Tag: Office Recycling

Office Recycling Tips for a Greener Office

On By JMCEIn Electronic and Electrical Recycling, Awards, Climate change, Collections, Computer Recycling, Dublin, Electronic Equipment, IT Equipment, Social Enterprise, sustainability, We Recycle ITLeave a comment

Green Office – Home Office – Any Office:

Summer is coming, it’s brighter so may be it’s time to declutter and tidy? With that in mind, please find some recycling tips to stay eco-friendly at work this spring and year round!

As we know, office waste mainly consists of electrical, electronic, cardboard, paper, packaging and food waste, all of which can be reused, recycled or composted. The one type of waste which is most commonly hoarded for disposal later is old, unused or damaged electrical/electronic equipment.

Office Recycling Categories
Office Waste Separation

Some items just appear event! They might include glass or plastic bottles, cans plastic cups, coffee cups, and food trays and wrappers to name a few. These items can all be segregated and recycled in work or you could encourage staff and suppliers to use reusable items which can be collected and reuse. Disposal items arrival and leave quickly, it’s just to make sure they are recycled for good.

The benefits of introducing a program of reducing, reusing and recycling include;

  • Big euro savings in time on waste disposal costs.
  • Boost to staff morale with a focus on reducing, reuse and recycling.
  • Demonstrates the organisation is commitment to the environment.
  • Enhanced public perception of your organization as a green organization.
  • Promotes a green agenda with your trading partners.
  • Offer time and cost saving opportunities to staff.  
  • Relieves workplace anxiety – when you are organised, clean and tidy, anxiety is reduced.
Office Electrons Clear Out – Old Laptop Parts

Below you will find some tips that can be easily implemented and integrated into the day-to-day running of the office and office building. They may result in reduced office supplies usage, time ordering and money spent.

Tips on How to Reduce Office Waste

  1. Buy supplies in bulk to reduce packaging waste.
  2. Create a clear recycling station with labelled bins for paper, plastic, ink, and electronics.
  3. Your workplace should be encouraged to go paperless.
  4. Use digital signatures to avoid printing documents for signing.
  5. Only print if there is a real need for a hard copy.
  6. Meeting clients or colleagues online to save resources. It’s the norm now!
  7. Use e-mail or instant messages to save paper, time and money.
  8. Share team and event calendars.
  9. Draft documents can be reviewed on-screen before emailing.
  10. Reports and presentation should be electronic only
  11. If paper is required, use FSC–certified paper
  12. Research purchasing printers which print double-sided copies only.
  13. Photocopy and print double-sided.
  14. Scrap paper can be used to make note pads to take phone messages.
  15. Introduce a centralized filing system. This reduces multiple files,
  16. Enable the reuse of paper envelopes by putting a label on top of the old address.
  17.  Cut down on excess equipment sitting in the store, going out of date, e.g. electrical and electronic office equipment.
  18. Regularly service equipment, particularly computers, photocopiers, and printers, to prolong their lifespan.
  19. When equipment reaches its end of life use a registered and licensed electrical and electronic recycler to ensure equipment is safely made ready for reuse and recycling.
  20. Employees should regularly empty out their desk and return any unwanted office supplies to the stationery cupboard.
  21. Free or fee-based online newspaper subscription can reduce the amount of paper to be recycled.
  22. Cancel any unwanted magazine or newspaper subscriptions to avoid unwanted waste accumulating.
  23. Reuse binders and file folders.
  24. Office announcements can be posted online, sent via email or posted once in a centralized monitor or TV screen.
  25. Consider renting equipment that you use only occasionally rather than having to store it in the workplace.
  26. Encourage colleagues to bring lunch to work in reusable containers.
  27. Encourage management to have reusable silverware, plates and cups and a small coffee station in the office.
  28. Research and purchase products with less packaging or with no packaging at all.
  29. Install filtered water rather than a water cooler.
  30. Give your team a reusable water bottle.
  31. Offer secure bike parking.
  32. Source used desks, chairs and lockers (if required).
  33. Unplug equipment when not in use or overnight.
  34. Work from home when possible.
  35. Offer unused or surplus items to other organisation for reuse.
  36. Think about how you can have a green work party or events during the year.
  37. Set printers to default to black-and-white to reduce ink usage.
  38. Use refillable ink cartridges instead of single-use ones.
  39. Switch to energy-efficient LED lighting in your workplace
  40. Encourage staff to use reusable coffee cups instead of disposable ones.
  41. Choose rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones.
  42. Donate or sell old furniture instead of throwing it away.
  43. Track waste and set reduction goals to encourage improvement.
General Office Recycling – Recycle IT 

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning social enterprise providing recycling collection and drop off services for all types of waste electrical, electronic equipment (WEEE) and pure metal items.

During 2023 Recycle IT operated drop off and collection services to of thousands of homes, schools, charities and businesses across Dublin and surrounding areas collecting a range of WEEE which includes thousands of batteries, computers, cables, monitors, kettles.  microwaves and screens.

Recycle IT services are provided in partnership with WEEE Ireland. Recycle IT is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development, Dormant Accounts Fund, Pobal, South Dublin County Council and authorized by the National Waste Collection Permit Office and the local authorities across Leinster.

For further details about our free and cost-effective services call us on 01 4578321, email info@recycleit.ie or visit the Recycle IT website at www.recycleit.ie

Recycle IT Approved and Verified

21 Recycling Facts – Do more this Year!

On By JMCEIn Electronic and Electrical Recycling, IT Equipment, We Recycle ITLeave a comment

Community Recycling

Every year in Ireland, we support events such as Spring Clean Month, Recycling Week, and Reuse Month. These events help people understand why it is important to recover, reuse, and recycle waste. They give you, your children, family, friends, and coworkers a chance to learn more and take action together in your community to reduce waste.

Recycling helps bring positive change. It encourages people in communities to work together and make a real difference. Recycling is good for the environment, supports community volunteering, and also creates jobs in cities, towns, and villages across Ireland. The more people reuse and recycle, the more benefits everyone gains.

When recyclable items are collected carefully, some of them can be repaired and reused. Others can be taken apart and used as materials to make new products. This process helps create jobs, supports businesses, and strengthens the local economy.

Recycling Plastic Parts Safely

Targets

Ireland is expected to miss its EU recycling targets for 2025. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the country is currently recycling about 42% of municipal waste, which is well below the EU target of 55%.

Recycling rates for packaging are also below the required levels. In 2023, Ireland recycled 59% of packaging waste, while the EU target is 65%. Plastic packaging recycling is even lower, at 30%, compared with the 50% target set by the EU.

Key points about Ireland’s recycling performance include:

  • Municipal waste recycling: Around 42%, which is far below the 55% EU target.
  • Packaging recycling: 59%, compared with the 65% target.
  • Plastic packaging recycling: 30%, well short of the 50% target.

There has been some progress. Ireland introduced the Deposit Return Scheme in 2024, which has helped increase the collection of drink containers such as bottles and cans. Early results show return rates of around 76%, bringing Ireland close to the EU target of 77% for PET bottles.

Plastic Bottles

However, overall recycling levels have not improved significantly in recent years, while the total amount of waste being produced continues to rise.

The EPA estimates that Ireland needs to recycle about 400,000 more tonnes of waste every year to meet EU recycling targets.

Most of these figures are based on 2023 waste data published in 2025, as the full data for 2025 has not yet been finalized.

Electronic and Electrical Recycling

When you think of electronic or electrical waste equipment (WEEE) or e-waste, do you think of items like computers, radios, light bulbs, zip disks, and tapes drives, clock alarms or wall clocks, even cameras, it’s really any items with computerized parts.

These items and similar are adding to an ever-increasing e-waste mountain and the pile usually starts building in people’s homes. We know electrical or electronic items are not recycled as easily or as frequently as other recyclable materials such as paper, glass or plastics. Some of the items are very large and hard to recycle, others are small and have a personal or perceived value so people don’t want to let them go!

Recycle IT Free Drop Off

Sharing Recycling Facts

  1. Most laptop owners replace their device after about three years, while many mobile phones are replaced every two years or even sooner. This creates a lot of electronic waste that needs recycling.
  2. Around 91% of households in Ireland had a computer with internet access in 2019, showing how common digital devices are in everyday life. (Source: Statista Research Department)
  3. Today, about 90% of people in Ireland have access to a smartphone, making it one of the most widely used electronic devices. (Source: Ipsos MORI)
  4. Smartphone ownership in Ireland is near-universal, with approximately 93% – 95% of mobile phone users owning a smartphone., and many checked their phone over 50 times a day and up to 200 times.
  5. A record 62 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced in 2022, Up 82% from 2010; This is on track to rise another 32%, to 82 million tonnes, in 2030;
  6. Recycling electrical and electronic equipment allows valuable materials to be recovered and reused, helping to support new jobs and industries.
  7. Recycling one million laptops saves enough energy to power about 3,657 homes for an entire year. (Source: How to Save Your Planet One Object at a Time)
  8. Electronic waste can contain more than 1,000 different components, many of which include toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.
  9. Devices such as computers and televisions often contain small amounts of gold, but it can also be found in mobile phones, game consoles, camcorders, and media players.
  10. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a single computer can contain about 3.6 kg of lead, which is a toxic metal.
  11. A global survey by Nokia found that 74% of people do not think about recycling their old mobile phones, even though 72% believe recycling helps the environment. Only about 12.7% to 15% of smartphones are actually recycled globally, despite up to 80% of a phone’s materials being recyclable.
  12. Large household appliances, such as washing machines and refrigerators, made up 48% of all waste electrical items collected in Ireland in 2019. (Source: WEEE Ireland)
  13. Devices like computers, laptops, and tablets are difficult to recycle mechanically because they contain many mixed materials and complex components that must be carefully taken apart. (Recycle IT)
  14. WEEE Ireland collected 38,215 tonnes of e-waste in 2024, achieving a 9.5kg per capita recycling rate and exceeding EU targets with a 96% material recovery rate. . (Source: WEEE Ireland)
  15. Irish households disposed of 3.2 million lamps and lightbulbs, 195,000 televisions and monitors, and 13 million small appliances including toys in one year. (Source: WEEE Ireland)
  16. Many electronic devices contain valuable metals such as copper, silver, and gold, which can be recovered through recycling.
  17. Recycling e-waste helps reduce the need for mining new raw materials, which protects natural resources.
  18. When electronic devices are thrown away instead of recycled, hazardous chemicals can leak into soil and water.
  19. Proper e-waste recycling ensures that dangerous materials are safely handled and removed.
  20. Reusing or repairing electronics can extend the life of devices and reduce waste.
  21. Recycling electronics supports the circular economy, where materials are reused instead of thrown away.
Mixed Small Electricals

There are many ways that recycling helps our environment. Why not try to remember and introduce these 5 points.

  • A reduction in landfill and industrial waste by reuse or recycling.
  • Reduced energy usage by reuse or recycling.
  • Less pollution through reuse or recycling.
  • Increased employment by reuse or recycling.
  • Sustainable usage of natural resources by reuse and recycling.

When Irish people wish to make a point, they usually do it well. This needs to be the case with reduce, reuse and recycling

By recycling, your positive actions make you part of the solution rather than part of a global problem. As local communities we must plan and first take steps to reduce the amount of waste and including e-waste that is clogging up our lives .

Making sure that recyclable items such as computers don’t end up in the wrong bin, landfills or illegally dumped is an important step toward green living and environmental conservation for future generation.

About Recycle IT

Recycle IT is an award-winning, not-for-profit social enterprise established to create employment and promote environmental awareness through recycling and reuse. We work in partnership with WEEE Ireland and are authorized by your local authority to provide electrical, electronic and pure metal recycling collections across Dublin since 2007. Recycle IT are fully compliant for WEEE Recycling with permit details available here.