Tag: Plastics

Here’s an interesting, if slightly depressing fact: Every bit of plastic ever made still exists today. It’s a material that is made to last, but the majority of products made with plastic are only used once and then tossed in the bin without further thought. This consume, waste, replace culture is doing serious damage to our planet, as it turns out plastic takes at least 450 years to decompose. This month is Plastic Free July, so we’re here to let you know why you should seriously rethink your plastic consumption and give you some handy tips on how to get reducing, reusing and recycling and spread the word in your workplace.

Plastic is not so fantastic

This week new research from US scientists hit the headlines, revealing that by 2015 humans had produced 8.3 billion tons of plastic, of which 6.3 billion tons has become waste. And it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The study also revealed that of this amount of the plastic (which weighs the equivalent of one billion elephants), a mere 9% was recycled. So where is it all? 

An environmental nightmare

In 2015 12% of plastic produced was incinerated and the other 79% was sent to landfill or ended up in our natural environment. This is devastating news for our oceans, where more than 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped every year, resulting in 1 in 3 marine species being found entangled in litter and over 90% of sea birds being found with plastics in their stomachs. 

What can you do?

Now before you shed a tear for the poor sea turtles and then turn to buy your next plastic bottle of water, think about this: there is a lot you and your colleagues can do to help solve this waste crisis. We’ve listed a few useful tips below. 

Ditch plastic bottles

Get yourself a reusable bottle and a re-usable coffee cup for grabbing a hot or cold drink on the go, whether that’s on the way to work or in between meetings. Across all of our Jump sustainability engagement programmes we reward employees who make the switch to reusable bottles and cups with individual and team prizes.  

Shop sustainably

Get yourself a reusable shopping bag, carry it with you everywhere you go and commit to never using a plastic bag again! So whether you’re on your lunch break or popping out for a mid-morning snack, you won’t fall into the trap of using excess plastic bags and gathering a guilty stash under your desk. Better still, avoid unnecessary plastic packaging. There are a lot of sustainable options emerging such as laser labelling and products with reduced plastic packaging.  

Choose to re-use

When you use plastic products, make sure to always re-use and recycle them. A lot of plastics can be a useful addition to your kitchen cupboards, such as plastic takeaway boxes and pots which can be used for storing leftover food or as a lunchbox. There are plenty of ways to reuse plastics, but if you really can’t find a way, you can always recycle. Make sure to check what your options are for recycling in your workplace, so you can do your bit in the office as well as at home. Our Jump employee engagement programmes have waste saving modules that encourage employees to recycle more and waste less, as well as promoting wider environmental messages and sustainability events taking place within the organisation. By incentivising employees we achieve lasting behaviour change.

Check out our Jump website to find out more about how you could incentivise your staff to engage in sustainability. In the meantime, get on board with boycotting plastics!

The Jump (Local Green Points) team recently attended the annual Warwickshire Waste Partnership Conference where our Managing Director, Graham Simmonds, gave a presentation. His key themes included the work we do to embed positive waste and recycling behaviours, the role of communications and technology in driving success and the Slim Your Bin communications campaign we provide to the County.

The following content comes from a blog by Leanne Trow, who we were joined by at the conference, which first appeared on Credibly Green. Find the full article here.’

Our team of Chartered Professionals have attended a number of events this week all concerning the importance of communication. These included the annual Warwickshire Waste Partnership Conference, the Introduction to Communications in the Waste and Resources Industry event hosted by CIWM (Chartered Institute of Waste Management) and the Environmental Leaders Conference hosted by Shropshire Wildlife Trust. Across all of the events communication was the key driver around further discussion. 

The importance 

Communication is crucial to drive success. For example, within the Waste Partnership Conference it was highlighted by all of the guest speakers that communication was vital to improve recycling rates. Householders needed to be aware of firstly when they needed to put out their bins and what they can put into each bin. Without this initial communication, increased contamination rates are a threat which impacts the overall recycling rate leading to negative impacts and further issues which is then negatively communicated and documented within the press. 

With the technology advances and changes in behaviour, communication is becoming easier, with the use of social media including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. Facts, figures and findings are able to reach a larger audience through the mechanisms of retweeting and sharing posts. Communication is the driver towards success and influences change. Communication allows opportunities to be identified and highlights where improvements can be made. Apps, such as those for reporting littering or identifying contaminated recycling containers can support the communications activity. Incentive schemes to encourage recycling can also be linked to both technology and social media. There are close links between communication and ‘observability’ which needs to be carried forward –  those that are seen to be performing well have additional motivation. 

Traditional campaigning and door to door intervention is a more time consuming and expensive method of communication but is proven as successful not least because the target audience feel involved within the process and ultimately the results of the decisions that are made. 

Behaviour 

Communication results in behaviours being followed which ultimately changes attitudes, the behaviours can then become embedded, but it is not an easy path to change behaviour. It is important to continue communication to ensure that attitudes and ultimately behaviours doesn’t fall away over time. Re-visiting communication interventions should be regularly reviewed. Jump (Local Green Points) clearly illustrated the process of how communication ensures that behaviours become embedded during a talk at the Warwickshire Waste Partnership Conference.’

Head to Credibly Green for more information on improving communication in 2017.

If you have any questions for the team at Jump (Local Green Points), or want to know how communications and technology could help you reach your waste and recycling goals, get in touch by emailing [email protected]

On Pack Recycling Labels are there to provide a simple, UK-wide recycling message on retailer and brand packaging to help consumers recycle more products, more often. ORPL is simplifying the design of on-pack labels to make it easier for consumers and retailers to understand.

The new labels will still feature the iconic recycling symbol, but components will only be listed on complex packaging and materials will no longer feature on the labels. Messages have been shortened to ‘Check Locally’ rather than ‘Check Local Recycling’ and ‘Not Yet Recycled’ instead of ‘Not Currently Recycled’.

The new design also allows the inclusion of calls to action that are valuable to consumers. ‘Rinse’, ‘Cap On’ and ‘Remove Sleeve’ are among the important messages identified by WRAP.

A recent customer survey found that 7/10 consumers recognise OPRL labels and 2/3 refer to them. The new system is intended to maximise effective recycling.

Don’t forget to also actively educate yourself regarding your local recycling options. Whether is having a look on your council’s website to see what types of plastics you can recycle or looking for a food bank, going the extra mile will make a huge impact.