Our guide to Managing waste in an office environment

Efficient waste management is crucial for any office, ensuring a clean, sustainable and productive work environment. From teabags to sandwich wrappers, office waste can accumulate quickly! Check out our comprehensive guide to managing waste effectively in your office, helping you minimise environmental impact and improve workplace hygiene.

If you’re an SME in a building that doesn’t have a waste service, you’ll need to consider using a commercial waste management service, such as the one TJ offers. Not only will we do the dirty work for you, but we’ll also talk you through all your options first, advising you on any points as necessary or requested.

EDUCATE YOUR STAFF

Many people get confused when it comes to what can be recycled and what can’t, so why not hold an informal tutorial for your staff to inform them? If you give clear instructions from the start, it could make all the difference to the success of your recycling campaign. You could also make the information available on your staff intranet or noticeboard so that staff can refresh their memory or get up to speed if they missed the tutorial.

Outline that there will be general waste bins, but only non-recyclables should be put in these. Inform staff exactly what items can go into recycling bins and let them know that putting the wrong items in there is actually detrimental as it is contaminating the recycling. It is also important that all materials that are put into the recycling bins are clean – make sure they know to rinse tins, cans and plastic bottles before putting them in.

GENERAL WASTE

Place general waste bins in convenient locations, including kitchens and WCs, to ensure accessibility. Make sure that only non recyclable items are going into these bins to keep this waste to a minimum.

RECYCLING BINS

Research and choose the appropriate type and number of recycling bins. Decide whether to separate recyclables or use single-stream recycling. Make sure that all items go into the bin clean and empty and be sure to remove bottle lids, squash  the bottles, then replace the lids for complete recycling.

WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED?

• Paper
• Cardboard
• Plastic bottles (milk, soft drinks and washing detergent types are all fine)
• Tins
• Drinks cans
• Aerosol cans (must be empty)

WHAT CAN’T BE RECYCLED?

The ability to recycle different types of plastics differs around the UK. Here in Hampshire, we’re able to recycle a vast amount of plastics, however, as with most counties, different types of single-use plastics are difficult to recycle economically. The following plastics cannot currently be recycled:

• Margarine tubs
• Yogurt pots
• Ready meal trays and similar

CONFIDENTIAL WASTE

You could opt to have a confidential waste bin so that staff have somewhere to dispose of paperwork that contains personal data or sensitive information. TJ Waste offers a confidential waste collection service that guarantees that your confidential items will be handled appropriately and safely.

PPE CONTAINERS

If your company is one that uses personal protective equipment (PPE) clothing, you could provide a bin that employees could use to dispose of their worn and damaged work clothing. Because these types of clothing are often branded with company logos you can’t put them into the standard communal recycling banks so this is a good alternative as the clothes can be taken away for recycling sensitively.

GLASS AND WOOD

Both glass and wood are recyclable materials but not often found in an office environment. If you do find yourself accumulating some of these materials, ask us to assist on an ad-hoc basis.

COMMERCIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

TJ offers a comprehensive commercial waste management service that can be tailored to suit your company’s individual requirements or circumstances. We can offer as much or as little as you need and we can even assist you in coming up with a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) if you need one.

BENEFITS OF UTILISING OUR SERVICES

• It’ll save you time and hassle, giving you more time to do what you do best – running your business!
• With us, you can rest assured that your waste will be disposed of responsibly, guaranteeing regulatory compliance.
• We prioritise sustainability and go above and beyond to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum.
• We utilise processes including Refuse Derived Fuel and Energy from Waste to ensure any waste that cannot be recycled is being directed down the best possible route for its type. 

MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITIES

TJ has four Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) dotted along the south coast in Southampton, Portsmouth and Yapton, which is where all the waste that TJ collects goes for sorting, segregating and recycling. We offer skip hire and a third party tipping service from our MRFs, giving you options for easy waste disposal.

We’re dedicated to diverting as much waste as possible from landfill and endeavour to recycle up to 100% of the waste that we handle. All waste that comes through our doors is processed in line with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) protocol. 

Find out more about the commercial waste management services we offer, explore the services we’ve provided to a range of clients, and get in touch to discuss your requirements further.