I hope you have implemented recycling in your business and it is working for you. Remember, it will require ongoing commitment and followup from the business leadership to ensure your recycling effort does not falter and you end up with the wrong waste in bins. If the business owner or management are not able to spend time on this they should appoint or empower a staff member to help drive your recycle effort.
With plastic bottles there is a new container refund scheme introduced by the Queensland Government as of November 1. It is called the ‘containers for change' and involves a 10c refund on eligible plastic drink bottles that you collect and drop off to specific locations. You can read more about it at https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/waste/recovery/reduction/container-refund/container-refund-about
We have covered many of the main items businesses can recycle, but you may not realise that there are many more items that can be recycled. Here are some more examples;
A notable part of office waste includes used ink cartridges from printers and copiers and this is a huge problem for the environment if they are not disposed of correctly. If you want to read a little about it you go to https://cartridges.planetark.org/involvement or simply google 'printer cartridge waste' to access a variety of online articles. Most brands of printer cartridges can be recycled so if you are not already doing so talk to your supplier about where you can recycle your used cartridges. If your current supplier does not offer a collection point you can take your used cartridges to Officeworks.
Batteries are also a huge environmental problem if they go to landfill. Many people are unaware that batteries of all shapes and sizes can be recycled. You can have a dedicated box or bin in your home and office to dispose of typical household and office batteries and periodically drop them off to the Cairns Regional Council transfer station. Alternately, you can drop off up to 5 kgs to your local library or Battery World on Mulgrave road. There are a number of articles online about the problem with used batteries and recycling and here is one you might find informative https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/where-can-i-recycle-batteries-australia