Office Recycling Blog and Press

Why mechanical biological treatment is far from a magic wand

Landfill is bad. This is one of the few things that everyone is able to agree on. But if landfill is bad, what is good in the world of waste disposal? If we can’t bury or burn our waste, what can we do with it? One increasingly popular solution is Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT). Just the name sounds promising, to local politicians a high tech panacea to their waste disposal problem. Read full article

Oil spill demonstrates the urgent need for energy reform

So, after the dramas of Copenhagen, Climategate and election promises, the UK news has shifted its focus away the environment to deficit, tax increases and spending cuts. It’s a shame because I see sustainability as something that could create jobs, reduce costs through improved efficiency and protect us against possible environmental disasters caused by climate change... Read full article

The Environmental Agency needs to look to the public sector to survive cuts

As a result of some hard choices, Paper Round in 2009 was a business that was leaner, fitter, far more profitable and well placed to take advantage of the turnaround in the paper markets. We had our best ever year. This story will be readily understandable to MRW readers working in the private sector. To the public sector it might as well be from another planet. Public sector organisations have sailed on for the last 18 months bloated and inefficient, painful decisions postponed for as long as possible. .. Read full article

08.04.10

Degrading green initiatives

Last month Defra confirmed what I have been going on about for years: that oxo-degradable carrier bags now used by many supermarkets are not a sustainable solution (DEFRA report EV0422 March 2010). The purpose of the bags is to help retailers be more environmentally friendly without needing to change customer behaviour.The research claims that far from being better, they may actually be detrimental to the environment. It identifies the material as being way off the mark as an environmental solution for a number of reasons. Read more

24.02.10

Combining household and commercial waste won’t solve London’s waste problems

On the face of it, Mayor Boris Johnson’s Waste Strategy 2010's plan to send all non-recyclable waste zero-to-landfill within fifteen years is good news. It also aims to dramatically improve London environmental performance by bringing the city's recycling rate up from 25% to 45% by 2015. However, beyond the ambitious targets, the actual means of achieving the strategy appear to have some serious flaws.Read more

18.02.10

Paper Round wins Sustainable City Award

Paper Round wins best Environmental Management in SMEs  at the Sustainable City Awards. Dubbed the ‘Green Oscars’, the awards recognise and reward businesses for their excellent achievements in all areas of sustainable business development. Accepting the award Director Bill Swan said, “We try to set an example of best practice and show that business and sustainability are not only compatible but can also make an organisation more competitive. It’s great for our hard work to be recognised.”

20.01.10

Offset is not the solution

So, Copenhagen is over, ending unsurprisingly with weak resolutions and a lack of specific or legally-binding targets. Amongst the few things that were agreed, however, was a commitment to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2°C. Quite how this will be carried out though is still undecided; developed and developing countries continue to accuse each other of hidden agendas and unrealistic demands. Read more

Paper Round wins Green Business Award

Paper Round won the Green Business award at the Thames Gateway Business Awards. The gala event was held in East London. On announcing the winners, the judges said they had chosen Paper Round because of its thorough approach to improving its environmental performance and for its staff engagement and training.

20.07.09

Incineration vs. landfill not recycling

The incineration argument has been misdirected as it is continually being pitched against recycling when it should actually be against landfill. I strongly believe that recycling rates need to do be raised dramatically but I’m also realistic that even if we do achieve targets set out in EU directives that we will still be producing a large amount of non-recyclable waste that needs to be dealt with effectively.Read more

06.06.09

News: Paper Round donates over £11,000 to environmental charities

Paper Round donated over £11,000 to environmental charities at its annual customer event. Held at London Zoo, the event celebrated the recycling achievements of Paper Round's top clients.

02.06.09

Camden Council sets shining example with ‘twin stream’ recycling

As the economic downturn continues to grip office procurement budgets, I’m seeing more and more businesses opt for the cheaper service of mixed or comingled recycling. This saddens me as I see it as a step back from all the genuine progress that has been made in recycling in the past few years. Mixing materials together may seem like the easier option but it dramatically reduces its quality and its resell and environmental value...Read more

28.3.2009

WTMS helps WPP reduce its environmental impact with complete recycling

WTMS, facilities management company for WPP Operating Companies, has signed up to Paper Round’s recycling service. We will be providing them with a complete recycling scheme for a large West London office building with 700 staff spread over 7 floors. They will also be reducing WPP’s environmental impact further by  recycling their food waste from their on-site restaurant.

Paper Round supports Every Can Counts programme

Paper Round supports to the Every Can Counts programme, which aims to raise awareness for can recycling. Waste and recycling minister Jane Kennedy also lent her support, attending a press launch when digital marketing agency i-level joined the programme. Paper Round provides regular collections for i-level to help them recycle as much as possible.

10.02.2009

Blog: Hazardous conditions: the UK can’t afford to be crippled by snowfall

I’ve become increasingly worried about our complete inability to deal with weather. We’re a nation obsessed with the weather; you’d think that was one area we’d have covered. Read more

30.01.2009

Dalkia starts food recycling with Paper Round

Facilities management company Dalkia have set up food recycling service for the staff canteen of its client Ofcom. Paper Round now collects four 120 litre bins of food waste per week from Ofcom’s staff canteen. Staff there claim it is already making a difference and have noticed that general waste bins are significantly less full. The food waste is taken to a specialist facility in Kent where it is made into high quality compost.