Posted: Wed Jun 22, 05 10:54 am Post subject: Does it really matter?
The whole RRR thing...I happened to see a skip belonging to the company on the floor above out of our office window, on my way out. At a quick glance, I took in
a computer tower
a small monitor
and at least five bound packages of never-used flat pack cardboard boxes
the skip was full to over flowing and I can't imagine it's going anywhere
I go home and trip over the wine bottles, vegetable cans, newspapers that I'm carefully storing to recycle when they are collected
I go out on a "bins" morning and see at least half the houses I pass with four or five plastic bags and a number of other bits of rubbish.
We're now putting ours out once a fortnight because there's so little.
I arranged recycling bags at work - they have to be taken down once a week to the basement, in the lift. I keep a clear desk and rarely print things out, so my main paper pile is "recycling" which I keep for a quick final scan before dumping it.
But then I walk past colleague's bins and they are stuffed with envelopes and clean paper because they couldn't be bothered to walk literally feet to the bag.
They're just a few examples...sometimes I wonder if it makes any difference to bother (and that's without even considering the "paper exported...costs more energy to recycle...etc").
Every little does and just cos others spit inthe street doesn't mean you should do.
As we're an 'environmental' company we have quite a green ethos, all waste paper is recyled and there's a real drive to cut down or office equipment and materials, I've mentioned office furniture before. There's also a big self centred push to cut energy consumption, turning copeirs, printers off etc in the office as well as making our treatment more energy efficient. the prime driver is to reduce costs as enregy prices are going up and we have to show we've minimised them before we can 'ask' customers to pay more. However as a company we want to reduce our CO2 emissions and 1/3 of our vans are LPG.
As we're an 'environmental' company we have quite a green ethos, all waste paper is recyled and there's a real drive to cut down or office equipment and materials, I've mentioned office furniture before. There's also a big self centred push to cut energy consumption, turning copeirs, printers off etc in the office as well as making our treatment more energy efficient. the prime driver is to reduce costs as enregy prices are going up and we have to show we've minimised them before we can 'ask' customers to pay more. However as a company we want to reduce our CO2 emissions and 1/3 of our vans are LPG.
Very commendable
Nanny
Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Posts: 4520 Location: carms in wales
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 05 11:13 am Post subject: does it really matter
it is very disheartening sometimes when you do your best and yet see others who do nothing....but if some of us don't bother then no one will and at least we can try and get others to think about it.
at least our constabulary tries a bit by putting recycling bins for papers in departments and all batteries and print cartridges go to be recycled. there is always a campaing to switch off lights and keep clean desks (the latter i think more for security sake than anything ) and we now hav e"corporate sales" whereby you can buy some computers from the force when they become available.
however there is still a lot of waste at the end of march when departments go mad and spend the rest of the budget on stupid things. i have seen year old office furniture being chucked out as no other department wanted it and there is no space to store it...
the waste there is an unblelievable amount of money let alone the stuff that is going to the tip......
Until there are more palpable financial incentives to RRR (rather than just getting Bob the Bloody Builder to use it as his latest catch-phrase ), it will be very hard to get people to change what are, for many, the bad habits of a working lifetime.
My only suggestion is to carry on doing what you do... even if you manage to persuade ONE person that RRR is worthwhile, that will helpo. It just doesn't feel like it, sometimes.
Nanny
Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Posts: 4520 Location: carms in wales
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 05 11:20 am Post subject: does it really matter
more and more people are realising that the system as it stands can't go on and people like all of us (it's perhaps not only the future of the planet but perhaps because we are tight about money as well) are at least in a position to help others realise that you can reduce, reuse and recycle
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 05 12:05 pm Post subject: Re: does it really matter
Nanny wrote:
we now hav e"corporate sales" whereby you can buy some computers from the force when they become available.
i have seen year old office furniture being chucked out as no other department wanted it and there is no space to store it...
Sell? We give ours to schools
I've often thought that there's a role for an organisation called 'Clearing House' where builders and organisations can deposit unused or unwanted materials, equipment, furniture etc. Depositers get credits which they can use to 'purchase' stuff they want and Joe Public can buy for cash.
All you need is a big warehouse and yard, storage and forklifts etc and some sort of database/cataloging system and Bob's your uncle
Easy.
sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42207 Location: North Devon
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 05 12:07 pm Post subject:
You could run it in between your website and sausage manufactory.
even if you manage to persuade ONE person that RRR is worthwhile, that will helpo
Don't worry, I'm still quietly and consistently evangelising. My eldest sister is now obsessive about recycling - although she has a blind spot for those plastic coffee filters which she takes to stay at my mum's, and she drives *everywhere*. But then she's only short.
And I need to phone my mum and check that the compost bin that I ordered while she was out one day has arrived. The amount of tea she gets through in a day could probably transform the entire estates gardens let alone hers
I'm concerned by the unpleasantly unwashed cups and general desire not to have most of my colleagues anywhere near my veg patch, even if it is once-touched year-old compost. Paranoid, moi?
It's such a good idea though, I am sure a few enlightened places have compost stuff that I've heard of.
), it will be very hard to get people to change what are, for many, the bad habits of a working lifetime.
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