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Those trusty souls at Marks & Spencer are set to launch a new office recycling and collection scheme for all the leftover packaging we hungry workers munch our way through every day.
The Plan A retailer has teamed up with Closed Loop Recycling as part of the re-launch of its 'Food to Go' range. The range's packaging will feature the Closed Loop logo and details of how to sign up. Offices participating in the scheme are issued with branded recycling bins. According to M&S, the average weekly cost for a 20-person office that would generate
around five bags of waste per week would be roughly £5, but prices do depend on the size of the office and level of collection. The money goes to Closed Loop Recycling, which manages the collections and the actual recycling.
The idea is that the used food packaging is turned into new food packaging, which is something new in the UK. In a bid to encourage more offices to improve their recycling facilities, the scheme is an easy eco solution that gives people the opportunity to be that little bit greener. M&S emphasises that this scheme could help small offices that don't already have a recycling scheme, and that all food packaging -- not just M&S' -- can be recycled.
It sounds like child's play; putting waste into a recycling bin rather than a regular bin. But do people care and would they actually bother to use it in their offices? We decided to ask that very question to a handful of lunchtimers on the street.
It seems the average office worker does care sufficiently enough to recycle, but despite this, the majority of people we asked said they would not take part in the M&S initiative.
The non participatory consensus appeared to be directed towards the additional cost this would incur for companies with recycling schemes already in place.
We would support the M&S initiative, however, because we do really appreciate it when high street retailers make an effort to green us up, and we like the idea of our old sandwich boxes being turned into new ones.
17 April 2008 12:50pm
M&S should look at all their product packaging, lots of it is not recyclable so has to go in the bin rather than my recycling.
22 April 2008 08:56am
M&S seems to use the most packaging of any supermarket -- the ratio of plastic to food is appalling sometimes.
29 April 2008 03:00pm
at least they r trying and anything that promotes food packaging recycling and recycled food packaging is a step in the right direction! In my office the bins are packed with sadnwich boxes and bags and trays after every lunch time and we even have pretty good recycling facilities already. People just don't know how to recycle it
29 April 2008 03:00pm
but yeah, they should also just make less packaging themselves in the first place
29 April 2008 03:15pm
i think it's more that people are too lazy rather than just don't know how to recycle. our bins at work are stuffed with cardboard and cans because people don't want to walk to the other side of the kitchen and use the recycling container.
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