A lot of you will work in and around London in offices that haven’t yet moved into the 21st century as far as recycling is concerned. There are lots of ways to encourage recycling in the workplace, and offices are one of the largest producers of waste packaging in the Capital.

Getting off the ground with an office recycling scheme involves two basic steps:

1. Setting up the infrastructure for the collection and storage of materials.
2. Arranging for a collector to regularly pick up materials for recycling.

The first step will require some thought regarding the best way to collect and store materials. Often materials are collected in recycling containers placed at work stations and in central locations i.e. lunch and printing areas, mail or photocopying rooms. Recycling containers should be accessible to all staff and clearly marked.

Making this first step requires some investment, particularly in the provision of recycling containers. There are a number of organisations which can supply such containers, some of which are listed below:

Paper Round Tel: 020 7620 3131 www.paper-round.co.uk

Peter Ridley Waste Systems Tel: 01728 726636 www.peterridley.co.uk

Straight Recycling Systems Tel: 0113 245 2244 www.straight.co.uk

Wybone Tel: 01226 744 010 www.wybone.co.uk

The second step in taking forward a recycling scheme is to choose a recycling collector.

Recycling collectors operating in the London area include ‘not-for-profit’ community businesses, as well as more commercial recycling concerns. A list of recycling collectors operating in London is here.