DIRECT365, A facilities and waste management company obtained some interesting results about differing recycling habits between home and businesses in a recent survey.
The research found that 94% of UK homes do some form of recycling, 49% of workplaces recycle certain items and only 35% of workplaces recycled all of their waste. These figures confirm that people are, by and large, embracing government plans to reduce waste, although there’s clearly plenty of room for improvement.
The UK unnecessarily sends seven million tonnes of food waste, and millions more tonnes of electrical goods to landfills every year. Waste generated from commercial and industrial activities was estimated to be 48 million tonnes in 2012 in the UK, with around 39 million tonnes of this coming from England.
While the survey demonstrated that businesses are taking a more proactive approach to recycling than in previous generations, it also highlights a serious question; should we be doing more to improve commercial recycling habits?
Sam Tinsley, General Manager of Direct365, commented on the findings: “It’s fantastic to see that so many people are actively recycling at home and at work, but with overflowing landfills and ambitious government targets to meet, we should always be striving to improve these figures.
“Businesses should be taking more responsibility for their waste and I hope to see companies trying to recycle 100% of their commercial waste in the future. With the right facilities and processes in place, businesses can easily create a sustainable environment.”
Government proposals have targeted a 30% reduction in food waste by 2025 and recycling targets of 70% for municipal waste, 90% for paper, 60% for plastics, 80% for wood and 90% for ferrous metal, aluminium and glass by 2030. Homes and businesses around the country will need to continue to be vigilant about their recycling processes if these ambitious targets are ever going to be met.
