At Reconomy Group company Valpak, we actively encourage staff to take volunteer days.
Together, we plant thousands of trees, untangle ghost fishing gear, and support young care-leavers. As well as providing valuable support to charities and to the environment, these days are a chance for members of staff at all levels of the business to get together and switch off from work.
In 2022, Valpak volunteers partnered with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s Sherbourne Valley Project and young care leavers from the House Project Coventry to collect litter from around the river Sherbourne. We collected a whopping 1,864 pieces of litter.
Our volunteering opportunities are chosen carefully to fit with our values, and this was no exception. Last year, Valpak celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. As a company with national contracts – and a steadily-growing number of international customers – we are often looking beyond our own doorstep. So it is important that we also take care of the environment closer to home.
On this particular day, we were able to improve the landscape and wildlife habitat in our own community, as well as segregating items for recycling. However, just as important was the chance to build relationships with the care leavers from the House Project Coventry who we support. It is important to recognise that we all have a part to play – while some of us may need support at different times in our lives, as individuals, we each have beneficial skills.
This message can also be applied to our industry at a time when we face huge changes in legislation and technical advances. New regulations, such as Packaging EPR, affect the whole supply chain, from manufacture to council collections, and disposal at end of life. Each part of the chain makes an impact, and we all play a part in the success of these initiatives.
At Valpak, we collaborate with local authorities to improve services, through initiatives such as small WEEE collections. We supported Durham County Council in its award-winning Small Electrical Project, as well as creating social media campaigns to help raise awareness among members of the public. We also work successfully with reprocessors, helping new recyclers into the system and resulting in a UK recycling rate of 65 per cent for Valpak PRNs, against a national average of 48 per cent.
As the industry continues to modernise and push boundaries, we will see increasing prospects for cooperative working. It is important that, as an industry, we not only recognise the opportunities that these can generate, but actively look for more ways to collaborate.
