March 18 : Global Recycling Day
Global Recycling Day celebrates its fourth birthday on March 18. Indeed, it has become a worldwide day since 2018. But it was actually created in 1994 in the United States with the main objective of promoting the consumption of products made from recycled materials. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of recycling, both in professional and personal life.
An opportunity to sort through our drawers
As Antoine Lavoisier said, "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed" and with selective sorting this is indeed the case!
We all have batteries lying around in our office drawers, even though they are no longer in working order. And yet recycling them gives them a second life: a recycled lithium-ion battery can be used to make 37 5-cent coins thanks to the copper it contains. Recycling them also makes it possible to participate in the manufacture of new objects such as components for new batteries, car parts, keys or even bicycle frames! There are many Batribox collection points in France, so it is very easy to recycle them
Waste management in companies
According to the ADEME (Agence De l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie), companies produce ten times more waste than French households. Approximately 315 million tonnes, of which 247 million tonnes are from the building and public works sector, 24 million tonnes from industry and 22 million tonnes from the tertiary sector. Today, a company is obliged to qualify and sort its waste, by contractually entrusting its waste to an approved service provider.
Since 1 January 2018, all companies with more than 20 employees must sort and recycle their waste. A decree has been introduced making sorting mandatory for the following 5 types of waste: cardboard/paper, metal, plastic, wood and glass.
Failure to comply with the Environmental Code may result in administrative and criminal penalties.
How to adopt an eco-responsible behaviour in the company?
As we said in our article on the right things to do in the workplace to be eco-responsible, some things are easy to adopt and to install in your daily life. For example, when your new employees arrive, offer them a stainless steel mug and water bottle, which will avoid the consumption of plastic cups. Provide your employees with selective sorting bins at the points where they consume (break room, cafeteria, etc.) and collect them as previously mentioned. Think about saving energy by installing power strips with switches, automatic lights with motion detection in high traffic areas, or by turning off your computer screens in the evening when you leave work!