What’s important about recycling as a business?
The UK use a total of 12.5 million tonnes of paper every single year. This uses a huge amount of energy and produces CO2, harming our environment. With businesses reducing their carbon footprint by allowing their shredded documents to go on to be recycled can dramatically reduce this, saving paper from going into landfill where more greenhouse gases are produced.
What happens after paper is collected to be recycled?
With your documents stored confidentially, upon collection a vetted service operative will be able to take your documents securely to be shredded within the specialised mobile vehicle, whilst still on site. This material is then transported to the paper recycling facility where they are composed into bales, which are taken to the recycling mill to be recycled into new paper and other low-grade paper-based products.
How does the recycling process work?
During the recycling process, paper is sorted into different grades, before being placed in a tank of chemical solution. These chemicals separate the fibres in the paper. Other materials such as metal paper clips, staples, CDs are filtered out and remaining ink is removed from the paper by spinning in a large container.
Paper often loses colour through this process so the pulp mixture is mixed to the right colour using whitening agents. Water is removed by passing over a vibrating screen, before being squeezed through heated rollers until the right content and thickness for the paper is achieved. This new paper is fed onto enormous rolls which are cut down into smaller ones before being sent to the printers.
It’s more than just moral responsibility
Within the UK, getting rid of waste, including paper, responsibly is a legal requirement and comes under your ‘duty of care’ as a business. You are responsible for your waste from the moment it is created until it is handed to a licensed waste disposal company, such as a secure on-site shredding service. After this point, you must also be able to show that this business is handling your waste correctly and recycling materials that need recycling.
Until this disposal process, you are legally required to store your documents confidentially. Many shredding services such as Shred-on-Site can take care of this for you too, by providing you with veneered receptacles or lockable wheelie bins. You are expected to reuse and recycle as much material as possible.
Let Shred-on-Site take care of your green responsibility
On-site secure shredding companies like Shred-on-Site are able to give your secure storage units before regularly collecting and disposing of your waste in a green and responsible way which ensures maximum recyclability. All of this takes place using specialised vehicles, issuing you with a certificate to guarantee destruction. Together the responsibility is shared, and you can be assured that your business is in full compliance with UK law.
To find out more, get in touch with Shred-on-Site today by calling 0800 181 4106.
Author: Mark Coombes - Follow me on Google+
