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A Guide to Implementing Recycling Systems in Multi-Tenanted Office Buildings

1 Introduction

2 Why Minimise Waste?

3 How to Set Up a Recycling System

Appendix 1: Case Studies

Appendix 2: Undertaking a Waste Sort

Appendix 2: Undertaking a Waste Sort

Planning

• Be clear about why you are auditing your waste to help work out the when, what and how.
• Find out exactly what happens to waste, who collects what waste, when and how (in bags? straight into the bin?), where it is stored, and who takes it away for disposal and how often.
• Check if there is anything else besides landfilled waste that should be measured, such as recycled paper, cardboard or plastic.
• Consider what other information you could collect to make your waste data more useful (eg, how many staff the offices have).

How

• Can you get staff and/or cleaners to put waste into bags labelled with where they are from, the date, etc?
• If you can't get the waste before it goes into the skip, can you get waste out of the skip (you don't want to walk on top of rubbish)? Where can you put it once sorted (not too far away, so that you can easily put the rubbish back into the skip without having to lift it too high)?
• Think about how much waste you want to sort. It is recommended that you sample a week's waste (ie pull aside a number of bags every day for a week and then sort them). This will give you a sample of that season's waste. You may want to make notes of any significant events that week (eg, an office party).

When

• When will you measure your waste? Pick your time, considering whether the waste stream varies from day to day, season to season, etc.
• How much waste do you want to collect for sorting (it takes five people about five hours to sort 7m³ of waste)?
• What time is your skip usually emptied? Can you fit in with this or do you need to get the waste contractor to do anything different (ie, not empty the skip for a day or two, or deliver the skip to a different location than usual for sorting, or leave a bigger skip to collect waste for a longer period than usual)?
• It is easier to sort waste that hasn't been compacted, so if you usually use a compactor see if you can get a skip temporarily.
• Talk to your contractor to let them know what you are doing. If you are sorting off-site be aware that waste contractors will often collect and mix waste from more than one company at a time. Make sure they don't do this on waste-sorting day.

Where

• You will need to have an area to spread out waste for sorting. At the smaller office sites this may be done at a large table covered with a tarpaulin. For a large building it may be on the basement floor.
• Think about how you will clean up the sorting site. You may need to wash the area, and this should be into a sewer (trade waste), not stormwater.
• Do the sort somewhere sheltered from the wind, which could upset the scales and blow rubbish everywhere.

What

• Look in your skip before you do your sort to determine how big it is, how full it is and what is in it.
• Decide beforehand what categories you want to sort into. Stop sorting after half an hour to check that your categories are appropriate.
• Take photos of waste as you go (photos are better than remembering) and also take lots of notes. It is a good idea if you have enough people to have one as a 'clean person' for recording and taking photos (this also keeps your camera clean).
• Nominate one person as the 'decider' on where tricky bits go (eg, are disposable nappies plastic or paper?) If one person answers all these questions you will have more consistency.
• Nominate one person to read the scales if they are not digital. This again provides more consistency.

Health and safety (very important)

• Be aware of hazards on-site and emergency responses/procedures.
• Be aware that most skips, etc. are open and anyone could put anything in to the skip.
• Sorters should use gloves and, if possible, aprons. Beware of broken glass and other sharp or gooey objects.
• Be careful not to lift heavy boxes. You may need a wheelbarrow to move heavy loads.

What you need

• Protective clothing.
• Scales - make sure they are sensitive enough to handle your big and small groups of waste. Electronic scales are preferred because they have less margin for error.
• Power supply - you may need power for your scales.
• Camera - it is a good idea to take a photo of waste (sorted and unsorted) as a record, and for use in communication with tenants and external publicity. If staff are involved it makes a good story for internal/external newsletters.
• Containers to sort into - these can be plastic bins or rubbish bags.
• Somewhere to put your waste once it is sorted (eg, recycling bins, skips).
• Marker pens - write on your bins what is in them and also the weight of the empty container (they will all be different weights).
• Paper to record weights - be clear about whether you are recording the total weight of bin and waste or just the weight of the waste. Also make notes as to what is in each category, and take a photo of it.