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At Intel “We Recycle” for World Environment Day

Linda_Qian
Employee
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Every year, nearly one-third of food, or 1.3 billion tons, produced for human consumption around the world is wasted. That’s more than the weight of 3,500 empire state buildings! Last year alone, Americans used more than 140 tons of disposable dishware, including roughly 99 tons of Styrofoam containers and 44 tons of paper cups and plates. That’s a lot of waste. In today’s green-minded society, companies are looking at new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Earlier this year, Intel launched We Recycle, an employee initiative that aims to recycle 90 percent of the company’s solid waste – about 8,200 tons of it. To engage our employees and increase our company’s recycling rate, We Recycle introduced centralized areas for recycling at participating Intel sites to better manage food waste. Additionally, Intel cafeterias now have reusable dishware to reduce waste from disposable utensils.

recycling-infographic-184x300.jpg

Over the past five years, we've recycled about 75 percent of our waste, so this new goal of recycling 90 percent in one year is an ambitious leap in the right direction. This environmental goal is also one of several employee-driven metrics that determine our annual employee bonus compensation.   

You, too, can have a hand in combatting food waste and loss. Today is World Environment Day, an annual, global initiative sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme that aims to raise awareness for positive environmental action. This year’s theme is “Think, Eat, Save,” with a specific emphasis on reducing food waste and loss.

How are you celebrating World Environment Day? Please share your thoughts in our comments section below! Check out the infographic on the left to learn more about our recycling initiatives.

This post kicks off our 'bite-sized CSR' blog series, in celebration of our recently released Corporate Responsibility Report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author
Linda is passionate about sustainability and corporate responsibility. She manages communications for Intel's Public Affairs and Sustainability organization. She graduated from the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource Studies.