News
Business Recycling tackles waste generation in the workplace with new guide
By Liam Taylor 26 April 2021
Our new guide to recycling workplace stardom will help you minimise waste and maximise recycling at work regardless of your job title.
Planet Ark last week released new research showing half of Australians incorrectly think households create more waste than the business sector. The research also found 47% want to make changes to increase recycling rates at work but only a third reportedly know where to find accurate information on how to do so.
Planet Ark is taking steps to address the findings by releasing a new guide to empower Australian workers to reduce waste and improve recycling at work through simple actions. A Simple Guide to Workplace Recycling Stardom is the latest offering from Planet Ark’s Business Recycling platform, which has you covered from simple changes you can do right now to more sophisticated ones that will make you shine like a recycling celebrity.
The guide aims to empower people regardless of their job title to make impactful changes that reduce waste at work, covering easy wins as well as more advanced workplace initiatives based on the latest in recycling research and behaviour change science.
Key findings of the research included:
49% of Australians believe that households generate the most waste, compared to 33% believing businesses generate the most waste and just 16% correctly identifying the construction and demolition sector as generating the most waste.
47% of Australians want to make changes to increase recycling rates at work.
43% agree simple advice is required to help them implement recycling solutions at work.
Only 32% of Australians know where to find information on how to improve recycling rates at work.
As shown above, only 16% of survey participants were able to correctly identify the construction and demolition industry as the sector generating the most waste in Australia compared to a whopping 49% who believed households are the biggest source of waste. According to the 2020 National Waste Report, construction and demolition created 27 million tonnes of waste and the commercial and industrial sector produced 21.9 million tonnes in 2018-19, with just 12.6 million tonnes of municipal waste generated by households.
Business Recycling enables Australian businesses to address their waste, increase efficiency and improve their reputation while reducing unnecessary costs. The information provided on Business Recycling and Recycling Near You is representative of available recycling services in Australia.
The Business Recycling program is made possible through the support of Foundation Partner, the NSW EPA. To find out more, visit BusinessRecycling.com.au.
Prior to joining Planet Ark Liam spent his time studying global environmental issues, travelling Southeast Asia on the cheap and working for a sustainable property management company in Bali, Indonesia. Joining the communications team at Planet Ark, he hopes to inspire positive environmental behaviour through effective and positive messaging.
