We host a recycling point for staff, guests and the general public, listed on RecyclingNearYou - our website for residential recycling, to drop off items like:
- printer cartridges
- mobile phones
- batteries
- light globes
- coffee pods, toothbrushes, tubes and spray nozzles,
- and more.
You too can provide a drop off location for some of the trickier things for your customers, visitors or just neighbouring businesses who may be looking for somewhere to recycle. Some of these services are funded by product manufacturers, others will cost a small fee for you to organise the courier service.
Things to do:
The first thing to consider is where you will create your recycling station and get permission before you do so. Ensure that you communicate with everyone at your workplace to get them enthusiastic about it.
Enthusiasm is important not only for you, but for the recyclers who will process the materials. If people care about the recycling process they will be more careful about what they drop off and this will lower contamination and reduce unnecessary waste to landfill.
Make it clear:
Next you want to make it clear what goes in which box - luckily the recyclers usually provide good packaging and materials to help you promote your recycling station, but you can always use Planet Ark's signage.
Communicate with your staff and customers digitally as well. You can let people know via email, social media, blog posts and even in email signature text. And of course, you can list your service on RecyclingNearYou, a website designed for residential recycling. This website, BusinessRecycling.com.au, is tailored to commercial recycling quantities - so it's unlikely your foyer is the best place to have 100s of items dropped off regularly.
Recyclers That Offer Recycling Containers:
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark
Planet Ark and our partners at Close the Loop work with several responsible Participating Manufacturers to fund a recycling program for used printer cartridges and accessories. It's very simple: a box is delivered to your office, you place it in a public location or next to the printer with a thick black bag (to prevent toner escaping onto your carpet) and when full you call 1800 242473 to arrange a pick up.
Cartridges 4 Planet Ark is all paid for by the Participating Manufacturers, Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta, and Kyocera.
Mobile Muster
Don't let mobiles go to landfill or gather dust in a drawer! Help address the e-waste epidemic by recycling your used mobile phones and accessories.
MobileMuster is a whole of industry not-for-profit program that is funded voluntarily by handset and accessory manufacturers Nokia, Motorola, Samsung Electronics, Sony Ericsson, LG Electronics, HTC, Huawei, ZTE, Force Technology and network carriers Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, 3 Mobile and Virgin Mobile.
Partnering with MobileMuster is a great way you can demonstrate your workplace's corporate responsibility and commitment to sustainability.
Visit the website or call the hotline at 1300 730 070.
Terracycle
TerraCycle is on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. They do this by creating waste collection programs (each one is called a "Brigade") for previously non-recyclable, or difficult-to-recycle, waste. The collected waste is then converted into new products, ranging from recycled park benches to upcycled lunchboxes.
for some products, including:- Beauty Products
- Jurlique Products
- L'Occitane products
- NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto Capsule Brigade
- Nespresso Coffee Capsule Brigade
- Oral Care Brigade
TerraCycle also offer a ZeroWaste box for a fee for even more tricky items.
Check out which Terracycle brigade is best for your workplace.
Battery Recycling
Battery recycling is a bit more complicated as there are costs involved and batteries are considered a "hazardous material" in terms of disposal - so they need to be transported by special couriers.
They are also quite heavy, so only small boxes are able to be used for collection.
EcoActiv have a range of boxes available, but there will likely be a fee.
Lighting Recyclers
The mercury contained within just one fluorescent tube can pollute around 30,000 litres of water beyond a safe level for drinking. Due to it's high toxicity and tougher regulations governing its disposal, landfill and incineration are no longer acceptable ways to safely dispose of mercury containing waste.
Australian Lamp Recyclers offer boxes that can be placed in workplaces for used light globes and fluourescents. These boxes come at a fee to cover delivery, collection and recycling. Unlike some of the other programs, manufacturers are not yet taking responsibility for the safe disposal of their products.
Check out the options at the Lamp Recyclers website.