Which sectors are least likely to recycle?

73% of UK businesses don’t recycle their waste materials in their place of work

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An overwhelming number of British companies are failing to recycle efficiently, according to new research.

The survey of 1,055 British workers carried out by tradeskips.com, found that 73% do not recycle their waste materials in their place of work, compared with 22% who don’t recycle at home.

While just 19% say they do recycle at work, almost two-thirds (65%) claim they would make a conscious effort to recycle if their employer provided an incentive.

8% of UK workers don’t even know whether their company has a recycling system in place.

Regulation lacking in the workplace

When quizzed on the waste management scheme at their place of work, more than half (53%) say they believe their company does not recycle due to inadequate recycling facilities in the area, while 29% believe it’s down to cost.

Surprisingly, almost one in five (18%) of those surveyed say they do not recycle in the workplace because it falls outside of their remit.

The data revealed those who work in financial services are the least likely to recycle at work (13%), followed by those who work in IT and communications (14%).

‘It’s really quite shocking to see how few UK businesses have a recycling scheme in place. While it’s encouraging that councils have brought in strict recycling regulations for households in the UK, this is not being reflected in the workplace as so many British workers do not recycle.

‘There are often costs associated with recycling for businesses, but if employers feel passionate about the cause, they could take up with their HR department, or introduce a scheme whereby they share the responsibility among colleagues.’

MARK DUNNE
Director and Head of Operations at tradeskips.com