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How
to Start a Waste Paper Recycling Program in Office Buildings
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DO
YOU KNOW .....
It
takes 17 trees and 1500 litres of oil to produce one
tonne of paper.
In Hong Kong, nearly 8000 tonnes of municipal solid
waste are disposed of daily, or 2.9 million tonnes a
year.
Approximately 20% of the domestic solid waste collected
is paper.
Producing recycling paper creates 74% less air pollution
and 35% less water pollution than producing paper from
virgin fibres.
It is a very simple operation. You can do it in any
way that suits your operation most. The following are
some guidelines to help you formulate a plan to implement
of such a programme:
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A.
What are the objectives of a Waste Paper Recycling Programme
in offices?
The objectives
are:
- to
contribute towards an environmental cause by saving landfill
space, conserving natural resources and reducing pollution;
and
- to
cultivate an environmental awareness among office workers
who consume large amounts of paper daily.
B. What specific targets do we want to achieve?
The targets
are:
- to
separate all recyclable paper waste from other wastes at
source; and
- to
supply the paper waste to waste dealers or paper mills for
recycling.
C. What is the optimum scale of the programme?
This
is flexible. A programme can be organised on the basis of
individual organisations or the building as a whole. The involvement
of a greater number of organisations/buildings will, of course,
make the programme more viable. Co-operate with neighbouring
offices/organisations in these recycling programmes. Ideally
the same cleaning contractor should be used by all offices
participating.
D.
What organisational set up is required?
If the
programme covers a large building or involves different organisations,
you may need a steering committee with representatives from
different departments/organisations to:
- plan
and implement the programme
- liaise
with the cleaning contractor and the waste paper collector;
and
- publicise
the programme and solicit the support of all employees.
The appointment
of "Recycling Co-ordinators" or "Floor Captains"
who are enthusiastic persons with organisational ability and
good communication skill is essential particularly for multi-storey
or multi-organisation operation. They will be responsible
for:
- explaining
the programme in detail to the employees of different organisations
and staff accommodated on different floors;
- ensuring
that the collection facilities mentioned below are readily
provided and properly maintained; and
- addressing
problem areas after the programme begins.
E. Are there any facilities required?
You will
need to provide the following for the collection and storage
of waste paper:
- small
containers for disposing waste paper (you may make use of
unwanted cardboard boxes and label them as "green boxes"
for identification purposes). Select containers to fit your
individual needs, as dictated by space limitations, and
the quantities of waste paper generated. They should be
clearly labelled and placed nearby existing litter-bins,
and
- designate
a corner in the general office as the "newspaper bank"
for collecting unwanted newspapers.
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