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Tackling plastic waste in the work place

In the home we generally have a clear idea of how to recycle. We put it in the appropriate box and it gets whisked away every week.

For a business this can be more complicated. In the UK, companies are charged for recycling collections, making it a difficult choice for small or privately owned businesses: cashflow or the planet? In addition, if you have set up a commercial recycling collection there aren’t many guarantees that it won’t actually end up in landfill. It may be logistically difficult to access appropriate facilities or even that once the recycling has been sorted, those companies cannot find anywhere to accept it and have no choice but to dump it.

If you consider how much plastic waste the workforce generates – from lunchtime takeaway containers to general office packaging – this is a large, complex and frightening problem. But only if plastics do indeed end up in landfill. Society and the environment would benefit from a system that has a harmonised list of recyclable materials, makes recycling more accessible and therefore helps to meet demand and advance the circular economy for the long term.

Plastic is a hugely valuable resource that—when managed responsibly—is essential for a modern, sustainable way of life. Focussing on keeping it out of landfills above all, will encourage and drive innovation, as people strive to come up with new ideas to give it a second life. 

In the meantime, as a business what can you do to take on the issue? Creating a clear set of guidelines will help your workforce in the sorting process, but you’ll still need to tackle the final process. This is where Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) come in as an effective and slick solution. RVMs turn unwanted plastic into valuable customer rewards, and with Circularr’s blockchain-based tracking system there is full traceability and accountability, all the way through the recycling process. Consumers have the chance to earn tokens, businesses can ensure a responsible recycling solution (whilst working to hit CSR targets) and plastic no longer ends up in landfill. 

If you’re a business owner interested in hosting an RVM or you just want to find out more, come say hello@circularr.com

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