Ireferny

Introduction

Throughout history, recycling has existed in one form or another. Even as long ago as 400 BC signs of early recycling are known to have taken place. Archaeological studies show that ancient waste dumps contained less of what is known today as household waste, such as pots, tools and ash, which demonstrates that people were, even back then, keen to reuse materials at a time when natural resources were not so freely available. Little did they know that what they were starting would play such a huge role in shaping the world for future generations.

Indeed it could be argued that the old ‘rag-and-bone’ man was an early recycler collecting discarded goods on his horse and cart, before reusing or turning the collected items into something new. The 60’s TV series, Steptoe and Son, brought this very much to the public eye and greater attention.

During periods such as the World War Years, recycling and reuse were necessary as natural resources became much more difficult to come by. As well as food being rationed, certain materials such as metal and fibre were largely permitted only for use by the government in support of military operations, to meet manufacturing requirements often in the production of weaponry.

In the 1970’s, the need to recycle aluminium increased due to rising energy costs. As a material aluminium uses much less energy in the production process than some other materials and was therefore much sought after. The need for aluminium saw the rise of scrap metal dealers who were willing to pay money in exchange for good quality metal. Also, in the 70’s in parts of the United States of America, the first vehicles were seen to be collecting waste with a separate trailer for the collection of recyclable materials being towed behind the vehicle. This was mainly large bulky items such as beds and old carpets.

To the late 1980’s, early 1990’s and as the importance of managing the global environmental state increased amongst worldwide governments, the focus upon recycling really started to gather momentum. In the UK, the government imposed recycling targets upon Local Authorities and with the introduction of the new legislation upon the waste industry, recycling schemes really began to take off. The once commonly recognised waste disposal companies, began to call themselves waste management companies and demonstrated through the offer of waste collection and recyclable material collection that waste needed to be handled more effectively.

Today, many hundreds of materials and products can be recycled, ranging from paper, card, glass and plastics, to mobile phones, electrical items, printer cartridges, textiles, clothing and concrete. The demand for different types of collection receptacles has increased dramatically.

What is Recycling?

The term recycling describes the process of converting used materials to new or nearly new materials to avoid the need for potentially useful materials or products to be discarded. Essentially it is diverting waste from landfill.

In a world where climate change is high on the environmental agenda, recycling plays a key role in reducing the need to unnecessarily send waste materials and products to landfill or other waste disposal options. This reduces the need or the reliance upon consuming fresh or new raw materials, reduces energy use and reduces air and water pollution, all of which contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Significant contributions to improving the environment.

Recycling is probably most evident through the recycling services now provided by local councils for domestic refuse and recycling collections and by modern waste management companies who generally offer a full range of waste and recycling collection services. Some companies, who have traditionally focused only on the collection of recyclable products, are now extending their service offering to collect general waste as well.

Technology used in the glass recycling process can convert it back to a very useful material, not just for reproducing glass bottles, but also for use in aggregates and in the construction of roads.

In the waste sector, the common promotional activity surrounds the waste hierarchy – ‘reduce, reuse, recycle and recover’. This slogan is a simple message designed for a far reaching audience. Think about how you can reduce your waste. Can the waste products or materials be reused? Can the waste product or material be recycled?

The waste hierarchy is a strategy which many waste management companies and local authorities consider when developing new waste strategies. The strategy is intended to focus the mind around preventing waste being generated in the first place. Consider the options for reuse and recycling but ultimately minimise the amount of waste produced at the end of the cycle. The slogan has been adopted particularly well in the public sector.

So the emphasis is very much on the entire production process. The waste hierarchy extends much wider than to waste management companies and local authorities. Working groups have been set up to bring many industries together to consider the entire waste cycle. For example, the manufacturer of a product needs to consider how the product is to be manufactured. Can parts be used which can later be recycled or reused? Can the amount of packaging which surrounds the product be reduced? When the product reaches the retailer, is it necessary for the product to be placed within an outer package? Once the retailer sells the product, what will the buyer do with the unwanted elements of the purchase, i.e. the packaging? How will the packaging be collected and where will it go? Will it return to a recycling plant, for onward shipment to a reprocessing plant, where the cycle begins all over again? The process must be simple to manage and implement.

How are Materials Collected for Recycling?

Legislation now dictates that all waste should be treated to avoid the amount of recyclables and unnecessary waste going direct to landfill. Since 1996, UK government has enforced a landfill tax on all waste disposed of within landfill. The rate of tax has increased considerably in recent years rising from the original level of £8 per tonne, to today’s rate of £40 per tonne. The UK government has previously announced that this will increase further to £48 per tonne by the end of 2010/11. This rate applies to all general waste streams, although there is a lower rate for inert materials. Sending waste directly to landfill is an expensive option and finding suitable methods to divert waste away from landfill is now a priority.

So, the message to everyone is clear, sort your waste to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Traditionally, at home or at work, as soon as you place waste in the dustbin , it is forgotten about. Someone else will collect it and take it away. Nowadays, at home and at work, recycling is being encouraged through the provision of containers in which to place certain recyclable materials.

Perhaps the most common materials to be seen being collected for recycling are paper, card, glass, metals and plastics. But the opportunity to recycle a vast number of materials or products continues to grow. Although technically not seen as recycling, food waste and garden waste collections are increasing, where the food or garden waste is taken back to a plant for processing into a reusable or saleable compost product.

Within large buildings, many recycling schemes can be introduced to collect used or unwanted recyclable materials.

The methods of collecting materials or waste to be recycled is also increasing and becoming more noticeable within local communities. Dedicated collection sites, often referred to as a bring bank sites, are springing up in supermarket car parks to encourage customers of the supermarket to return such items as bottles, newspapers or cardboard to the containers on their way into the supermarket.

Local Authority waste collection crews or their appointed contractors will collect refuse and recyclables from the kerbside usually at the front of your home. Collection from domestic premises generally remains the responsibility of the local council and many have now employed the provision of bags in which to collect specified recyclable materials or products.

In the industrial and commercial sector, waste management businesses offer separate containers in which the customer deposits the appropriate waste stream or recyclable material ready for collection. The bins will often be clearly labeled as to which recyclable materials should be placed within that container or bin. Alternatively, the bins will be colour coded to identify which recyclable wastes should be placed within which bins. Waste management companies may have to deal with special requests from the customer.

The key to a successful recycling initiative is homeowners about what can be recycled and how. In the commercial world getting the buy in of factory employees is crucial. The introduction of any recycling scheme must ensure that in asking employees to separate waste for recycling, it does not become time consuming and affect the productivity of what employees should be doing in their work. The introduction of any recycling scheme should be kept simple.

The Recycling Process

Various collection systems exist for the collection of the recyclable material . Whichever collection system is utilised , the materials are taken to a materials recycling facility where they will be segregated from other wastes. This could be done manually or by using mechanical separators.

To begin the recycling process from a collection point of view, the more recyclable material which can be separated at source, i.e. at home or in the work place, the more efficient it will be for the waste collector. That is why separate containers are supplied to the waste producer to encourage separation at source. If card can be collected on a vehicle, which will collect no other waste material, the card will be kept uncontaminated and therefore will have a higher value when it reaches the processing plant. Similarly, dedicated glass collection vehicles are used to collect only glass. Apart from the obvious health and safety reasons and the weight of collected glass, it will have a much higher value if the collected glass load is not contaminated with other waste. Uncontaminated recyclables will have a much higher value than contaminated materials.

Once collected, the recyclable materials can be taken direct to a reprocessing plant, if the load contains only that specific type of material. So a dedicated glass collection vehicle could take the load directly to a glass processing plant.

If mixed recyclables have been collected such as paper and card within the same container, it may be necessary for the collector to take the load to a materials recycling facility to unload and allow the load to be sorted into separate paper and card bundles for onward transfer to a paper or card processing plant. Whichever method is used, the recyclable material collected will usually be sorted or washed before going through to a reprocessing plant to be converted to a new resource and ultimately used as a new product or in manufacturing. Inert materials can be a useful by product at landfill, for example shredded tyres to aid traction on access roads.

it isn’t difficult to recycle at home or indeed anywhere else for that matter.

The Increasing Importance of Recycling

In the UK around 35% of waste collected from households is recycled or composted. Whilst in the commercial and industrial sector, the volume of waste sent to landfill has declined substantially in recent years and the volume of waste now being diverted for recycling or reuse by this sector has risen above the volumes going to landfill.

Landfill continues to play an important role in the management of waste across the UK as not all wastes can be recycled and some are more suited to landfill disposal than by any other means. However, it’s not just the increasing costs of disposing of waste directly in landfill which is making recycling a more attractive option for businesses. Landfill is becoming scarce, with some experts suggesting that the amount of space available across all UK landfill sites, has less than ten years existence remaining before all sites are deemed to be full.

In recent years, waste management companies have started to consider and invest in new technologies, such as energy from waste plants, anaerobic digestion plants and mechanical biological treatment plants, as alternatives to landfill. Local Authorities have also changed their views by undertaking comprehensive strategic reviews as to how waste under their jurisdiction should be handled. In some cases this has meant that unitary authorities are progressing plans to introduce long term contracts, usually around 25 years in length, through which to manage their entire waste management requirements. These contracts will often include the need to build a facility through which to handle all waste generated across the county by segregating all waste streams. The contracts may also include the collection of all waste and recyclables from households across the area. So the face of waste management is changing rapidly. The days of just throw it in the dustbin have disappeared and the advent of new technologies are upon us.

Conclusion

Recycling is here to stay. It has evolved over the years from something that was undertaken without any real thought behind it. The trusty rag and bone man was just trying to make a living. Today, many blue chip organisations are setting out plans for a ‘zero to landfill’ waste policy, where the intention is very clear – reduce waste, reuse waste and recycle waste, but no waste must end up in landfill.

Many homes across the country now have some form of container in which to separate waste for recycling. The need to separate newspapers, aluminium cans and plastic bottles are almost common place. Whilst in industrial and commercial sectors, there is an increasing list of items to consider for recycling such as printer cartridges, office paper, metal and electrical equipment.

The advent of new technologies will accelerate further the way in which our waste is to be managed in the future, but it is highly unlikely that we will ever reach the ultimate waste free society. There will always be a need for waste to be disposed of somewhere, somehow.

Articles Network

Introduction We’ve all seen the media frenzy over the banking fiasco, the so named “credit crunch” and mass layoffs as companies panic. In talking with clients and customers it’s becoming quite clear that there is a need for business as usual. Products still need to be made, distributed and sold and services commissioned.

 

The car industry has seen a massive drop in sales but just watch any commercial TV station, have the ads disappeared, no, has your favourite newspaper or magazine disappeared from the shelves, the answer is probably no.

In our experience there is lots of business out there and buyers want to deal with positive and enthusiastic people. Cutting back on marketing budgets is not good for your business and the wider economy. Keeping your company in the public eye is paramount. Adopting hermit strategies and falling back on old campaigns and images only dates your identity and makes you less visible. Just take a look near Christmas time, at a certain men’s aftershave featuring a man and the ocean. It’s been recycled for the last ten years as I can remember.

Ask you self this question; “Who would you rather do business with, a positive, enthusiastic company that seeks the opportunities or one with its head buried in the sand crying credit crunch?”

Recycling is the buzz word of this decade but not when it comes to marketing , your brand image or customer communications, these need to stay fresh and up to date. The same applies internally with your employees, keeping them motivated with a positive outlook reflects in how they deal with customers. People buy from people and they come back to happy helpful people.

So before you all reach for the sick bucket or discard this as pure puff, remember it’s about having a balanced view but on the optimistic side of the fence.

The Detail behind It So lets take a few of the issues raised in the introduction and look at these in more detail.

 

Media Frenzy We see this so many times over something that could be described as trivial. Just look at the pandemic swine flu story, breaking it back to the real world, a girl went on holiday and came back with a bit of a runny nose!

 

Within a few hours of media interest in a story you can be the biggest thing from Boston to Budapest, all caught high def, colour corrected, computer enhanced. But what many stories lack, is depth and realism, it’s easy to whip up a panic or over reaction to an event, it’s harder to take a balanced view and report the facts, why, because that takes time, creativity, but is less interesting and doesn’t sell newspapers or generate viewer ratings and we site page views.

The media can be your friend or you foe – it all depends on if it’s a slow news day and what side of bed they got out of!

Take the banking fiasco as already mentioned, if this had been covered more neutrally then less banks, local authorities, businesses and home owners would have lost out . Fewer jobs would have been lost as less panic and knee jerk reactions created as companies laid off thousands of staff amid a banking freeze on loans and credit. All of which were perfectly acceptable the week before!

The media has a great influence upon an organisation’s marketing communications and that can affect share prices and stock values as well as the wider economy. As they say in the City “buy on fact sell on rumour!”

Layoffs and Panic Leading to Motivated Staff?

Well that would be great wouldn’t it? Well taking into account what has been said so far, lets take a look at two options , the panic company and the realistic company.

The Panic Company

Reads the newspapers and lays off all un-required staff – well un-required in their opinion, so they remove the temps, operations and marketing all seen as an unnecessary balance sheet item. Sounds good to a Financial Director. Wrong. Now you have no market presence, no new campaigns and no new customers and because you sacked operations, no one to do the work!

The Realistic Company

This company looks at its sales, balance sheet and order book. Gathers its work force and makes a statement – no layoffs if we can maintain our current position. What the directors say no growth, what about my bonus! Well they are just that, bonuses not guarantees. This is where maintaining a market presence and sales in a recession should be considered as growth! Alien concept – no it shouldn’t be because your company is not going backwards like everyone else’s. With other companies cutting back and you maintaining presence and sales you gain market share – just by doing the same thing you did last week with the same team of people.

This company then talks to its employees and motivates them to look for opportunities, the ways to maintain sales, retain customers and to seek the sales and to deliver the service. Other companies will not, because they are panicking, laying off staff and failing to deliver on service. Their staff will be distracted, worrying about redundancy and are unfocused on the job, that or they just will not care.

Strategy

Hermit strategies leading to budget cut backs again are based on panic reactions to a change in market conditions. Companies need to start being led by marketing and market conditions, not by accountants that only have historic information to base decisions upon. Sets of management accounts fail to deliver market opportunities and don’t motivate staff to go that bit further to look after an existing customer.

Now is the time to make use of the panic and cut backs your competitors are making and to raise your presence in the market place. Crawling under a rock and hoping it’ll get better just means people won’t remember you. Your competitors are concentrating on something else, now is the time to make a move. There is also another key opportunity, a market full of skilled people looking for work – you could gain some key assets, a time to change out some dull pennies and gain a shiny new 5p!

Marketing

So how does a company become less visible in a market place? As a marketing communications consultant, this can happen in two ways, less Marketing and PR and less customer communication.

Staff still read newspapers and magazines; it’s one of the last cut backs they make, their favourite read. This is where a well thought out PR strategy can work and it’s cheaper than display advertising and if you can do it in house – it’s essentially free.

People still visit websites – so keep them up to date with fresh content and images. Find information that your customers would need or be interested in.

Direct Mail has for a long time featured less, due to the low response rates. How does 98% wastage sound when you try and justify the cost? Well targeted small campaigns can give 12 – 20% response in my experience. Some of this has transferred online but as the public have got fed up with Junk Mail, so too have they started to shy away from an over full Inbox. Opt-in newsletters are one way to build both customer and prospective customer awareness of your organisation.

There are of course other techniques like sponsorship but measuring the response and attributing it to direct sales becomes more difficult. Exhibitions and trade shows used to do well, but with more sellers selling to you and less footfall from the buyers, picking the right event is paramount .

Internal Communications

Internal communications is in some companies far from the agenda of the board room table; in others it is fully integrated into the organisation and embellished with the drive and determination of top management so that it succeeds. Good internal communications strategy and implementation motivates work forces and generates clear, useful communication to drive the company forward and ensures all employees take ownership of the positive side of honest communication of both opportunities for improvement and praise of fellow workers. Staff need to know what direction an organisation is heading in, where their individual and team roles fit in and what they have to do in order to achieve the goals set. People will put every effort into advancing the business if they can communicate their ideas.

So what do Internal Communications strategies look to achieve , well with many organisations it is the desire to further the quality standards needed in the business environment and to transpose that need internally towards its employees. With others, it is driven by the speed at which the business environment is changing and hence the need for the company to change. In this case good internal communication is delivered through a company vision and a change in focus toward face to face or more personal communication.

In order to achieve this, a firm must understand several aspects to the organisation. It is necessary to understand the environment of the employees and what likely influences there are. These factors that influence employees include line management, immediate workers and any subordinates. As well as their own set of values, but also, those of their colleagues that surround them in the working environment. The important points of influence are, and always have been, our own co-workers. Peers influence more than managers influence subordinates. Added to this are the issues of culture and the sub culture of the company. Politics play a part as does the management style. In all a complex set of variables are at play.

The communication environment is conceptualised via the modification of the concept of communication taken from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. The author has embellished this concept to include the environment of the employee.

If the organisation understands the environment of the employee then it can use the best methods to get information to each person.

The second aspect the company needs to understand are the perceptions of the employees concerning the information they receive. If the company understands this aspect as well, then it will know what information is best received. Hence an appreciation of these two aspects will indicate whether or not an Internal Communications strategy is working. Management is then in a position to either continue or change its strategy.

The importance of this article is to bring to the fore the need for company to appreciate these two key aspects of the organisation and then to plan an Internal Communications strategy that works.

Author : Peter G Davey MA DipM