Global Recycling Day, marked each year on 18 March, is an opportunity to reflect on how everyday decisions – including those made in workplaces – can contribute to reducing waste and protecting the environment.

For law firms and professional offices, many of the most effective actions are relatively simple. Small changes to office habits, waste disposal practices, and purchasing decisions can significantly improve recycling outcomes and reduce environmental impact.

Members of the Law Society’s Climate Justice Group have shared practical insights from their own workplaces to highlight how these changes can be implemented in practice.

Practical Recycling Tips from Fellow Solicitors

Separate waste streams clearly

One of the most effective ways to improve recycling in an office is to ensure that different waste streams are clearly separated.

Many workplaces benefit from having designated disposal areas for:

  • Confidential paper
  • Non-confidential paper and cardboard
  • Food waste
  • Glass
  • Plastics and tins
  • General waste

Clear labelling and accessible bin locations – particularly near photocopiers, kitchens and communal areas – make it easier for staff to dispose of waste correctly and help to reduce the volume of recyclable materials ending up in landfill.

Always dispose of confidential documents correctly

In legal practice, waste management also has an important data protection dimension.

Any documents containing confidential or client-related information must always be placed in designated confidential shred bins rather than general waste or standard recycling bins.

Using secure shredding services helps to ensure compliance with data protection obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act, while still allowing paper to be processed appropriately by specialist waste providers.

Rinse recyclable containers

A quick rinse of recyclable items such as glass jars, tins or plastic containers can significantly improve recycling outcomes.

Food residue can contaminate recyclable materials, making them harder to process. A simple rinse before disposal helps ensure that materials can be recycled efficiently and turned into new products.

For example:

Separate food waste where possible

Food waste contributes significantly to landfill emissions.

Where facilities are available, separating food waste from packaging allows it to be sent to anaerobic digestion plants, where it can be converted into renewable energy and fertiliser, rather than producing harmful methane emissions in landfill.

In Northern Ireland, the Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 require businesses producing more than 5kg of food waste per week to have a separate food waste collection.

For many offices, this requirement applies once staff numbers increase beyond a small team.

Make recycling easy for colleagues

Even in workplaces with good recycling facilities, recyclable materials often end up in general waste bins.

Simple steps can help improve compliance:

  • Clear signage beside recycling points
  • Regular reminders to staff
  • Recycling facilities placed in convenient areas
  • A positive culture around waste reduction
  • Experience from many offices shows that while some staff are enthusiastic recyclers, others simply need clearer guidance or more convenient facilities.
  • Making recycling straightforward and visible can dramatically improve participation.

Remember the “5 Rs”

While recycling is important, it is only one part of reducing environmental impact.

Many sustainability initiatives now promote the “5 R’s” hierarchy, which prioritises actions that avoid waste in the first place:

Refuse 
Do you really need the item? For example, can you decline disposable cutlery with takeaway lunches?

Reduce 
Choose durable products that will last longer.

Reuse 
Bring reusable cups, bottles or food containers rather than relying on disposable alternatives.  

Repair / Repurpose / Rot 
Repair damaged items, repurpose materials, or compost food waste.

Recycle 
Recycle materials that cannot be reused.

Recycling remains important, but it is most effective when combined with efforts to reduce consumption and reuse materials wherever possible.

What the Society is doing

Alongside encouraging better recycling habits across the profession, the Law Society has also been reviewing its own internal practices to reduce waste within Law Society House.

This includes practical steps such as moving away from single-use bottled water at meetings, introducing more sustainable catering arrangements to reduce food waste, and working with waste management partners to improve recycling and waste monitoring across the building.

These measures aim to support the Society’s wider sustainability commitments while demonstrating how small operational changes can contribute to reducing waste in professional workplaces. 

Small changes, big impact

Global Recycling Day serves as a reminder that sustainability is often driven by everyday decisions.

Whether through clearer recycling practices, reducing waste in meetings, or encouraging reusable alternatives, small changes in how workplaces operate can collectively make a meaningful difference.

By sharing practical experiences from solicitors, and continuing to improve its own operations, the Society hopes to encourage similar steps across the legal profession.