Containers for your Office's waste and recycling needs

Estimated reading time: 4 min

Providing the right bins and containers for your waste and recycling, and storing them in the right location, is essential for helping your staff, customers and visitors separate waste more effectively and increase the amount your workspace, office or building recycles.

In deciding what kind of waste and recycling containers and storage areas you need, think about these two questions:

What types and quantities of waste materials does your business generate? For example, a leisure centre or library may generate large amounts of cardboard and food waste, while an office likely generates paper and a small amount of food waste, plastic packaging, glass and metals.
Where in your business is waste being generated, and by whom? Most offices and administrative services generate more paper and card than other materials, but you’ll need to consider containers for other types of waste in different locations, such as food waste and plastic packaging in a staff break room or kitchen.

Answering these questions will help you manage the way waste and recycling moves through your premises. For example, you can position internal containers and bins in the places where waste is generated, such as by desks, in break rooms or kitchen prep/clearing stations.

Checklist: choosing the right bins for your business

Large enough to contain waste and recycling between emptying, but not so large that they’re difficult to manoeuvre or lift. We recommend that the containers you use to separate food waste indoors, for example in a food prep setting, should be 35 litres or less, and that the outdoor containers you use to present food waste for collection should be no larger than 140 litres, to keep them suitable for manual handling. WRAP Commercial Food Waste Collections Guide
With lids or covers to keep materials dry and stop waste escaping
Store different types of waste separately so that they don’t contaminate each other – this also means you can reuse them more easily, and it’ll be easier to complete your correctly
Label containers clearly with the waste they contain

How to keep waste and recycling separate

It’s easiest to separate from general waste at the point where it’s produced. Here’s how to keep your recycling separate from other rubbish:

Create recycling stations where waste and recycling are generated and include a container for general waste
Colour-code containers consistently throughout your premises to reduce confusion
Use our material-specific posters to label bins – they use distinctive colours and images that are used and recognised nationally across recycling services
Provide training – communicate the changes to your employees and cleaning and maintenance staff/contractor, providing separate training where necessary
Reward good practice – this will encourage further improvements

You can also speak with your current cleaning or waste about supplying new bins if they’re needed.

Good to know There’s no official colour-coding system for bins in workplaces. However, it’s still good practice to establish a colour-coded system for food waste, dry recycling materials and general waste, especially across multi-site businesses. Clear labelling and being consistent with waste and recycling bin colours should minimise things ending up in the wrong bin.

You can also speak with your current cleaning or waste service provider about supplying new bins if they’re needed.