How to recycle your business waste

You have three options when recycling your business waste:

• trade it with others - see how to reuse wasted resources in your business
• deposit it at a recycling depot
• have it collected

Using a recycling depot

Taking materials to a recycling depot is a simple and inexpensive method of recycling waste that you cannot reuse or recondition. Most supermarkets have recycling banks for metal, plastic, glass and paper waste, and your local council civic amenity site may have larger facilities for used electrical equipment.

You need to do four things to implement this type of recycling policy:

1. appoint someone to be responsible for taking waste to the recycling point regularly
2. set up sorting containers to keep different types of recyclable waste (such as paper, plastic and metal) separate
3. make staff aware of your policy
4. check with your local council to see if they will accept your waste or if they have a licensed site where you can deposit it

Arranging for collection of your recyclable materials

Having recyclable materials collected can be more expensive, but is a convenient option for businesses producing large volumes of waste. You will need to think about:

• finding a reliable collection service that is licensed to handle your type of waste
• keeping your waste separate to make it easy for the collector to process - you may be provided with large crates, bins or boxes for this
• ensure that the appropriate paperwork is completed correctly and you ensure compliance with your duty of care for business waste

Your local council should be able to advise you on waste collection services operating in your area.