Moral support please?

[the.fee.fairy]

We have recycling bins provided - for paper and for printer cartridges.
The paper one is provided by BAA (they must be trying...) and the cartridge one comes from Cartridge world - they'll also give the company a sum of money for each cartridge that they pick up. I don't know how much it is though.

[Thomzo]

That sounds like fun. We have boring plastic boxes for recycling paper.

Cheers
Zoe

[possum]

good for you, don't try and change everything at once, every little counts (sorry i think that is a marketing phrase).
I have re-read my reply and think that it could come accross as harsh, it wasn't meant to be that way.

[ina]

QuakerBear - as part of advertising the company as more eco friendly, why don't you suggest to management that you form an Environment Committee? Our institute has one, and although I think they could be doing more, at least it's a start, and somebody to speak to if you want to get things done. And maybe you can pass some facts on to the managers about peak oil, and that it will all make economic sense (if they don't see the other kind of sense in it!) very soon; so the earlier they get on the band wagon, the better for the business!

[Thomzo]

One of the good things about working for a company that has it's head office in Germany is that they support our recycling efforts. As we are closing down, we have to get rid of everything and they support us spending time sorting everything out, doing trips to the Scrapstore and giving things away to charity. When I have worked for UK-based companies, their philosophy has been to chuck everything in the skip as it's cheaper than sorting and separating waste.

Zoe

[getting there]

completely wacky idea but you know how some places have employee of the week/month maybe they could have that for the most eco aware employee. Throw in a small perk or bonus and staff might be falling over themselves to green up.

Plus the business might get publicity for its initiative

[Urban Ayisha]

I used to work at the Body Shop which promotes itself as a 'green' company (ish) and was horrified at the amount of packaging all the little bottles etc arrived in and the fact that very little of it was recycled. Also, when all the staff were on the shop floor, the lights in the back of the shop (i.e. 2huge stockrooms and a lot of hallways and staircases) were constantly left on. I wasnt allowed to turn the lights off... There were some health and safety reasons i'm sure for this stupidity. Now, i work in a school and am just as disheartened by the amount of waste we accrue and how ignorant people are towards it. You'd think in a school, of all places, we'd try to educate the kids about this kind of thing (oh how I wish). See, its not the kids that are the problem! We have recycling bins in every room, and i see teabags and apple cores and all sorts slung in there. and the amount of PAPERRR!!!! the bin next to the photocopier is always overflowing, no one uses 'scrap' paper, everything is pristine, white, virgin paper, and dont get me started on the boiling water contraption for teas in the staffroom. oh my gosh mini essay on things that i'm sure affect soooo many work places.

i'm sure we all find it disheartening as it can make us feel like our efforts are swamped, but its those efforts that truly count...

[possum]

I sympathise, I am currently working in a fruit and veg shop, although a lot comes in re usable crates, there is still so much cardboard to get rid of, I do my bit by taking the green waste home for the goat