FAQ

Reduce means taking steps to lower the amount of waste that you produce. For example, you could avoid ordering large amounts of excess stock for your business. Waste that is not created in the first place does not need to be reused, recycled or disposed of. Therefore reducing or preventing generation of waste is the most efficient and cost-effective way to deal with your business waste.

There are a number of ways you can reduce your business waste including:

• Only printing documents when necessary
• Double sided printing of documents
• Reduce packaging by buying in bulk and using bulk storage where possible
• Reusing items such as containers and drums
• If involved in a manufacturing process, try to use your raw materials as efficiently as possible. If you use hazardous materials, this could include considering alternatives that can reduce the hazardous nature of your waste

There are a number of organisations that can assist your business with waste minimisation. Visit the Links section to find out more about organisations operating in your area.

There are a number of organisations that can assist your business with waste minimisation and resource efficiency, such as the Business Environment Partnership (BEP), Envirowise and National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP). Visit the Links section to find out more about organisations operating in your area. Alternatively, the SEPA website provides a useful waste minimisation guide for different types of business.

Producers have done a lot to minimise the amount of packaging on products we buy. After all it costs them money too. A lot of packaging can also now be reused or recycled. Visit our sister campaign, Positive Package to learn more about some of these initiatives.

Reuse involves the multiple use of an item in its original form, for its original purpose or for an alternative, with or without reconditioning. In many cases waste that cannot be prevented can be reused instead of buying new products. For example, you can have printer cartridges refilled and reuse them to avoid waste. This helps to ensure that we get the most out of our waste and saves valuable natural resources. You can visit the Business Recycling Directory to find out more about reuse services for business waste in your area.

Your business may be able to reuse a number of items. This can include simple steps such as:

• Reusing single sided printing paper for scrap paper or notepads
• Having your printer cartridges refilled instead of buying new ones
• Use glasses and mugs for drinks instead of disposable cups

The Business Recycling Directory lists a number of reuse and refurbishment services for a variety of materials, including furniture and IT equipment.

Visit the Business Recycling and Reuse Directory to access information regarding local and national reuse services for your business waste.

Recycle means using waste materials to manufacture other products. Recycling materials like cans, glass, paper and cardboard recovers the valuable resources in waste to make new products. For example, you can have your glass bottles and jars collected by a local recycling service provider and they will be cleaned, crushed and recycled into new bottles and jars. You can visit the Business Recycling Directory for more information on how you can recycle your waste locally.

Recycling collections for your business can be easy to set up, with a number of service providers offering flexible collection options to suit your needs.

Your waste collection and disposal bills could be reduced by introducing reuse and recycling facilities for your business. These savings will increase as the cost of disposing of waste to landfill continues to rise.

Many households now have access to recycling facilities and you can promote a positive and responsible image to your customers by implementing recycling practices for your business.

In many cases your waste collection and disposal bills could be reduced by introducing reuse and recycling facilities for your business. These savings will increase as the cost of disposing of waste to landfill continues to rise.

Visit the Business Recycling Directory to find out what local and national recycling services operate in your area.

Some local authorities allow businesses to take their recyclates (materials that can be recycled) to local recycling centres to be uplifted for sorting, bailing and reprocessing.

A recycling centre/waste disposal site is a manned site with a collection of points for depositing recyclates and other materials that may still need to be landfilled. Recycling centres usually accept a wide range of waste materials. Some local authorities operate charging schemes for businesses that use recycling centres. You should confirm details of this with your local authority before delivering your waste to the site.

Companies offering a reycling collection will collect your materials for recycling from your business premises or a designated collection point. A recycling service may require that you deliver materials to a company's premises. For example, some community organisations may recycle items of business waste, but they may require that you deliver materials to their depot or premises.

Recycling service providers may place specific requirements on their customers regarding the quality of the material they will accept. You should confirm this with the company when you discuss service arrangements with them.

A transfer station is a facility where businesses can deposit materials for recycling. Local authorities or private waste management contractors can operate them. The materials are sorted and bulked up into bales at the transfer station before being delivered to reprocessors who recycle the materials.

Visit the Business Recycling Directory to find out about local and national recycling services in your area.

There may be services operating in nearby local authority areas that you may be able to access. You can search for services in a number of local authority areas using the advanced search facility in the Business Recycling Directory.

Some areas may not have recycling collections or services due to their remote location or lack of demand for a service. In these cases you may find that you are unfortunately unable to recycle your business waste.

There are a number of recycling companies and organisations listed in the Business Recycling Directory who specialise in providing flexible collection options to suit the needs of small businesses that may only generate small amounts of waste for recycling.

There are a number of service providers who can offer flexible collection options to suit your needs. This could be through allowing all recyclable materials to be collected in a single container, or providing on-demand collections that prevent your business from having to store large volumes of materials for recycling before they can be collected. The Business Recycling Directory provides information regarding the types of containers and collection frequencies for the services listed.

The value of recyclable materials fluctuates constantly and does not outweigh the costs of collection incurred by the recycling company. Recycling companies therefore have to charge for recycling services in order to cover their own costs, such as transportation of materials and payment of collection staff.

You may find that recycling collections for your business are cheaper in the long-term, as you reduce the overall amount of waste you are sending to landfill. These savings will increase as the cost of disposing of waste to landfill continues to rise.

At present, there are no specific targets for recycling of waste from businesses. However 75% of the total waste generated in Scotland is from commercial and industrial sources. Therefore reducing the amounts of this type of waste sent to landfill will have benefits for businesses and the environment.

Landfill tax is currently £40 per tonne, with an £8 annual increase at the start of each tax year, with no plans for this to stop. Gate fees for landfill are also increasing. As these costs continue to rise, alternatives to disposal, such as recycling services, will become more cost-effective options.

By recycling your business waste you are helping to save the earth's natural resources, save energy and reduce the risk of global warming. Businesses can also promote a positive and responsible image to their customers by implementing recycling practices for their business.

Businesses who dump waste illegally are commiting a criminal offence and can be prosecuted. You can report flytipping by calling the Dumb Dumpers Stop Line on 0845 2 30 40 90 or reporting the incident online at www.dumbdumpers.org

The Netregs website aims to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK to understand the environmental regulations that can affect them. It is free to use and is regularly updated. The site provides guidance on how to comply with environmental law as well as advice on good environmental practice.

There are a number of organisations that can assist your business with waste minimisation and resource efficiency, such as the Business Environment Partnership (BEP), Envirowise and National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP). Visit the Links section to find out more about organisations operating in your area. Alternatively, the SEPA website provides a useful waste minimisation guide for different types of business.

The cost of disposing of waste to landfill includes landfill tax in addition to a disposal fee. The disposal fee can also be referred to as a gate fee. The disposal/gate fee can vary between landfill sites. Landfill operators determine their own disposal/gate fee in order to recover their operational costs.

Transfer station charges for recyclable waste include a gate fee. The gate fee can vary between transfer stations. Site operators determine their own gate fee in order to recover their operational costs.