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Waste has become an increasingly difficult environmental and economic problem, one which affects us all and to which we all contribute. Individuals, at home or at work, have a vital role to play in schemes to reduce waste. Governments can pass legislation, set targets and provide funding; industry can increase its efficiency, research new technologies and devise new ways of reducing waste; local authorities can provide recycling facilities and educational programmes. But, as this publication demonstrates, much will depend on the part played by individual action. While often that part might seem very insignificant - using the back of a piece of paper rather than a fresh sheet, putting a bottle in a bottle bank, or choosing to purchase recycled toilet tissue - the sum of many small actions can make a considerable difference to the amount of potentially useful material which need not become waste.
Today's complex, technologically based society, combined with increasing numbers of people, has led to the generation of enormous quantities of waste. As more businesses and organisations consider the effects of their activities on the environment, waste generated at work is increasingly receiving attention. More and more, the production of waste is seen as a form of inefficiency and misuse of resources, which has both economic and environmental implications for individual companies and the country as a whole.
This publication concerns the wastes generated in offices and commercial premises. It provides information about the nature and quantity of these wastes, and how they can be reduced and recycled. It contains recent examples and useful contacts, so serves both as a basic introduction to the issues and a practical handbook, particularly for the small and medium sized company, for which a full scale consultancy service may be inappropriate or too costly. Section one gives an overview of the issues concerning wastes in general and specifically office wastes. Section two takes each material in turn and looks at what the best options are for dealing with each one.
Current Waste Initiatives
EC Packaging Directive; Waste Audits; BS7750; Eco-label; Producer Responsibility; Recycling Plans - these are just a few of the words and phrases which feature in the current literature on the subject of waste, and most of them did not exist a few years ago. Some of the relevant recent initiatives and legislation are summarised below.
National Government
The 1990 Environmental Protection Act (EPA 1990) introduced a number of measures on waste and waste management. These included requirements which would lead to increased landfill costs, and make recycling more financially attractive. The Government set a target of recycling 25% of household waste by the year 2000 and gave local authorities new duties and powers to encourage recycling. More recently, it has reviewed the role of waste in the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development, (January 1994) and concluded that more attention needs to be paid to the reduction and reuse of waste The Government has also introduced the concept of Producer Responsibility for waste, requiring the packaging industry to present plans for the recovery of value, through recycling or energy recovery, of between 50-75% of packaging waste: similar demands are to be made on the producers of batteries, tyres and electronic equipment.
The role of the European Union
The UK's membership of the European Community requires it to comply with various directives and regulations. The ones relevant to recycling are:
Directives contain objectives which must be realized by the Member States within a stated period but the method of implementation depends on the Member State. The UK Government, therefore, is hoping to achieve the requirements of the packaging directive through the voluntary actions of the packaging industry, rather than through direct legislation.
Industry initiatives
Industry is growing increasingly pro-active in dealing with waste issues. The impetus is in part due to existing or impending regulatory measures, but there is an increasing awareness of the economic benefits of reducing wastes, and, for major companies in particular, the public relations value of improving their environmental profile. There are numerous networks and sources of advice, from local 'green business clubs' to the CBI's Environment Business Forum. Longer term developments include a growing awareness of the importance of creating markets for recycled products, and consideration of product design to facilitate reuse and recyclability.
Local Authorities
The EPA 1990 introduced new measures which required local authorities to prepare and publish recycling plans by August 1992, although there is no statutory requirement for them to be implemented.
220 local authorities now have recycling officers, ten times as many as ten years ago. Their role often involves a considerable amount of public education work, in addition to developing practical measures to achieve the Government's 25% target. Some local authorities have also taken a lead in establishing purchasing policies for recycled products and some have built active partnerships with local businesses and community groups in developing more environmentally sound policies, including local waste reduction initiatives.
Voluntary Sector initiatives
The voluntary sector has been central in the promotion of action on waste and Waste Watch has become established as the national agency concerned with reduction, re-use and recycling. Its information service, Wasteline, is extensively used by commercial organisations seeking general or highly specific information and advice. The organisation works closely with national and local government and plays a key role in promoting the work of voluntary sector and community groups in waste reduction and recycling. There is, however, an increasing amount of interchange between sectors with many of the long established community recycling groups becoming community businesses, with contractual relationships with local authorities, while national organisations, such as the National Recycling Forum, enable discussion to take place across all sectors on the practical problems of reducing and reusing our waste.