades. Since 2000, the UK government and European Union have introduced a swathe of legislation and initiatives to promote or enforce recycling.
The attitudes of people and businesses have changed significantly over the past twenty years. With stricter household waste management introduced two decades ago, many started the 21st century feeling forced into recycling. However, that attitude has changed to one of genuine environmental concern, with a sustainability-first mindset being an extremely fashionable one.
Even with the population’s and business’s behavioural changes, the latest research and statistics show that there is much more to do. Defra’s March 2020 report ‘UK Statistics on Waste’ published by the Government Statistical Service on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food, & Rural Affairs, clearly demonstrates this. Of the UK’s 221 million tonnes of waste (2016), less than half is recycled. The remaining waste is either incinerated, released into water bodies, used for backfilling, or buried in landfills.
So, how can the commercial and industrial sectors recycle more and improve their overall sustainability?
Commercial & Industrial
The first thing businesses should recognise is the benefits to the company itself, which include reducing costs and generating more revenue.
Being ethical and recycling commercial and industrial waste is now essential for many businesses that aim to succeed. Often driven by concern from the workforce, individual directors, customers, suppliers, and partners, any company that has strong recycling policies in place becomes more popular and a preferable choice.
Employees see businesses with strong ethics as attractive places to work. Furthermore, sustainability is a critical deciding factor for customers, business partners, and suppliers for who they want to purchase from or work with.
With 41.1 million tonnes of commercial and industrial waste (2016), companies create 50% more than households. This shows that If your business decides to engage with recycling and sustainability, there is a huge positive impact to make.
Making Your Business More Eco-Friendly
Whether it is for genuine environmental concern, to attract new customers or seal partnership deals, it is time for your business to consider its recycling policies.
Lindstrom can help your company introduce and reach its green goals. Our wiper and workwear rental solution is not only more cost-effective but great for the environment. The water used to launder wipers, textiles, and workwear is recycled, and we recover the heat from washing and drying to reduce our energy consumption and put less of a burden on the environment.
To discuss how our wiper and workwear rental service can help your business or organisation be more eco-friendly and stay ahead of the competition, please contact our team today.