Waste management
We're committed to reducing and managing our waste in a sustainable way.
Reduce
During 2007 we reduced our paper usage by 21% with at total of 17.5 million sheets of A4 paper. We believe that's too much, and we aim to reduce it by another 10% in 2008.
One of the ways we're doing this is by using double sided printing as standard in our offices.
Reuse
We have a number of initiatives on reusing old equipment. When we upgrade our office computers or our network technology, the old equipment is either sold on for re-use or for recycling.
We also reuse some kitchen waste, such as coffee grounds in the landscaped areas of the Hatfield HQ, and we plan to introduce new re-usable take-away bags for restaurant lunches.
Recycling
We have recycling initiatives at our three contact centres, major switch centres and our headquarters in Hatfield.
We have replaced traditional under-desk bins with central recycling collection areas for plastic drinks cups, aluminium drinks cans, paper and card. We also recycle all of our fluorescent tubes through an organisation called Lampcare.
With the recent introduction of the central recycling systems at all major sites, our target for 2008 is to decrease the waste sent to landfill by at least 25%.
WEEE
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations are now UK law. The legislation aims to make producers pay for the collection, treatment and recovery of waste electrical equipment. The regulations also mean that suppliers of equipment like high street shops and internet retailers must allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge.
The amount of WEEE we throw away is increasing by around 5% each year, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the UK.
Much of the UK's WEEE ends up in landfill, where the lead and other toxins it contains can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a harmful effect on natural habitat, wildlife and also human health.
Many electrical items like mobile phones that we throw away can be repaired or recycled. Recycling items helps to save our natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental and health risks associated with sending electrical goods to landfill.
T-Mobile has a part to play in reducing the amount of phones going into landfill sites. We offer our customers incentivised take-back of their phones on a like-for-like basis when you buy from us a new phone.
Under the WEEE Regulations, all new electrical goods should now be marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol.
Goods are marked with this symbol to show that they were produced after 13th August 2005, and should be disposed of separately from normal household waste so that they can be recycled.
