Four ways to reduce the amount of waste in your home

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Household waste is a normal part of everyday life. Throwing rubbish is almost as important a task as cleaning or vacuuming. However, more and more families are dealing with a lot of waste. This is more or less because of the increased consumption of packaged food, improper storage of items and / or unnecessary purchases that people want to get rid of on time.

The ever-increasing amount of household waste puts a lot of pressure on local authorities. In Great Britain, household rubbish thrown away during a year is about 7.2 million tonnes. That’s a lot! However, instead of reducing the time between garbage collections, local authorities in the UK are extending this period to save money. This leaves more litter in UK households than ever before. Therefore, proper waste management has turned out to be very important for people who like to live in a clean and healthy environment.

If you want to join these people, there are a few things you should know about waste management. Waste management includes many methods of waste disposal. The most common and used methods are waste reduction, reuse and recycling. Implementing one or all of these methods brings many benefits to both you and the environment. They reduce the release of pollutants, save energy, reduce the need for landfill space and reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some tips on how to best manage your household waste.

Reduce the amount of garbage you bring in

It sounds simple, but you can run into a lot of difficulties before you actually reduce the waste you bring home because something as regular as grocery shopping can produce so much packaging, packaging, plastic bags, food waste, and more. Here are some tips to get you started:

  • If possible, avoid packed items. Packaging represents a large percentage of household waste, and if it is avoided it would be great.
  • Pay attention to the type of packaging of the items you buy. Is it recyclable or not?
  • Prepare food at home. You will produce some trash from the packaging, but it will be much less than if you had a take-out.
  • Drink less bottled water. If your tap water is drinkable, there’s no reason to buy bottled water unless you’re out for a walk.

Reduce the amount of garbage you throw away

Again, you may find it difficult to execute, but the results will amaze you. The amount of household waste will be significantly reduced by simply reducing the amount of rubbish you throw away.

  • Recycle whenever possible to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the trash.
  • Buy durable items.
  • Take care of your devices to reduce their rotation.
  • Repair damaged items or have them repaired.
  • Give away, gift or sell items you don’t want or need.
  • Compost food waste.

Reuse what you can

Find a new purpose for items you no longer need. It will also help reduce the amount of waste leaving your home. Here are some items that can be reused:

  • plastic bottles
  • shopping bags
  • containers
  • paper
  • wraps

Recycling and compost

Recycling and composting is a simple and easy way to reduce household waste. To make sure your rubbish is recycled, you don’t need anything more than sorting it into different bins according to their type. Leave the rest to the local council! They will come and collect the garbage on the day designated for garbage collection. When it comes to composting, just throw all your biodegradable materials into your compost bin and let nature do the rest. Things you should avoid putting in your composter are:

  • diapers
  • meat
  • cleaning products
  • body fluids
  • household chemicals

Composting at home is simple and benefits your garden. Use the compost you make to fertilize the soil for your garden. It will improve soil structure and overall health.

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Source by Amelia Cole

Pond management can help reduce our environmental footprint

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We all want to leave this world in better condition than we found it. It’s not uncommon for large corporations and even smaller companies to turn to green practices to reduce waste and stress on the environment. For those who own properties with man-made lakes and waterways, it is important to follow the same rules for their maintenance.

When looking for a company that will manage a lake or pond, it is worth paying attention to the following features:

  • Do they recycle all paper and plastic waste generated in their daily activities?
  • Is all the cardboard they receive in the form of boxes and shipping cartons reused for outbound shipping or recycled?
  • Do they produce their own marketing materials, newsletters, and other corporate publications on recycled paper?
  • Are all algae, herbicide and other plastic containers rinsed three times after use and transported to a recycling facility for shredding, grinding and shipment to manufacturers for reuse in the production of new plastic products?
  • Are all herbicides and algicides rinsed from cleaning plastic containers and spray equipment collected and reused in future treatments to eliminate any waste and eliminate potentially adverse environmental impacts in non-target areas?
  • Do all fountain devices use cooking oil as a means to cool the motors that propel the device, eliminating any risk of toxic petroleum-based lubricants leaking into the lakes and ponds where these fountains operate?
  • Are all used oils collected and sent to recyclers who filter, clean and reuse them to produce new petroleum products?

The more you know about the lake management company you hire, the safer you will feel knowing that you have made an environmental contribution.

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Source by K. Tucker

How to cut waste on office stationery?

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Adapting the office to the digital world was a much slower process than most technology experts predicted. The “paperless office”, once the goal of many organizations, has finally been achieved for many, but there is still room for improvement. Most of the cost savings of the abandonment of paper have not been fully realized. Paper management costs increased in all areas:

– Purchase price

– Copying

-Printing

– Storage

– Disposal

– Recycling

One area where offices can save and reduce waste is the use of office supplies: letters, applications, legal documents and other uses. It is not always necessary to print all documents on stationary paper. Some may be stored on the hard drive of an office computer. Printing and sending of documents can be restricted by using e-mail or, in some cases, SMS. If the office uses any forms, they can usually be converted to the online filing format. Proofreading a copy of a document online, viewing it on the screen, and making changes and changes can save you the extra step and wasting time printing your draft copy.

Technologies such as office printers and copiers should be reviewed to ensure that there is no waste of printing and copying. An office worker may try to take printed materials out of an office printer or copier only to find that he cannot locate his documents. It’s not uncommon for someone else to accidentally pick up the wrong documents, so the employee just prints the next set. To stop this, many office copiers / printers have features that allow the user to enter a secure personal code at the printer / copier station prior to printing. This procedure saves a lot of paper and costs. Stationary scrap can be easily used for notebooks or notes.

Finally, there are environmental costs associated with the use of stationary office equipment. The production and use of paper is destructive and contributes greatly to pollution and depletion of natural resources such as trees and other plants. Maintaining a desktop use policy may require consulting with technology vendors to optimize the use of computers and peripherals for printing. In case of heavy use of stationary materials, your office may consider outsourcing large print jobs to companies that have implemented paper-saving and environmental initiatives. The general principle of better management of stationary waste is reuse, reduction and recycling.

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Source by Jazmine Smith

Education, meaning, purpose and function

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The process of defining the meaning of Education aims to problematize its lexicology and reconceptualize it. The example is illustrated from real everyday life. An international company that manufactures advanced pharmaceutical products is choosing a cheaper way to get rid of its waste, not to dispose of it. They dump waste off the shores of the poorer African continent based on the company’s maximum profit policy. Is the company’s management well educated? They are, as can be assumed, for rhetorical convenience. The illiterate indigenous tribe living in the jungle of Papua New Guinea’s rainforests do not know the meaning of the environmental jargon: “Reduce, Recycle and Reuse”; however, they protect and sustain the environment based on their known skill level. . Are the inhabitants of the rainforest uneducated just because they are illiterate?

The problems of narrow meaning we call Education arise in the contextuality of the examples above, and the conceptual difficulties of trying to focus meaning on Education are as complex as possible. So the importance of education must emerge from this narrowness to a broad meaning. In its broadest sense, Education is the process of “stimulating” a “person” with Experiences, Language and Ideology, starting from birth and continuing until death. This meaning of Education would give rise to the Purpose as the dissemination of formally, non-formal, cultural, national, scientific and ritually literal skills, literacy, knowledge, norms and values ??as a pedagogy of the institutions that gave rise to the purpose. This goal would be directly related to the consolidation of this Society as an ideological structure. The goal will redefine the function of education. The function of education will therefore be related to how meaning and goals are synchronized in processes called application experience. The formulation of the thesis of this article is developed on three levels – firstly, the meaning of education as stimulating a person with language, experiences and ideology, secondly, the goal of education is to disseminate and consolidate it, and thirdly, the function as synchronized processing.

The development of the sense of education as the stimulation of a person from birth to death with language, experiences and ideology makes the person a being of a process as an ontology. This process begins with being born as an affective language, such as a mother’s cooing, to the process by which the person becomes a cognitive structure as a self-speaking subject or an ego-subject. Here, the individual is subject to the norms, traditions of the culture of society and learns to adapt and assimilate the symbolic codes of society. Along with this process, the individual also learns to formalize his adaptation and belonging to the reading and writing process, ie developing skills and competences. Thus, we conclude that the meaning of education is multi-level and multi-directional, both through formalistic and informal social institutions. The formalistic institutions that promote the Meaning of Education are Schools, Government, Law and Order, etc. Other formalistic institutions, such as family, religion, and native traditions, can act both openly and silently to orient the individual in terms of experience, educated. For example, the oral transmission of a folk song by a mother to her daughter is silent, while the marital function is an aspect that is more open to the implementation of cultural pedagogy. In this way, language and experiences generate codes by which society can experience the Meaning of Education, making ideology possible.

In this way, the importance of Education would give rise to the Purpose as the dissemination of formal, informal, cultural, national, scientific and ritual skills, literacy, knowledge, norms and values ??as a pedagogy. Dissemination would mean disseminating the Society’s cultural norms and values. It would also mean spreading nationalism as democratic pluralism, multiculturalism, diversity and celebration or its reverse as intolerance, authoritarianism through pedagogy; it is also the development of systematized pedagogy – promoted as theoretical and applied in the scientific and technocratic institutions of the Society.

The goal of Education would be directly related to the consolidation of this Society as an ideological structure. Contemporary fixation would answer the questions related to the purpose of Education, which are: empowerment, durability, protection, minimization, conflict resolution, creativity and innovation.

The Purpose of Education and the Meaning of Education give rise to the Function of Education as meaning, i.e. the synchronized processing of Purpose and Function into a materialistic, operational process. Synchronization of the Meaning and Purpose of education takes place at different levels of action. They create, transmit and implement and simulate culture. At the level of Creation, the function of Education is related to “Policy Formation” related to the meaning and purpose of education. Policy formulation can involve many issues such as development, sustainable development, scientific progress, promoting rights, dignity and culture, energy management, disaster management, peace and conflict resolution. Once policy is made, they are communicated and implemented through the institutional structures of society, such as the legal system, education system, welfare management, etc. Cultural simulation takes place both formally and informally as social religious, cultural and family institutions. They fulfill many social and cultural roles in the home, and also celebrate or regret the occasion.

To sum up, it is necessary to summarize the thesis that the meaning of education has been extended to stimulate a person with the help of language, experiences and ideology. The importance of Education becomes essential to the Purpose of Education as dissemination and preservation. The meaning and purpose of education is synchronized with the function of education as creation, transmission and participation.

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Source by Anand Bose

Introduction to paper recycling

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For those looking to reduce the waste stream, recycling paper is an excellent way to do it. Especially since paper is wasted in large amounts all year round. The process involves the recovery of a large amount of paper fibers that can be reused and transformed into cardboard, new paper or various paper articles. It’s true that recycling paper isn’t as effective as recycling metal or glass, but it’s a great way to protect the environment and conserve resources.

By choosing to recycle paper, you manage to reduce the amount of waste or water, energy, trees and the amount of pollutants emitted by plants that are converted into paper. Research shows that recycled paper can be 40% more effective than construction paper from nothing in an environmentally friendly way. Those who wish to recycle in an environmentally friendly way can use non-toxic bleaching elements, alternative energy and reclaimed water to recycle the paper (not fresh water).

The consumer is the one who starts recycling. It sorts paper types into recycling bins. All paper is recyclable, and then specialized companies choose glossy, matte or colored paper and cardboard. In the event that they are unable to process a type of product made of paper, these companies sell these products to companies that have the ability to do so. In a recycling facility, the paper is divided into staples, types, paper clips, etc., eliminating contamination.

The next step is to crush the paper and mix it with water. This combination is similar to mulch, which is processed by soaking and mixing. The pulp is then used to make new paper, paper screens, cardboard or paper insulation. If required by the process, the pulp can be whitened before it is formed into new paper. If not, the pulp may retain its natural state.

In rare cases, paper is completely recycled, and this is because existing fibers shorten during processing. It must be combined with the original pulp to obtain a strong and durable paper. In addition, most paper is extremely recyclable: before it runs out, paper can be recycled 4-6 times. In this case, the fibers that shorten are eliminated because they cannot be used. Recycled paper contains labels that indicate the percentage of the content to help the consumer.

The waste that remains from the recycled paper includes fibers that can no longer be used, inks or various contaminants. All of this is known as sludge, which in some cases is buried in landfills. Usually it is spread over the fields as mulch or otherwise it is incinerated to give energy to the paper company. Even though some might say that the incineration sludge is contaminating, in some situations doing so is an environmentally friendly way to fuel a paper manufacturing company. Not to mention, if the sludge is used efficiently, producers can reduce the degree of contamination.

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Source by Karina Popa

Canny Traveler’s Guide to Saving Money and Traveling Green

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Part of the joy of traveling is to let go of our normal routines and habits that we maintain at home. But some of these “home” practices are good for the world and we want to keep them on the way. This article gives you an opportunity to see how we can reduce, reuse and recycle our way around the world, saving money, traveling green and being a responsible tourist. Water bottles, plastic bags, and extra clothes are the biggest culprits in the backpack world, and we’re going to cover these three things here.

Reduce waste from plastic water bottles

My Nalgene bottle is my best friend both at home and on the go. Combined with the cleansing water “magic wand” I have no excuse to dehydrate or create excess waste with bottled water. I admit that in many parts of the world it is not safe to drink tap water and it is a real shame to get sick from questionable drinking water while traveling. But I had no problems refilling the water with boiled water from the tea and coffee table during the breakfast buffet or purifying the water by filtering it through a shawl or T-shirt and then using cleansing tablets or my Steri-Pen.

In developing countries, recycling facilities and even organized garbage collection are not available. The result is that most people burn their trash. It is enough for so many plastic bags (see next section) to be thrown away this way without putting our water bottles on the fire and creating more toxic fumes. However, if you do find yourself in an emergency, a water bottle can often be ‘donated’ to rural communities who can reuse the bottles to carry water, detergent, paraffin or other fluids.

Reuse plastic bags

In Europe and Australia, taking canvas or canvas bags to the supermarket has become second nature; not so in africa. The exception is Rwanda, where plastic bags can no longer be purchased, and Uganda is making significant progress in this direction. But in other countries, you may end up with more bags than products when you leave the supermarket! Where do these bags end up? In those toxic flames mentioned above.

On the other hand, it cannot be denied that a few plastic bags in a backpack can be extremely handy when packing – dirty shoes, dirty laundry, shampoo and other liquids that can explode in transit all use a plastic bag. But I also carry a few canvas bags in my backpack so I don’t buy any extra plastic bags when I travel. Taking fabric bags (for food and souvenirs) to the market means I don’t have to throw more plastic waste into my surroundings.

Recycle old clothes

In 2007, my friend and I traveled by land (and sea) from Tokyo to Helsinki, buying a lot of souvenirs along the way. Attempts to ship our gadgets from Russia were thwarted by a difficult postal worker, so we carried our package all the way to London before developing another strategy. This strategy was to get rid of all my clothes and fill my backpack with souvenirs (I was flying home anyway and had a lot more clothes to welcome when I returned). I have seen many other travelers who have bought special “safari clothes” for their trip that they do not want to wear home – for some reason khaki cargo pants seem like a must on safari even though you have never worn such pants on a home safari and never there will be no more

Charity baskets and thrift stores are often the first choice when cleaning your wardrobe at home, but what about going overseas? I often see travelers throwing their clothes into the trash! Instead, you can ask your tour operator, hotel reception, or other friendly resident if they know an organization or group that would benefit from second-hand clothing. There will always be someone to gain a second life from your old clothes, no matter how ugly they are to you – tailors are similar to magicians in Kenya and coupled with good cleaning, you won’t recognize your own shirt after healing them!

With these three basic ideas, it’s not hard to go green on the road. There are of course many other ways to reduce the impact, for example by using accommodation, transport and tour operators who subscribe to sustainable practices. But these three ideas will have a big impact and will apply to travel anytime, anywhere, no excuses. Leave only traces and travel well!

Share your ideas on how we can travel sustainably. I would like to hear from you!

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Source by Tracey A Bell

Paper towels – 3,000 tons of waste to landfill each day

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Over 90% of American households enjoy the convenience of paper towels, and we produce over 3,000 tons of waste every day. Is this problem insurmountable? No – if every home were to simply swap one roll of their traditional paper towels for recycled paper towels, we could avoid wasting 3.4 million cubic feet of landfill space and prevent 864,000 trees from being cut down.

Benefits of recycled paper towels

By using recycled paper towels, we do much more than just reduce waste in landfills. According to Ideal Bite: “Every ton of 100% recycled paper purchased can save around 4,000 kWh of energy and 7,000 gallons of water. It also avoids the release of 60 pounds of pollutants into the air. ”

Reduce paper towel waste

Even using recycled paper towels, people tend to waste. What can you do to kindly remind people to reduce the use of paper towels? You can participate in campaigns against wasting consumer paper. It is these very wasteful habits that motivate projects like “These come from trees.”

“Remember … these come from trees”

According to the blog “These Come From Trees” they are “an experiment in environmental protection, viral marketing and user interface design aimed at reducing the amount of consumer waste!” What exactly is this “experiment”? Using cheap vinyl stickers and guerrilla marketing strategies, the ad hoc team of The Come From Trees spread the message of reducing consumer paper consumption. Here is a breakdown of their strategies:

  • People like you stick vinyl stickers “Remember … These Come From Trees” to paper towel dispensers in public places.

That’s it. To quote These Come From Trees blog, it’s truly amazing “how the right message at the right time can make a difference.” As each sticker includes a URL that people can visit (http://www.thesecomfromtrees.com/), they help promote public awareness of this growing problem.

How effective are such projects?

According to tests by the These Come From Trees team, their information stickers can reduce paper towel consumption by up to 15%, they continue, claiming that each sticker can save around 100 pounds of paper per year, which is equivalent to one tree. Considering the average coffee shop uses around £ 1,000 of paper towels, and the average fast food restaurant with two toilets can use up to £ 2,000 a year, 15% can save you a lot of money.

What about replacements for reusable paper towels?

Even though paper towels are common, are they? not the only solutionproducts made of cotton or linen can be washed and reused many times. In some cases, sponges that offer a longer product life can handle work that would normally be dumped on a paper towel.

Choosing the best option for your situation

While you can easily control your options at home and guerrilla projects such as “Remember … These come from trees” remind people to limit their use in public places, it is important to always understand the best option for each situation you find yourself in – speaking from an environmental point of view.

If you dry your hands and have a choice between an electric hand dryer and paper towels, what is the best choice for the environment? While electric hand dryers have the environmental cost of the electricity used to power them, in terms of overall energy costs, solid waste, maintenance and cleaning costs, electric hand dryers are more efficient than paper towels. While electric hand dryers are constantly being improved by manufacturers and becoming more and more energy efficient, paper towels have practically reached their peak.

Reduce, reuse and recycle

While you are constantly bombarded by three R., “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” is another case where the three R principles offer the best solution to society. By reducing the use of paper towels, we can prevent more trees from being cut down and prevent emissions from producing new paper. By moving towards reusable options such as a washing cloth, we can stop the cycle of waste completely. By purchasing recycled paper products and recycling our paper products at the end of their life, we can protect our valuable natural resources and reduce emissions.

Convenient items like paper towels started out as a luxury, became commonplace and now they are subject to massive abuses. Who pays for this abuse? Environment. By making smarter choices, we can reduce the amount of paper waste we contribute to creation and recycle our existing paper products. Faced with an ever-growing population and the static size of the land, we face the sobering prospect of running out of precious natural resources. You are breaking up, remembering to keep what you can and where.

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Source by Sam Greyhawk

The 7 most important benefits of recycling

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Recycling is a process – a series of activities, if you prefer, that includes: collecting and sorting waste, processing these materials to make entirely new products, and consumers purchasing and using these new products.

Recycling is more optimized and efficient if we apply the three principles of waste management: reduction, reuse, recycling.

Reducing the amount of waste that would otherwise end up in recycling centers or landfills is achieved by deliberately reducing purchases and consumption, composting organic waste, and a firm refusal to use disposable items such as polystyrene and plastic bags. Reusing materials serves to extend the service life of an item. Examples of this are: converting glass bottles into art lampshades for lamps, giving old cell phones to family or friends for reuse, and converting street rubbish bins into public bathtubs.

But why recycle? Why bother with recycling rubbish? What are the benefits of recycling for us and the environment?

Let’s take a look at the benefits of recycling:

Recycling helps protect the environment

Recycling significantly reduces the amount of waste deposited in our landfills or incinerated in incinerators. The designed landfills in most cities are designed to contain toxic chemicals leaking from the decomposing solid waste reaching our water systems. But for how long? We are already receiving reports of hazardous chemicals polluting water resources in some cities. Burning solid waste into electricity can be efficient, but we are paying the price in terms of increased carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Recycling helps save limited resources

To put this benefit into perspective, consider a statement by the Pennsylvania Department of the Environment: “By recycling more than 1 million tons of steel in 2004, Pennsylvania residents saved 1.3 million tons of iron ore, 718,000 tons of coal and 62,000 tons of limestone. We have saved nearly 8.2 million trees by recycling newsprint, office paper and mixed paper. ”

Resources such as oil and precious metals (gold, silver, bauxite, copper, etc.) are finite resources that will run out sooner or later. Cell phone and computer manufacturers such as Dell and Apple recognize the need for a steady supply of raw materials – most of them run repurchase programs to recycle materials from used products.

Recycling promotes energy efficiency

Recycling is much more energy-efficient than making something from fresh raw materials. Made on a national scale, it can lead to a significant reduction in our energy costs. The energy needed to extract, process and transport the metal from the mine to the refinery is obviously much greater than what is needed to recycle metal from used products – it costs more to make a brand new aluminum can from fresh material than to make 20 cans from recycled materials!

Recycling helps build a strong economy

Each reduction of costs, energy efficiency, saving materials and generating jobs thanks to recycling contribute to building a strong economy for our country. Recycling, carried out nationwide, has a huge positive impact on the economy. There was a fall in secondary raw material prices last year when the financial crisis began, but it shows the resilience of the industry that prices are now back to pre-crisis levels – a recovery that is well ahead of us than most other industries. Jobs are created and city and town authorities benefit from huge savings in electricity, garbage disposal and landfill costs.

Recycling creates jobs

Recycling generates more jobs than landfilling or waste incineration. This is an advantage that we cannot lose sight of in times of recession and high unemployment. Consider the disposal of 10,000 tons of solid waste: burning it for electricity creates 1 job; collecting it and dumping it in landfill will create 6 jobs; processing waste for recycling will generate 36 jobs!

Recycling builds a community

People unite and build communities around common causes, problems and advocates. Recycling is no different. In many neighborhoods and cities across the country, we see concerned citizens working together on recycling initiatives, environmental lobbying groups, and free recycling groups. If you are new to recycling or environmental advocacy, find a local group to work with. Keeping a course is more fun and rewarding when other enthusiasts cheer you on.

Recycling can be financially profitable

If you just want to earn money to survive these tough times or start a home business, recycling is a viable option. Starting a home recycling business is relatively easy and inexpensive. You just need to plan what material (cell phone, paper, metals, etc) you are going to collect, schedule storage, contact the recycling facility to arrange a price, and you can start collecting the recyclable material and reselling it to the recycling facility for a decent profit. The big recycling giants in the United States started out as home businesses years ago – you can do it too – these guys just saw the huge potential of this business, ahead of the crowd.

The benefits of recycling for all of us, for society and the environment are compelling reasons why we recycle. For many of us, recycling has become second nature – a way of life. This is a small but extremely important piece of environmental protection – without recycling, all our efforts to protect the planet will be less effective and even futile. Let’s continue recycling.

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Source by Michael Arms

Six easy ways to help your office get rid of paper

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Is your office getting green? Is paper elimination one of your organization’s savings goals? Do you want ideas to help the people you manage or help reduce waste, reuse items or recycle? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, below are some ideas in different ways that you can use as part of your personal or departmental journey towards being greener or more economical. Some of the ideas will save you not only paper, but also the cost of ink and toner. .

No paper options

1. When sharing your created text documents or spreadsheets with other people, do not make hard copies. Instead of copying, place the document on a shared server and let others who need the document know the location of the file. If no document modifications are required, convert the document to PDF or password-protect it from revealing its location. Or, instead of making paper copies, the document can be sent to everyone as an email attachment. If the document is being shipped outside the company or no modifications are required, convert the document to PDF or password-protect it before sending.

2. To share printed information that can normally be copied or faxed, scan the paper documents into the computer, then do one of the following. If you want to distribute the document to others, place it on a shared server or e-mail it as an attachment instead of making a copy. If the document is going to be stored, store it on a CD or USB drive with similar files, and then put it in the appropriate file in the filing cabinet. Pocket folders or those with CD slots make it a breeze and reduce the possibility of it falling out and getting lost in the drawer.

Less paper options

3. When sharing printed information in a small group that cannot be copied, saved or distributed electronically; consider shipping the document. Place a bill of lading on the document, telling each person what to do with the document, how long each person can keep it, and showing the names of everyone who is to receive the document. Then put a space next to each name for readers to initialize after the review is complete, and then pass it to the next person on the list who has not initialed their name. If the document must be returned to the original owner, make sure that the last name is on the routing list.

4. Whenever paper copies are required, make two-sided copies to reduce the amount of paper needed. Make single-sided copies only when required. If too many single-sided copies have been made or the need for them has passed, reuse the paper by using the back of the unsecured information as scratch-off paper and always place these unsecured papers in the paper basket instead of the trash can after use. Make sure that secured documents are removed in accordance with security requirements.

Reduce the received paper

5. Reduce the amount of mail you receive by canceling unnecessary or redundant subscriptions. For desired subscriptions, check if there is an electronic option and change to that option if there is.

6. Before recycling your mailing ads, ask that any ads you do not want are removed from your directory and mailing lists. Often these paper documents have a toll-free telephone number that can be requested to be removed from their database. For shipments that are needed for future business needs, ask if there is an electronic version to switch to or request removal from the list and write down your website address for search and ordering purposes.

Whether your green trip is going to be green or your economical cost reduction plans include being paperless, you should be able to find something in these six options to help you and your people on your path. Remember that for both purposes, always try to reduce waste, reuse items, or recycle whenever possible.

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Source by Shirley Lee

Advice on disposal of electronic equipment

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Today, most organizations are actively seeking to reduce the use and recycling of items such as paper, bottles, and cans, but few organizations consider what happens to their damaged or outdated IT and electrical equipment, such as computers, laptops, and hard drives. The following are examples of the options available for the responsible disposal or recycling of this equipment.

Computers:

All major computer components must be recycled responsibly, in line with the UK WEEE directive. This means that they will be individually broken down into basic materials and recycled. However, it is not uncommon for broken computers to be the result of one or two broken parts, in which case the remaining components can be removed, refurbished and sold as spare parts or used to build new machines.

Hard drive

When a hard drive becomes damaged or corrupted, people often make the mistake of just throwing it away as normal waste, however, it is one of the easiest ways for an identity thief to steal sensitive information. Fully licensed hard drive disposal companies will be able to permanently wipe data off the hard drive before reusing or destroying it.

Laptops

This is very similar to the disposal of computers, laptops are broken down into their component parts before being recycled as plastics and metals. In addition, some of them can be refurbished and reused. Working parts can be used to repair other laptops to avoid sending parts to a landfill, which can drastically reduce a company’s carbon footprint.

Batteries

Batteries are among the most dangerous items sent to landfills; however, in 2012 only less than 10% was recycled in the UK. EU directives mean 45% must be recycled by 2016.

Fluorescent fluorescent lamps

Also known as gas discharge lamps (GDL), they are classified as hazardous waste and should be disposed of responsibly by a professional disposal company. Often, disposal companies offer specially made boxes to store used tubes to prevent them from cracking during transport.

All of the above items can be recycled and disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner by a specialized disposal company that can significantly reduce any company’s carbon footprint and increase its ecological credentials. In fact, many of them have the potential to be renewed and reused, thus reducing the level of waste in the organization in line with the waste hierarchy; Reduce, reuse and recycle.

When choosing a disposal company, be sure to check their environmental and ethical responsibility policy. This can be done by making sure they have the appropriate recycling and disposal certificates that are issued and enforced by the Environment Agency.

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Source by Ian Etherington