As mandatory carbon reporting among companies is set to take effect, a new study reports that 66 per cent of Australian workers are expressing a desire for their companies to do more in recycling or reducing waste in the workplace.
The study commissioned by COS, an Australian company offering product supply solutions for the workplace, discovered that 74 per cent of respondents believe that recycling regularly is the most impactful thing they can do for the environment, and 85 per cent say that they actively engage in sustainable practices at home. However, only 70 per cent get to do so in the workplace, which the study attributes to the lack of promotion of sustainable practices in many workplaces.
The data further notes that those who have the highest levels of engagement when it comes to actively reducing their carbon footprint through sustainable initiatives include real estate agents and property managers, hospitality workplaces, and medium-sized businesses.
“Australia’s recycling rate currently sits stagnant at 60 per cent, but this study highlights how many employees actually want to recycle more but are lacking the tools to do so in the office,” Belinda Lyone, Co-CEO of COS, said. “If businesses make it easy to recycle and reduce waste this figure could significantly increase and greatly benefit the planet.”
To help companies be more carbon conscious and enhance their environmental credentials, Lyone suggests swapping personal bins with communal ‘smart’ bins, placing larger bins in communal areas that have different waste streams to effectively limit the amount of waste sent to landfill. She explained that this not only saves money and reduces their carbon footprint, but also limits greenhouse gasses, as decomposing landfill waste releases methane, a potent contributor to climate change.
“These types of products save both money and time for management and cleaning teams, plus having proper waste sorting makes it easier to measure and weigh different waste streams,” Lyone said. “Understanding the office’s waste and recycling performance can help establish a baseline and enable the development of action plans, which not only helps reduce the carbon footprint of the business, but also assist in setting and reaching net zero targets.”
Lyone also advised workplaces to have clear signage near all bins that have guidance of what can and can’t be recycled near the bins to ensure maximum employee participation and efficiency, especially with data showing that 50 per cent find it confusing to know what can and cannot be recycled. She also encouraged businesses to take part in initiatives or programs such as International Compost Awareness Week to engage with workers on sustainability and highlight how the company wants to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint.
“Every business has the power to make a significant impact. By incorporating any of the above examples into the workplace, a company is not just adopting a waste management solution; it’s joining a movement towards a more sustainable future,” Lyone concluded.
