Majority of UK companies don’t have a recycling policy, report reveals

A new report has revealed that 90% of businesses in the UK still do not have a recycling policy in place

Despite the rise of recycling and recent high-profile debates in Government and the media about plastic use, 90% of businesses still do not have a green policy.

Mark Hall, Communications Director behind BusinessWaste.co.uk said: “Households are expected to recycle their waste as a matter of due course now, and we are seeing much more media coverage of environmentally unfriendly items such as plastic water bottles or straws.

“But many businesses have been slow to implement changes into their day-to-day operations.”

The UK waste management agency, found that 80% of companies did not have separate recycling bins, either internally or externally and a whopping 96% did not use recycled paper.

More than half of the respondents (59%), used plastic cups at their water fountains and only 20% had a fully-fledged green policy in place.

Mr Hall added: “There are small changes which can be made each day which add up. Paper cups instead of plastic at the water cooler and encouraging employees to turn off lights in unused meeting rooms are two seemingly small ways to improve a business’s green credentials.”

However, failing to implement a green policy is not just bad for the environment. A study found in the Guardian in 2015, showed that young people considered a company’s ethical standing when applying for a jobs. This suggests that businesses may be damaging their own desirability as employers if they are found not to have a green policy for their workers.

Creating an environmental policy is an opportunity for businesses to review whether its operations are environmentally responsible.

Reports suggest that green policies can help lower costs through reduced consumption and waste, providing a real incentive for firms to look at all aspects of their day-to-day running.