Recycling at work

Not every building in the Essex County Council estate has a recycling service. The steps below will tell you how to set one up in your building.

Benefits

Recycling in the workplace is beneficial as it:

• is more resource-efficient and reduces the impact on climate change
• costs less to dispose of recycling than general rubbish
• supports our organisational strategy aim to ‘Help create great places to grow up, live and work’​

External recycling collection service

An external collection service will need to be arranged. This is the contract Mitie set up with an external waste contractor to collect the recycling from outside your building.

There are 2 options, bagged collection or bin collection. Space outside the building is needed for this extra bin or bagged collection point. The collection service will be an ongoing cost, each year.

Set this up using the following steps.

Request breakdown of the services currently provided

Email the Mitie helpdesk (PDF, 139KB) to ask for a breakdown of the waste and recycling services currently provided at your building. Quote the name and location of your building in your email request.

Check if other arrangements are in place

Ask colleagues or users of nearby buildings if they know of any arrangements or options Mitie may not be aware of.​

Check which materials are included

If recycling services are present, ask Mitie to confirm which materials are included (for example paper, plastic and cans) and whether these should be collected separately. Find out how to order internal bins in the next section.

Identify a storage place

If recycling services are not present, identify an appropriate space outside the building to store a bin. If space is available, request a quote from Mitie for one of the following services:

• For large buildings (8 or more internal recycling bins): quote for a weekly collection of a 660 (six hundred and sixty) litre recycling bin
• For medium-size buildings (4-8 internal recycling bins): quote for a fortnightly collection of a 660 (six hundred and sixty) litre recycling bin. Alternatively if space for a large bin is restricted, a 240 (two hundred and forty) litre recycling bin can be provided on a weekly collection instead
• For small buildings (4 or fewer internal recycling bins): quote for a bagged collection to be provided. For bagged collection, staff are required to put the bags out at an appropriate kerbside the day before collection. Although can provide a cost effective solution for smaller sites, it requires staff to resource this activity. If space and access allows, a fortnightly collection of a 240 (two hundred and forty) litre recycling bin can be provided

Send the expenditure code

Once a quote has been accepted by your budget holder, send an expenditure code to Mitie (PDF, 139KB). Mitie will set up the service in the following 4 to 6 weeks.​​​

Check usage

It is highly recommended that a colleague takes a note periodically of how full the recycling bins are before collection. This will help make sure the bin collection service is suitable for the volume of recycling accumulated. The service can be changed with 4 to 6 weeks notice if the collection is too frequent or not frequent enough.

Ordering internal recycling bins

Internal recycling bins will need to be procured. Bins will be situated inside the building, ideally placed beside current bins that are used to collect general rubbish.

1. Work out how many internal bins you need inside the building. Usually this is one per room or where there is already a general rubbish bin.
2. Email the Mitie helpdesk (PDF, 139KB) to ask for a quote for the number of 87-litre bins and a year’s supply of recycling sacks. The current price as of March 2021 is £44.24 per bin (including delivery) and £102.42 for the recycling sacks. This is a one-off cost.
3. Once Mitie respond, provide them with an expenditure code and this will be processed and delivered to you in due course.

Promotion and education

Effective promotion and education will help to inform users about the new recycling service. This will also make sure that any new recycling services are used and managed appropriately.

Posters and communication materials

For posters and communication materials contact love.essex@essex.gov.uk. Please contact the team at the same time as emailing Mitie so that communications are consistent as the new service is set up. Consistent and relevant messages can be sent electronically or adapted if required. The Essex County Council design team can support with this.

Talks or presentations

For any talks or presentations for customers or colleagues contact champions@essex.gov.uk. A member of the Love Essex team or Love Essex Champion volunteers will arrange a visit or a virtual presentation.​