Avena Celebrates UK Recycle Week

What Is UK Recycle Week?

With governments, businesses, communities and individuals all looking at ways to reduce the amount of material we consume and waste we generate, it’s good to pause every now and then and celebrate our wins and achievements.The week of 17-22 October 2022 marks the eighteenth year of Recycle Week, the UK’s largest annual celebration of all things recycling. In the words of organisers WRAP, this is “the one week of the year where retailers, brands, waste management companies, trade associations, governments and the media come together to achieve one goal: to galvanise the public into recycling more of the right things, more often.”Let’s look at how you can mark Recycle Week 2022 with smarter recycling that will protect your business, brand, and stakeholders.

The Theme For Recycle Week 2022

For 2022, WRAP has chosen the theme ‘Let’s Get Real’ to focus on three common myths about recycling:

1. that recycling doesn’t make much of a difference
2. that there’s no harm in not separating recyclable waste from non-recyclable
3. that recycling is confusing

At Avena, we have simplified the process of recycling your secure waste – documents, digital media and workwear – and are delivering measurable improvements to the sustainability and carbon-saving goals of our clients while protecting their data, brand, reputation and customers.

How Avena Is Celebrating

Avena has good reason to celebrate Recycle Week in 2022.

Avena Launches PROTECTR

This year we launched PROTECTR™, our portfolio of secure destruction services:

• SECURALL Secure Document Recycling – a confidential and comprehensive paper shredding and recycling service specifically tailored to individual customer needs
• SECUREBRAND Secure Clothing Recycling – a tailored collection, destruction and recycling service for uniforms, workwear and textiles
• SECURETECH Secure Media and IT Recycling – a fully audited and secure IT and media destruction service that complies with WEEE Regulations 2013.

This gives businesses, organisations and authorities a single downstream waste management provider for all secure destruction requirements.

Avena Saves 4.5 Million Kilos Of CO2

Our clients have collectively prevented an estimated 4.5 million kilos of CO2 from entering the atmosphere by using our SECUREBRAND service to recycle their end-of-life textiles, workwear, uniforms and PPE.In addition, the fibres created as a by-product of the shredding process have been used in products ranging from acoustic panelling in vehicles to the stuffing in toys, soft furnishings and upholstery, reducing the requirement for virgin material production that increases pollution and energy consumption.

How Will You Celebrate Recycle Week 2022?

If you would like to recycle more at home, a good starting point is the Recycle Now website, where you can find lots of useful information on what you can recycle, how to recycle and where you can recycle.If you are a business with recycling targets to meet, speak with your waste management contractor about the general recycling of items such as cardboard and plastic packaging.If you have concerns about the security of any data that might be contained in discarded documents or hard drives, use a specialised secure destruction service such as SECURALL (for confidential documents) or SECURETECH (for media and IT equipment).Using a secure contractor for confidential paper shredding generates a higher proportion of usable waste compared to using an office shredder and adding the shredded paper to your mixed recyclables bin.Old and worn-out workwear and uniforms can be given a new lease of life. If you’re concerned about protecting your brand and the public, a secure textile destruction service such as SECUREBRAND will ensure your used garments won’t fall into the wrong hands. Plus, with a secure garment disposal console conveniently located right where you need it, it couldn’t be easier.

Here’s A Checklist For Recycle Week 2022:

1. Visit the Recycle Now website to sort out your domestic recycling
2. If you haven’t already, switch from an office shredder to a shredding service
3. Combine WEEE compliance with data security by using a secure IT destruction service
4. Give old workwear a new lease of life and protect your brand by using a secure textile destruction service
5. Or to combine steps 2-4 into one, contact Avena Group by calling us on 0845 5219 892 or via our website.