Recycling week 2024: Willshee’s drive for greater environmental responsibility

Written by Dean Willshee (pictured), managing director of Willshee’s Waste & Recycling

As Recycle Week approaches in the UK from 14 to 20 October, it serves as an annual reminder for individuals and businesses alike to prioritise recycling and sustainability.

This important campaign shines a spotlight on the environmental benefits of recycling, encouraging the nation to recycle as much waste as possible for the good of the planet.

For us at Willshee’s, Recycle Week is a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the impact effective recycling can have and to inspire others to embrace recycling, both in personal and professional spaces.

While we focus on household waste this Recycle Week, it’s essential to remember that commercial and industrial waste also plays a huge role in our environment.

In 2020, the UK generated an estimated 40.4 million tonnes of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste, with 33.7 million tonnes (83 per cent of the total) coming from England. Latest estimates show that C&I waste generation in England alone was around 33.6 million tonnes in 2022.

These figures underscore the need for robust recycling initiatives across all sectors, not just households.

One of the biggest challenges we face as an industry is a lack of consistent information. Variations between areas, councils, and service providers often result in confusion about what materials can be recycled at home versus in the workplace.

To add to this, a lack of education around what can and can’t be recycled frequently leads to contamination of recyclable materials, ultimately reducing the efficiency of recycling programmes.

Clear, consistent communication is key to overcoming these barriers. This can include using straightforward language and visual aids, such as pictures and infographics, to help clarify what should go where.

Education and engagement are equally important. Workshops, toolbox talks, and interactive sessions can help convey the reasons why recycling is essential in an engaging way. It’s also critical for senior management to lead by example, promoting good recycling habits throughout their organisations.

Recycle Week presents a great opportunity for individuals and organisations to get involved through awareness-raising activities, such as workshops or internal initiatives to promote recycling.

For example, Willshee’s celebrated its 40th anniversary by engaging around 260 children at Violet Way Academy in Stapenhill. Ben Kelly-Walley, our business development manager, led a school assembly on recycling and environmental issues, and the students participated in a poster competition to encourage their families to recycle more.

Initiatives like this highlights our commitment to educating the local community and promoting recycling efforts.

Education is the key to ensuring that recycling becomes second nature for both businesses and individuals.

As new materials and technologies emerge, we must continually update our knowledge and practices. Notably as stated by the latest research from Pro Carton, 62 per cent of brand owners and retailers expect a growing need for sustainability in packaging over the next five years, underscoring the urgency for businesses to adapt and innovate.

This shift towards more sustainable packaging, as one example, aligns with our mission to embed sustainable habits in everyone’s day-to-day lives which benefit the environment and future generations to come.

Looking ahead, the recycling industry is set to evolve further with advancing technology that improves the segregation and quality of recyclable materials.

With the growing focus on developing more sustainable packaging, removing single-use or difficult-to-recycle materials from the market, and making greater use of recycled materials instead of virgin resources, this shift will make products more sustainable from the get-go, helping to drive a circular economy.

We’re consistently looking for ways to enhance and innovate our services at Willshee’s. Engaging with our customers and leading by example in promoting the benefits of sustainable waste management has and always will be the most important part of our business as we continue to evolve towards a healthier, greener planet.