Recycle To Help The Environment And Your Business

How does recycling all your unwanted business documents help the environment?

It is important for businesses to recognise the environmental and business benefits of recycling their paper waste. In the United Kingdom alone, businesses get through 12.5 million tonnes of paper every year, keeping in mind that it takes approximately 12 to 17 trees to create 1 ton of non-recycle paper. That's 150 million trees for the UK, not so eco-friendly.

Each year we do however manage to recycle 67% of paper and cardboard used, so let's go ahead and take a look at the positive impact of recycled paper and how you can implement a recycling policy keeping your sensitive information risk free.

We can see here some of the benefits of recycling here:

• Recycling paper helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which are currently contributing to our global climate change.
• It requires 70% less energy and water to recycle paper than to create new paper from our beloved trees. This benefits our atmosphere by reducing pollution, consequently improving health.
• As stated before it takes between 12 and 17 trees to create a ton of paper, which means you are saving 17 trees per ton by recycling. Go you!

So lets get Green

What are the best practices for recycling paper in your office?

• The Three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Develop your green office using this as your basis. Focus on reducing your paper consumption, remove paper cups from the vending machines, print double-sided instead of one sided. There are many ways you can reduce the amount of paper you are using. Reuse cardboard boxes and envelopes, and recycle everything else.
• Integrate recycling into all departments, beginning with purchasing. Only buy paper that is from recycled sources and ensure that all other departments are using the paper efficiently.
• It is imperative as a business owner to make security a top priority, especially with sensitive information that could have been written down or printed on a document. Information Security policies must be in place, crime in the workplace is on the rise and there is always risk that a data thief is in your employ. Invoices, performance reviews, client information and status reports are all examples of sensitive information an unscrupulous individual can use against you, your business or even your clients. A shred-all policy should be introduced so all documents are shredded when no longer required.
• Partner up with a shredding company that can come and destroy your documents on site. Make sure you choose a reputable company, they will have secure bins and secure shredding units for shipping and recycling. This method means you can ignore those pesky staples, paper clips and other bindings as an industrial shredder will make mince meat of it and the unwanted waste will be filtered during the recycling process.

There are a number of shredding companies in and around Greater Manchester. Choose a reputable and secure document destruction company and get your office green today.