WHY WORK AT WASTE AT WORK

Reduce	* * *	Use "real" mugs, plates and cutlery, not disposables.
Reuse	* *	Milk bought in glass milk bottles means the containers are reused.
Recycle	* * * *	Support a local charity through collecting aluminium cans.
Buy Recycled	*	When ordering paper napkins choose recycled paper ones.

Beverage Containers

It would be very difficult to determine the proportion of drinks cans which are bought for use in the workplace. However, they do form a component of the waste arising from offices. Overall, about 7 billion drinks cans are used each year in the UK, nearly a third of which are made from steel and the remainder from aluminium. There are strong environmental arguments for recycling both types of can, since the metal can be reprocessed indefinitely without loss of quality and with considerable energy savings over the use of virgin material, 95% for aluminium and 70% for steel. Some towns and cities have magnetic extraction schemes which separate steel cans from mixed waste but most cans recycled are collected through bands or, in the case of aluminium ones, via groups for charity fundraising.

The high scrap value of aluminium cans reflects the considerable amount of energy required for their initial manufacture, with a correspondingly high impact on the environment. However much of the energy used in aluminium production comes from renewable sources such as hydro-electricity, rather than fossil fuels. The concern is, therefore less to do with carbon dioxide production, than with the impact of huge dams on sensitive environments and local communities. In Brazil, the Tucuru dam on the Tocantins river flooded six towns and left 20,000 -30,000 people homeless to provide hydro-power, of which a third is used for aluminium smelting.

Many of the steps involved in setting up a paper recycling scheme will also apply to containers such as drinks cans and glass or plastic bottles. Finding a merchant, storage and separation all need to be addressed. However, unlike paper, there are relatively few companies which collect these items direct from offices. lf there are local authority recycling banks close by smaller companies may wish to consider organising a rota for staff to take these items to them or encourage staff to take responsibility for recycling their own waste. Larger companies may generate sufficient quantities of waste to arrange collection, and some specific suggestions are given below.

Local scrap merchants may be willing to collect these but the disadvantage is that they will only usually collect quite large quantities - a tonne of cans takes up a lot of storage space, even when squashed! Westminster councils, in London, operates a can collection scheme, and use collect a minimum of three dustbin sacks. The cans do need to be 'washed and squashed'. In some locations, such as near a shopping centre, it may be possible to persuade the British Steel Save-a-Can scheme or the local authority to organise and service a can bank, particularly if there are other firms which would also use it. Space would be needed, perhaps reducing car parking spaces, and the capital cost of the bank may have to be covered. A better option may be to see if a local charity would like to pick up the cans particularly aluminium cans which are worth about 0.5 p per can, or one of the companies which specialises in collecting office waste may collect cans as well as paper.

Collection points for aluminium cans are provided in the staff restaurants of NatWest in London. The money received from the collection company is donated to a hospital.

Similar considerations apply to glass bottles and jars. There are companies who specialise in collecting glass from large users, such as pubs and restaurants, and this may be an option for a large company. In other areas, the local authority may provide a commercial glass recycling scheme. Glass will have to be sorted into green, clear and brown glass, of which clear glass is the most valuable. If such a collection scheme is not available one of the major glass recycling companies or the local authority may be willing to provide a glass bank on a suitable site, but they may require payment for the capital cost of the bank in return for servicing it.

In some areas there are plastic bottle banks and staff can be encouraged to take their own bottles. In many areas, however, there are still no plastic recycling facilities.

Vending machines, many of which are located in office buildings, dispense 3 billion polystyrene cups per year in the UK. A further 3 billion polystyrene cups originate from other sources, and together these cups use 24,000 tonnes of polystyrene annually. Plastic cutlery is also predominantly polystyrene. In 1990 nearly 2 billion items of plastic cutlery were used in the UK of which over 900 Mellon were the slim stirrers that frequently accompany the plastic cups. Replacing the cups with pottery ones is the most effective way of dealing with this type of waste.

However, if this is not possible, the Save-a-Cup recycling scheme offers a way of recycling these cups. The scheme provides subsidised collection bins and bags, and free collection. It also works with staff including cleaning staff to ensure the success of the project. A company adopting the scheme has to pay for the bins and bags at cost price, and arrange for the bins to be emptied and cleaned. Staff also have to undertake to return the cups to the bins, which are usually placed near the vending machines or in communal areas. The cups stack one inside the other within the bins thus making maximum use of space. One bin is needed per 50-70 employees and the frequency of collection is determined by the size of the site. Larger sites are visited weekly and others fortnightly. The bags are weighed before loading so the scheme is monitored. Reprocessed cups are not made into new cups. Instead they become pallets, cotton reels, audio cassettes and cases, horticultural containers CD boxes and office equipment. They are not suitable for food contact packaging because of the risks of contamination. Since 35% of virgin polystyrene production is for food and beverage packaging, this limits the possibilities for the use of the recycled material

Although sandwich bars and 'takeaway' food outlets usually rely on disposable cups and highly packaged food, many on-site canteens also use a surprisingly high percentage of packaging and disposable items. A recent study showed that typical cafeteria waste consists of 40% paper, 23% food, 13% plastic, 10% polystyrene foam, 9% metal and 5% glass.

To cut down on waste on an individual level, try some of the following suggestions:

There are a number of companies which will accept used cooking oil for recycling from canteen and restaurant kitchens. The recycled oil is used in detergents, cosmetics and plastic moulds. A minimum quantity of 80 litres of oil is required by most companies per collection.

The Dorchester in Park Lane, London, recycles its waste glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium cans, plastic cups and cooking oil. Food waste goes to a pig farm.

Beverage Containers & Catering Items

Beverage Containers