Recycling and C02 at the Teenage Cancer Trust

30 years ago Teenage Cancer Trust started as the first-ever provider of specialised cancer care for teenagers and to this day they’re the only dedicated charity doing so in the UK. They identified that teenagers had a unique set of physical, emotional and social needs that aren’t accounted for in traditional adult or child care centres.

“They were unlikely to ever meet another person their age who knew what they were going through. They didn’t get the tailored support and guidance through their condition and treatment they needed to feel in control in the face of a potentially life-threatening illness.”

Teenage Cancer Trust has acknowledged that they need to reduce their impact on the environment for the future of the young people they’re helping. The charity was inspired to make an ongoing commitment to recycling and waste reduction after Plastic Free July.

“There is a global awakening and we need to acknowledge our impact on the world around us. For the future of the young people our work supports, it is vital that we are committed.”

So in July 2019, some office teams agreed to surrender their under-desk bins, which were replaced with the new Method general waste and recycling bins. They’ve found that not only do the bins make the office’s look tidier, but they’re also a great reminder to reduce, reuse and recycle. As well as being another step towards their commitment to creating a more sustainable workplace it’s a reminder for the team to take a break from their desks by walking to the bins.

In addition to reducing their waste, Teenage Cancer Trust is moving to renewable energy suppliers and reducing their carbon footprint step-by-step such as analysing how they can reduce their CO2 impact for events.

Stories like Teenage Cancer Trust constantly inspire us in the work we do, an ongoing reminder that sustainability in the workplace is a journey that we all need to be on. More importantly, that it can start from one small change that has an unprecedented impact over a month, year or decade and the only place we can go is up.

Leaving you with one last piece of wisdom from Teenage Cancer Trust “No time like the present to start taking steps to reduce your carbon footprint.”