Bin there,not done that
June 1st 2007

Earlier this year businesses across the UK took part in the second annual Envirowise

'One Bin Day' initiative. Participants in offices across the country were forced to rethink

the way they dealt with waste when all but one bin was removed from their

workplace for just one day.The results highlight a growing need for businesses to

get their whole workforce involved in taking action on resource efficiency, says Chris

Hodgson from Envirowise

t is clear that momentum is

growing in the business

community for a culture

change, pushing environmental

issues much higher up the

commercial agenda. But it is those

businesses which can act quickly

and creatively to win the support of

their staff in the battle against waste

that could find they have most to

gain in the long term.

Research undertaken by

Envirowise found that individuals

committed to cutting waste at home

often lapse into bad habits once they

get into work. In fact a third of those

surveyed in the South East said they

took no action whatsoever to reduce

the amount of resources they use

during the working day - meaning

vast amounts of money and materials

are being lost without trace.

But according to workplace

psychology expert, Professor Toby

Wall, employers have the potential

to help cure these split personalities.

"This is a symptom of our

pressurised workplaces where there

is often too little time or

encouragement for people to take

action on waste" he says."Employers

must consider quickly establishing

some simple steps to help

employees take more ownership of

the issue – perhaps by appointing a

'champion' to lead waste-busting

initiatives, encouraging greater

teamwork or investing in training."

The Envirowise survey

respondents agreed by saying that

clearer environmental policies from

their employer (29%) and greater

access to eco-friendly options, such

as recycling bins (57%),would help

them do more when at work.

The One Bin Day campaigns

conducted in 2006 and 2007 have

started to encourage individuals to

be more accountable for their actions

and prompt change from the ground

up.Glasgow Airport took part this

year,having started assessing their

office activities in 2006. Charlotte

Ratcliffe,Environment & Sustainability

Manager, told us:"We began

removing the desk bins from our

offices in August last year, to

encourage more people to use the

central recycling facilities available.

Improved signage in the office has

also helped employees to segregate

their waste more effectively.

"Overall it has been a real success

and allows us to make sure paper,

aluminium, plastic, glass and general

waste can all be recycled.With more

than 50 people working in the

airport offices, the long-term impact

of this activity will be significant."

Over in the West Midlands,Hawker

Electronics was a very different

participant. Established in 1964, the

company provides level

measurement equipment for

monitoring and controlling processes

across a range of industry sectors.

"There is a quite a strong

environmental culture within our

team already because of the

products we provide," said John."For

example, the company is involved in

leachate monitoring at various

landfill sites so we have seen firsthand

the pressures the UK is facing

in terms of waste disposal.

"At our workplace near

Birmingham there are 28 members

of staff and we try to ensure we're

doing everything possible to reduce,

re-use and recycle waste.We are

fortunate to have an industrial

shredder which allows us to shred

used paper and give it a second life

as packaging for our products. Scrap

metal is also re-used where possible

and anything left at the end of the

year is sold and the proceeds put

towards staff entertainment.

"We decided to take part in the

Envirowise One Bin Day this year to

encourage everyone to re-assess

how they dispose of office waste in

particular.After all,we can only reuse

paper and other materials if they

are properly separated from other

waste in the first place.

"People found that once their

desk bin was removed, they had to

think twice about whether the item

in their hand was really waste – or

could actually be recycled. I'm sure

this will add to a growing awareness

of the simple steps we can take to

be more resource efficient right

across the business."

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