Should your business start to recycle plastic? Think about all the different types of plastic your company uses every single day. This ranges from plastic containers to plastic packaging waste, and so on. Most people choose to avoid plastic recycling because they assume it can’t be recycled. In reality, most types of plastic can be recycled or used for other purposes.
Consequently, it’s time for your business to take a more eco-friendly approach to your plastic waste. If you’re still not convinced, then here are five reasons to start recycling plastic right now:
Reduce your carbon footprint
Business owners should be aware of the carbon footprint of their organisation. Ideally, you need it to be as low as possible. Companies with a high carbon footprint are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Not only that, but it can damage your reputation as people become aware of your massive carbon footprint.
Believe it or not, but a large chunk of your carbon emissions comes from sending plastic waste to landfills. The more waste you put there, the more energy is spent burning it away. As a result, more emissions are sent into the air around us. Do your bit for the environment – and preserve your reputation while you’re at it – recycle plastic to reduce your carbon footprint.
Save money
Plastic recycling will save your business money in more ways than one. Firstly, think about using old plastic items for other purposes. For example, hold onto plastic packaging and then use it if you ever need to send items somewhere. Clean out any old plastic containers and use them to store office stationery. This can save money by stopping you from going out and buying new things.
However, the real savings come from not generate as much non-recyclable waste. There’s a tax on businesses that send waste to landfills, and it’s rising every year. By reducing your waste, you will pay less tax.
CSR Policy
Businesses should have a Corporate Social Responsibility policy in place to show that they care about the rest of society. Your CSR policy basically shows consumers that you regulate yourself and do things to minimise your negative societal impact and improve your positive impact. By having this policy, you can enhance your reputation and stand out from other businesses in your domain.
Furthermore, plastic recycling can be part of this policy. Create recycling rules that stipulate your business will recycle a certain percentage of your plastic waste. It shows you’re doing something to have a positive effect on society as a whole.
Delight your customers
These days, customers are becoming more ethical with how they approach businesses. People are boycotting organisations that aren’t eco-friendly – or that make no attempt to reduce their carbon emissions.
So, by recycling plastic in your business, you can delight your customers. Make it clear that this is something you’re serious about – the aforementioned CSR policy is a great way to do this. Loyal customers will be thrilled and are more likely to stay loyal to you. But, one-off customers might return and become loyal because they want to spend money on a business that’s clearly thinking about the environment. Plastic recycling can also be a smart way to draw in new customers and widen your customer base!
Save the planet
Last, but by no means least, you will save the world by recycling. As we said earlier, plastic waste in landfill sites will often get burned. This generates so many toxic gasses that are damaging to the environment. The gasses can destroy nearby wildlife, throwing the whole ecosystem out of whack.
However, there’s also the issue with plastic waste in the oceans. Lots of plastic waste ends up being dumped in oceans, and it’s killing the aquatic life there. Many animals are dying because they’re suffocated by plastic bags or containers. Plus, the chemicals in some plastic packaging leak into the sea, which further harms the wildlife.
You will directly contribute to saving the planet if you reduce plastic waste in your business. Implement a recycling policy today and encourage other companies to do so. The more companies that start recycling, the better.
All in all, there’s no reason to avoid plastic recycling in your business. What negatives come from it? It will cost more to start dumping plastic waste than it does to recycle it. There’s not a great deal of difference in the effort involved either. Recycling casts a positive light on your business, it shows you care about society and our planet. So, make the smart choice and start recycling plastic today.
