Managing waste responsibly is more than just a regulatory requirement, it’s a smart business move.

Every business generates a variety of waste types, from paper and plastics to electronics and food scraps. But do you know where your waste goes after it leaves your premises? Here we provide an overview of the main categories of waste commonly found in businesses, how each is collected, and what happens during the recycling process. Some processes may vary pending on types of waste, the supplier used.

Our goal is to help you identify your waste streams and make informed decisions that benefit both your business and the environment.

Paper and cardboard

• Collection: Separate bins for office paper, packaging, newspapers, and shredded documents.  We can also arrange special waste collections for confidential waste.
• Recycling Process: Sorted to remove contaminants, shredded and mixed with water to create pulp, cleaned, refined, and pressed into new paper or cardboard products. Cardboard is often baled for efficient storage and transportation.

Plastics

• Collection: designated bins for different plastic types (e.g., PET, HDPE).
• Recycling Process: Plastics are sorted by type, cleaned, shredded, melted, and remolded into pellets for manufacturing new products. Some plastics require specialised recycling due to chemical composition.

Paper, cardboard, and plastics can also be collected together as part of our dry mixed recycling (DMR), where they are subsequently sorted and separated on-site. Download our DMR poster here.

Glass

• Collection: Separate containers for glass bottles, jars, and other glass items.
• Recycling Process: Glass is cleaned, sorted by color, crushed, and melted to form new glass products. Contaminants like ceramics or metals are removed during sorting.

Metals

• Collection: Bins for aluminum cans, steel, copper, and other scrap metals.
• Recycling Process: Metals are sorted, cleaned, melted, and reformed into new metal products. Aluminum and steel are among the most efficiently recycled materials.

Food and Organic Waste

• Collection: Separate bins for food scraps, coffee grounds, and biodegradable packaging. Download our Food Waste Poster.
• Recycling Process: Sent to composting facilities or anaerobic digestion plants to produce compost or biogas. This reduces landfill use and generates renewable energy.

Electronic Waste

• Collection: Special containers for computers, printers, mobile phones, and other electronics.
• Recycling Process: Electronic waste is dismantled, hazardous components are safely removed, and valuable metals and plastics are recovered for reuse.

Hazardous Waste

• Collection: Secure containers for chemicals, batteries (including e-cigarettes – vapes), fluorescent bulbs, and medical waste.
• Recycling/Disposal: Requires specialised handling and treatment to neutralise toxins, often through incineration, biological treatment to break it down, chemical treatment to make it non-hazardous, or specialised, secure landfill.

Construction and Demolition Waste

• Collection: Skips or bins for concrete, bricks, wood, glass, and metals.
• Recycling Process: Materials are sorted, cleaned, and reused in new construction projects or recycled into raw materials.

Implementation

• Waste Audits: Regularly analyse waste streams to identify reduction opportunities.
• Employee Training: Educate staff on proper sorting and recycling procedures.
• Technology Integration: Use smart bins and tracking software to optimise collection and recycling.
• Circular Economy: Design products for durability, repairability, and recyclability; implement take-back programmes.
• Compliance: Ensure full adherence to all regulations governing waste disposal and recycling. This is especially crucial following the introduction of Simpler Recycling.

Implementing these practices is not just about environmental stewardship it’s a strategic business decision that delivers financial, operational, reputational, and social benefits.

If you’d like more details or want a free audit of your business get in touch.