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Out of the box: Officeworks launches Bring it Back for Business to help reduce technology waste from landfill

Eco Voice
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First published in 2003, Eco Voice is your go-to publication for sustainability news in Australia. Eco Voice prides itself as an independent news platform with a clear focus on sustainability, with articles coming from a diverse range of contributors – all levels of government, corporations, not-for-profits, community groups, small to medium sized businesses, universities, research organisations, together with input from international sources. Eco Voice values community, conservation and commerce. Eco Voice is a media partner of the prestigious Australian Banksia Sustainability Awards – The Peak Sustainability Awards.

To accelerate efforts in reducing technology waste ending up in landfill, Officeworks haslaunched its ‘Bring it Back for Business’ initiative for National Recycling Week. This program empowers business customers to recycle their unwanted office accessories, including monitors, cables, keyboards, ink, toner, and other hard-to-recycle items. 

Expanding its popular ‘Bring it Back’ program, from Tuesday 19 November Officeworks will offer business customers in Victoria, with plans to expand across the country by next year, the convenience of recycling officetechnology waste—without leaving the office. Customers can simply order ‘Bring it Back’ boxes online, fill them with recyclables, schedule a collection, and receive a report detailing the positive environmental impact of their recycling efforts. 

Officeworks Head of Business, Paul Munkley, explains that the initiative supports businesses in reducing landfill waste while achieving their sustainability goals. “We know our business customers are committed to minimising their environmental impact, and this program provides a circular economy solution to help divert waste from landfilland retain valuable resources within the economy for longer,” Paul said. 

“The beauty of ‘Bring it Back for Business’ is that it’s tailored for Australian businesses of all sizes,” Paul added.“Our collection boxes integrate seamlessly into micro, small, medium, or large business settings and are easilycollected, allowing our customers to focus on their core operations, confident that their waste is being recycled to its highest value. We also provide detailed reporting, enabling businesses to track their progress toward their own sustainability goals.” 

According to an Officeworks customer panel survey, 81 per cent of its business customers said they want to be able to recycle products such as ink and toner cartridges and computer accessories in their workplaces.

Officeworks partner Close the Loop Chief Executive Officer Joe Foster, said the initiative was an excellent way toencourage businesses to manage their e-waste while contributing to a sustainable future. 

“At Close the Loop, we champion sustainability through innovative action. Our collaboration with Officeworks on thisB2B e-waste box program is a meaningful step forward, empowering businesses and employees to manage their e-waste responsibly while contributing to a circular economy. This initiative reflects our commitment to ‘collect today,create tomorrow’—transforming today’s waste into tomorrow’s sustainable solutions.” 
‘Bring it Back for Business’ is an extension of Officeworks’ Bring it Back program. For more than 9 years theOfficeworks Bring it Back Program has offered an accessible solution for recycling common household items. Through this program, customers can drop off unwanted laptops, printers, ink cartridges, pens, and markers, helping to keep these items out of landfill. This year, the retailer expanded the program to include school stationery supplies, such as crayons, calculators, erasers, and pencil cases in select trial stores with Stationery Aid and Give Write. Officeworks has recycled more than 11,000 tonnes of waste on behalf of its customers since [2015]. 

To further champion local recycling efforts, Officeworks has introduced People and Planet Pop Up Days. In partnership with technology suppliers HP, Brother, and recycler Close the Loop and co- regulatory arrangement ANZRP, these events provide community members the opportunity to recycle challenging items like householdbatteries and TVs. Through these one-day events, around one tonne of customers’ technology waste and batteriesare responsibly recycled. After a successful trial, Officeworks plans to expand these People and Planet Pop-Up Days nationwide in 2025. 

Additionally, Officeworks Tech Trade In Program, in partnership with Moorup, gives customers a sustainable way to extend the life of valuable technology devices, including mobile phones and tablets. In FY2024 alone, 4,753 products were traded in, keeping valuable resources in circulation. 
Officeworks encourages all Australians to participate in National Recycling Week by bringing their unwanted itemsto any Officeworks store across the country and supporting sustainable practices to together, better contribute to a cleaner planet.

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