Pine Solutions and the Environment

Pine Solutions is committed to working in an environmentally friendly way, we have been examining the ways in which we can do this. All the processes have been reviewed in the office so that a virtually paperless system could be developed. This has vastly reduced the amount of waste paper that the office generates. The delivery companies we use work out their routes carefully so they waste as little fuel as possibly, which also helps the environment. All our furniture ranges use wood that is conscientiously sourced from forests which are managed and replenished, follow the link about wooden furniture for more information regarding this. Further more, pinesolutions.co.uk has applied to become carbon neutral.

Struggling to be good!

One major obstacle that the business came up against was that none of the rubbish the office was generating could be recycled. We don’t create enough recycling to be able to employ a private company to help and it’s inconvenient, inefficient and inaccessible to trudge to the local recycling bins. The local city council (Norwich) does not yet provide any facilities for businesses! This provoked our team to investigate.

We wrote to our local MP the Rt. Hon Charles Clarke, who promptly arranged a meeting with us. Several constituents had also been complaining about the lack of recycling for businesses. In the meeting Charles Clarke MP discussed in depth with us what recycling system we would benefit from. We suggested the introduction of recycling targets for commercial and industrial businesses. A meeting was considered with some major businesses in Norwich to debate the development of a new recycling system.

We talked over several points; the recycling services needed the most by offices are for paper, glass, plastic and aluminium. Less common categories would include batteries, mobile phones and printer cartridges. There is a  need for a system that is accessible and affordable, one that is available to all sizes of companies. We also touched on what our European neighbours are doing about recycling. In Germany cans can be returned to shops for money. They have fines for businesses and the general public if they don’t recycle. In Sweden their recycling points offer you cash back when you put in material, and there is an option to donate this to charity. Ireland only uses paper bags in shops which you have to pay for, encouraging people to reuse.

It would be an interesting idea to be able to promote or create a demand for recycled products within major industries; all magazines are printed on new paper for example. Examining the possibility of tax or financial incentives and targets to achieve this would be interesting.

Charles Clarke had written to DEPRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), specifically to Ben Bradshaw Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare. Mr Bradshaw’s reply can be read in full here. A speech had also been made previously in parliament by Mr Clarke entitled ‘A New Environmental Contract for the 21^st Century?’, which can be read here too.

Hopefully there will be some schemes in the near future to encourage all businesses commercial and industrial to recycle, reuse and reduce.

You can read more about Pine Solutions Company here. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email us at sales@pinesolutions.co.uk.