Small businesses encouraged to use recycling banks

Trial schemes at two Bristolian business parks and a Merseyside Warehouse complex aims to see if setting up business-friendly recycling banks can drive up recycling rates for a section of the business community that has traditionally struggled in this area.

SMEs face a number of barriers when it comes to recycling – they often have no space to store waste between collections, lack incentives and often have difficulties arranging for waste companies to include them on their rounds as the small scale of the operation does not make for an attractive contract.

The trial arranged by the Government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will investigate whether such schemes could be commercially viable and could be replicated elsewhere in the UK.

One project will operate at two business parks on the outskirts of Bristol, where steel storage containers for recyclable materials will be located in accessible places on each business park.

Businesses that sign up to the scheme will be able to recycle glass, cardboard, paper, cans and plastic bottles. Incentives such as free waste reviews and free glass collection will be used to attract businesses to the scheme.

The second project will see a bring bank site adjacent to a cash and carry warehouse on Merseyside.

This system is similar to those successfully used at household waste and recycling centres across the country, allowing registered companies to bring their waste from far and wide.

Linda Crichton, WRAP said: “We hope that these schemes will overcome some of the barriers encountered previously by SMEs and make it easier for small businesses to recycle their waste. We look forward to the results of the trials.”

David Gibbs