Protecting the environment and saving money at the same time through recycling non-biodegradable materials is a fun and easy task to do. You can get the your friends and family involved in this project and become advocates for living green. Exercise your creativity and resourcefulness by turning garbage into something functional!

Here are some simple recycling tips that you can do to start reducing your “carbon footprint”:

1. Look for areas where you commonly find recyclable items. The kitchen and garage are the usual places where you can find them. Pick a certain area where you can use it as your recycling center.

2. Sort out and classify the recyclable materials. Get your storage bins and baskets out and label them according to the items that it will contain like newspapers, plastic, aluminum, bottles, etc. Avoid using glass jars or empty carton boxes since they can easily get broken.

3. Do not throw away plastic bags used from the stores. You can reuse it for your next trip to the shops to reduce the use of plastic bags. Ultimately, the use of plastic bags can be eliminated by using wooden baskets, paper bags, cloth bags (available from both Coles and Woolworths if you shop there) or biodegradable plastic bags.

4. Determine which type of plastic can be recycled. Look at the bottom of plastic containers and see if you find numbers that identify the kind of plastic they are:

• Number 1 contains polyethylene terephthalate which can be recycled into fiberfill for bean bags, winter coats, tennis ball felt and other plastic bottles.
• Number 2 indicates high density polyethylene which is usually the type of plastic used in shampoo bottles, bleach and milk jugs. These number 2 plastics can be recycled to make piping and toys.
• Number 3 means Poly vinyl chloride and can be usually found in plastics used for baby bottle nipples, meat wraps, linoleum, cooking oil containers, vinyl siding in the house and vinyl dashboards and seat covers. They are difficult to recycle and are hazardous to the environment.
• Sandwich and grocery bags have a low density polyethylene type which is classified as number 4 and they are not usually recyclable.
• Number 5 stands for polypropylene and it has a low recyclability rate, examples of plastics with number 5 are diapers, syrup bottles, Tupperware, and some baby bottles, plastic cups and plates.
• Styrofoam is under number 6 and other types are classified under number 7. The latter is usually compose of polycarbonate like 10 litre water bottles and are the most difficult to recycle.

5. Junk mail and bond papers can be recycled by using it as a scratch paper or note pad.

6. Recycle and reuse electronics. Some manufacturers of mobile phones, televisions, computers and electronic retailers sponsor recycling events and provide a take back program.

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Although paper can be recycled, it takes time to happen. But Japanese company Nakabayashi has thought about the environment and has created a machine that will recycle your paper waste- right from the office building.

The newest office machine created turns used photocopy paper into toilet rolls and does so in less than a day. The environmentally smart recycle machine uses the old office waste to create a product you can use.

The brilliant machine can produce two rolls of toilet paper an hour from about 1,800 sheets of used A4 size paper or 7.2 kg, which would have more than likely been thrown away. This recycling machine weighs only 600kg and seems like a good start to reusing office waste.

Distribution for the Nakabayashi machine starts in August this year but it comes with a hefty price tag of $95,000. For now, we will all have to stick to our paper shredding and recycle bin method.

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CD’s have become an outdated technology, but that doesn’t mean they have to sit in our offices collecting dust. Here are some ways to turn old technology into new gear for the workplace.

1. iPhone Stand

There is really no limit to the things you can make with old office supplies. Creating something new means it is no longer a waste product and some have even turned their old discs into an iPhone stand. The only tool you will need is a Dremel and glue- and the CDs of course.

2. A Solar Cooker

Sandwich presses and microwaves are a big hit at lunchtime in businesses throughout the globe. But the energy used from these machines is huge. If you have an old satellite dish, many CD’s and want to save the environment- then you can make a solar cooker from these. The CDs reflect light from the sun and heat to one central spot, making it the place to put your grill.

3. USB Lamp-

Grab a spare USB cord and get your soldering skills up to date and you can turn the wasted CDs into a USB lamp to light up your desk.

4. USB Fan-

If the lamp project was entertaining and worked out well, why not try to make a fan too. The old CDs make the base and fan blades- getting the most from the waste pile.

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Waste arising from production can have a big impact on your businesses profit and adds to environmental pollution. The difficulty is to try and reduce the waste in production without undermining the effectiveness of the process.
To find out where the waste is coming from you need to find the cause and understand the processes. A flow chart is a good way to pin point the problem.

Some things you may wish to do to improve waste reduction are:
· reusing rinse-water in cooling systems
· check that equipment is correctly calibrated
· reduce unnecessary stoppages in production
· upgrade or replace old equipment
· minimise spills or leaks
· use sealed systems to collect the waste in one area. This will mean that as much waste as possible can be reused or recycled.

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Eliminate waste- not producing waste materials in the first place will ultimately be the best waste management.

Reduce- It’s not always possible to eliminate waste all together, but there is still a lot of unnecessary waste that could be eliminated. For example, paper used for print outs is staggering and contributes to the waste pile. Try and adopt a policy where you only print out documents when it is absolutely required. Try to reduce materials like plastic vending cups, printer toners and drums for materials.

Reuse- try to reduce waste by finding a new use for it. Packaging material should be used a few times over- as with old binders, rechargeable batteries and refillable printer cartridges. Printing on both sides of the paper will also save a huge amount of waste.

Recycle- identify the different types of recyclable material. Most businesses can label the main recyclable items such as paper, plastic bottles, vending cups, and packaging. But there are other items like IT equipment, textiles, and construction waste that can also be included. Check with the recycle centre what is actually acceptable and go from there. Separate the materials into different recycle bins so that everyone is clear.

Disposal- It is the businesses responsibility to dispose of waste that cannot be recycled in an authorized and responsible manner. Less amount of waste, the better it is for the environment and the business.

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