Recycling is a core feature of responsible business practices. An ever growing number of companies are treating recycling as a serious corporate priority. Almost 75 percent of corporate waste can be recycled and recycling waste can also benefit the bottom line. There is high residual value of the metals used in cable, especially copper, both production waste and discarded cable needs to be recycled. Metals, paper, newspapers, bottles, cans, plastic waste and residue are also high priority recyclable materials in the work place.
A UNEP report indicates that investing $108 million in the waste sector annually could increase recycling threefold by 2050 and reduce landfill contents by more than 85 percent. The footprint from waste could nearly double by 2030, which translates to 30 percent of total energy-related carbon dioxide. There are already precedents that establish the effectiveness of recycling. In Brazil, recycling already makes $2 billion a year while avoiding 10 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Businesses that recycle develop systems to collect materials by setting up a waste reduction team, circulating memos and convening regular meetings.
Many states, like California, have adopted mandatory commercial recycling procedures that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other industrial and corporate waste. Most states provide information and assistance as to how to go about recycling.
Everyone from Proctor and Gamble to the chemical companies who make plastics and flame retardants, are focusing on sustainability and product life cycles.
Recycling not only offers an opportunity for good public relations, it is a business necessity that also benefits the bottom line.
© 2012, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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