Getting a team together on your turf that will develop and execute a planned recycling program is a must. This article will show you at least three ways in which you can save money and save the planet. It’s a win: win! Let’s dig in.
A. You can Make Some Money
Companies that make sustainable choices and implement recycling programs have the potential to sell their recyclable waste. You may be surprised to learn that a project of any magnitude will attract quality recruits to your business and also improve employee retention. Recycling helps to improve the organizations’ public image. Employees are motivated to work for a company that considers recycling important. Implementing this type of program in the workplace goes a long in education workers to the necessity to recycle and saving the planet. According to a report put out by CNBC[i] in 2018, nearly nine out of ten, or 86 percent, of millennials (those between the ages of 22 and 37) would consider taking a pay cut to work at a company whose mission and values align with their own. You could say, being earth conscious, makes you “lit”.
With a program, installed, all that waste your company produces, in turn, can be recycled for alternative uses. Recycling technology continues to evolve, and waste such as metals, plastics, and glass are becoming more precious. This is due to the cost of these types of material going up. Want to discover what the market value for these materials are in your neck of the woods? Give us a call at OVP Recycling at 954-572-7534 to discover how much your recyclables are worth.
A structured program leads to structured disposal which reduces the contamination of the different recycling streams.
B. The Environment is Protected
Another obvious reason why recycling is important for a business is because of the positive impacts on the environment. Here is the short version:
- It prevents global warming
- It diverts more waste from landfills
- It saves energy
It prevents global warming
Whatever your argument on the subject of global warming, here is what we know. According to NASA, recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy consumption. Using recycled materials to make new products reduces the need for virgin materials. This avoids greenhouse gas emissions that would result from extracting or mining virgin materials. In addition, manufacturing products from recycled materials typically requires less energy than making products from virgin materials[ii].
Here is an example of how we save the earth. Newspapers can be recycled and reused for printing. It takes less energy to reuse and recycle material than it does to produce the same material from scratch. When aluminum cans and bottles are recycled, we can save 95% of the energy used to produce these cans compared to when using raw materials.
It diverts more waste from landfills
Earths population continues to grow, and as we grow in size, our garbage grows with us. This trash ends up in our landfills and a great percentage of that garbage is not biodegradable. Non-biodegradable material remains in landfills for centuries and they emit harmful gases. Below is a breakdown of the municipal solid waste (MSW) that is in our landfills.
Your company can do its part by helping to divert at least 45% of materials that are being sent to landfills every year.
Did you know that pulp and paper is the 5th largest industrial energy consumer in the world? Recycling paper instead actually uses 65% less energy than producing new paper products out of raw materials. When we reduce energy consumption, we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
It saves energy
Recycling often saves energy because the products being recycled usually require much less processing to turn them into usable materials. … This processing requires a huge amount of heat and electricity: aluminum production in the United States uses more electricity than any other manufactured product.
When we recycle one ton of paper, we save seventeen (17) trees and trees play a critical role in protecting our planet.
Contact OVP to request a no-obligation quote to recycle your waste paper, plastic, metal, cardboard, and pallets.
Call 954-872-7534
