IS RECYCLING EFFECTIVE? YES IT IS

You may have heard the expression ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, which is a key phrase linked with recycling that is used around the world. It relates to how we should live more sustainably and be more environmentally conscious in our daily lives. However, we are still left with the question: Why should we recycle? 

 

There’s no question that recycling achieves significant positive benefits for businesses and the environment. At Nationwide, we always strive to reduce the amount of waste that is delivered to landfills. By doing so, we are conserving our natural resources, supporting sustainability and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Our role is to provide guidance and comprehensive waste reduction strategies to our clients that will ensure compliance with local and government bodies, and recycling is a crucial part of this.

 

Our expert team is dedicated to sustainability and works with each and every client to map out a waste management service strategy that achieves environmental goals, cost savings, and greater efficiency. Recycling has numerous benefits, and in this blog, we will look at some of the most essential ones and the impact this has on our environment.

 

WHY ARE LANDFILLS A PROBLEM?

Our environment and existence are being impacted every day by the growth in our population and the amount of waste that is created and delivered to landfills. Waste is buried between layers of earth in landfills and can include waste from households, industrial, building, and agricultural sources. Population expansion and urbanisation drive a greater need for ‘new’ goods production, which in turn drives up the need for larger landfills to accommodate the growing volume of waste.

 

Aside from taking up valuable land resources, landfills pose another issue. The many chemicals put into landfills, as well as the compounds produced when rubbish decomposes and forms a poisonous ‘soup’ known as leachate, have a huge environmental impact. Leachate from landfills can affect groundwater supplies and eventually make its way into our oceans, affecting sea life and reproduction cycles. In turn, this means less available seafood resources for human consumption, and those that are affected by leachate, can cause serious health issues if consumed. 

 

Plastics dumped into landfills take 20 to 500 years to decompose, and microplastics are fast becoming one of the largest environmental disasters we are going to face. Nationwide can cater to every need when it comes to soft plastics recycling, like shrink wrap recycling, food packaging, plastic bags, and more. Proper chemical waste management processes and disposal practices, to avoid ending up in landfills, are all part of the sustainable strategies we develop for our clients. Although this can sound daunting, our goal is to make the complex simple and guide you through the entire process for a cleaner, greener future.    

 

 

 

IF LANDFILLS ARE FULL – WHERE DOES OUR WASTE GO?

Global production of waste is projected to reach 11.2 billion metric tonnes per year, as per the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). 

 

FACT: To contain 11.2 billion tonnes of waste would require more than 800,000 olympic sized swimming pools!

 

China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia, which were once the countries where other foreign countries effectively sent their recyclables, often heavily contaminated with rubbish, have all implemented import bans on waste, forcing nations like Australia, the United States, and others to find alternative ways to dispose of waste. 

 

 

Currently, a sizable portion of that waste is burned in an uncontrolled way. Toxic chemicals are emitted into the atmosphere throughout the process, such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. This technique also results in an increase in the amount of particulate matter in the atmosphere. In addition to a substantial contribution to emissions and consequent global warming, these compounds possess the capacity to pose a substantial risk to the health of the general public. Fortunately, there are waste to energy technologies emerging that are far cleaner, than the uncontrolled burning of waste.

 

HOW DO WE REDUCE WASTE GOING TO LANDFILLS? 

At Nationwide, we are always working to reduce the amount of waste that our clients send to landfills. We want to help the world become a better place, no matter what stands in our way. Through our strength, determination, and faith in a better world, we take our clients’ businesses from good to great! A crucial part of our strategy is guidance and recommendations for waste reduction and recycling, which, of course, play a huge role. Our top recommendations are below, which we will explore in more detail: 

 

• Recycle, Recycle, Recycle: Always opt for recycled and reused goods, and ensure that your business recycling processes and bins are being used correctly and sorted accordingly. Upcycle old timber, look for timber pallet recycling, and incorporate a sustainable timber waste disposal plan into your business.  

• Re-Use: Choose reusable containers and drink bottles whenever possible: avoid single use plastics. 

• Buy Less: Purchase less and instead recycle or repurpose. Buy second hand and donate old goods to charity or thrift shops. 

• Make Sustainable Choices: When choosing suppliers, partners, or where to purchase products, choose a business that is sustainable and ethically minded. 

• Choose Natural: If your business requires cleaning products, choose a green product over harsh chemicals. Also, look for partners who only use environmentally friendly products. Nationwide is also a quality industrial pest control business and follows the strictest sustainability practices when it comes to eradicating pests. 

• Compost: At home or at your workplace, composting food scraps and other organic materials like lawn and garden matter is imperative. It can also create an excellent source of nutrients for spreading on garden beds or potted plants, and we highly recommend introducing a food organics recycling service as part of your overall waste management strategy.  

• Set An Example: If you lead, others will follow. Many businesses are now employing ‘waste champions’ within their teams to talk about and monitor waste levels within an organisation. Commercial waste bins for your business are important, and with a strong strategy in place and being led from a senior management perspective, the rest of your team will be engaged and on the journey to less waste! 

 

There are so many benefits, both financial and environmental, from employing sustainable waste practices. Recycling is a key part of any sustainable waste management strategy and businesses can reap huge rewards from implementing a waste reduction strategy based on recycling. 

 

NATIONWIDE’S STRATEGY FOR RECYCLING: THE REAL BENEFITS

So what part does recycling play in all of this? Recycling plays a critical role in reducing waste and in the process of sustainable waste management. At Nationwide, we stress the importance of recycling as an integral component of a thorough waste management plan, assisting businesses in meeting their environmental goals and objectives. Recycling keeps waste out of landfills, preserves natural resources, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. We are also an ISO 14001 certified waste company, which means we uphold and meet the specific requirements of this certification as mandated globally. 

For identifying best practices in waste management, the waste hierarchy provides a really helpful framework. 

 

Source: https://greenredeem.co.uk/

Reuse, repair, recycling, recovery, and, as a last resort, disposal are the orders of priority for waste prevention. One way to demonstrate this hierarchy’s usefulness is to apply it to a real life situation. Consider the lifecycle of clothing. Purchased new, they can be worn many times to extend the life of the garment and its usefulness. When the original owner no longer needs the garment, it can be on-sold through online marketplaces, given to a thrift shop, or handed down to a family member as a hand-me-down, maximising it’s lifespan through re-use. 

 

But wait, there’s more… Eventually, we know that items of clothing will become unwearable through degradation of the material. At this point, they make very handy rags or repurpose them into new fabric. When rags reach the end of their lives, they can actually be converted into resource-derived fuel sources, which is a much better and more sustainable option than ending up in landfills. The National Library of Medicine in the US has explored this highly technical process of ‘Converting textile waste into value added chemicals: An integrated bio-refinery process’ and found that textile waste can be processed into fuels for energy and produce chemicals and polymers when converted into raw materials. 

 

Another great example of how recycling contributes to waste minimisation is cardboard recycling. Utilising a cardboard baler on site (and sourcing the best compactor) is a request we often get from 

our clients to further enhance the compaction and removal of cardboard waste. Cardboard is an extremely flexible, recyclable material. It can be recycled five to seven times in its life, making it highly sustainable. 

 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Recycling 1 single tonne of cardboard saves 13 trees. 

In 2023, Nationwide saved over 70,000 trees!!!  

  

By keeping cardboard in a continual recycling loop, we can minimise the amount of waste sent to landfills and also reduce the demand for new materials. The Nationwide approach to recycling is always to reduce, reuse, and recycle in alignment with the waste hierarchy to deliver best in class environmental outcomes for our clients. Every business can and needs to contribute to a sustainable future and can realise real cost savings and operational efficiency. Our commitment to sustainability and expertise in holistic waste management ensure that our business partners and clients can make a meaningful and sustained positive impact on the health of the environment through recycling.    

 

PARTNER WITH NATIONWIDE FOR A COMPLETE RECYCLING SOLUTION

Partnering with Nationwide Waste Solutions provides a comprehensive recycling solution that reduces environmental impact and conserves natural resources. Our dedication to sustainability is evident in our extensive recycling programmes, which are best illustrated by our strategic and highly successful recycling initiatives. Businesses that choose Nationwide gain from our vast experience, cutting-edge technology, and industry alliances, which guarantee effective and efficient waste management. By working together, we can lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste going to landfills, and advance a greener future. You can trust Nationwide to support you in accomplishing your environmental objectives and bringing about significant and sustained change. Get in touch with our expert team today!