25,000 coffee cups have been diverted from landfill since August 2020, with Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) staff participating in a recycling program.
BCE head office is celebrating National Recycling Week (7 to 13 November) by shining a light on the programs embraced by staff every day, like the Simply Cups program which transforms used cups into higher-value items like outdoor furniture and concrete.
The program has been a huge success due to its simplicity, which asks staff to separate their coffee cups from the lids.
Since 2016 BCE have also worked with Close the Loop, to recycle toner boxes and cartridges.
In the last quarter alone 1 July to 30 Sep, BCE has recycled 7.92kg of toner cartridges, that has contributed to saving waterways from harmful ink and preventing hard plastic from entering landfill.
Other recycling programs include initiatives by the Office Services department that see used batteries, broken monitors, e-waste, and used pens collected by Officeworks for recycling.
BCE Corporate Services Executive Patrick O'Sullivan said BCE supports a circular economy.
“At BCE we aim to continue to create a system of schools and offices which works together to deliver a sustainable future,” he said.
“BCE is working with other companies to upcycle products and educate young minds about how recycling doesn’t happen when you place an item in a bin, recycling happens when you give that item a second life.”
What is National Recycling Week?
Back since recycling bins were just a small black tub, Planet Ark has been helping Australians recycle right. National Recycling Week (NRW) is one of Planet Ark’s flagship campaigns and every year aims to educate and empower people to do the right thing when they’re at the bin.
Since the campaign was established in 1996, we have held it every year during the second week of November.
About Simply Cups:
Help us save millions of cups from landfill. Simply Cups is a program that helps businesses separate takeaway cups from other waste streams. We collect these cups, and work with innovative new technologies to transform used cups into items of higher value.