In addition to its recycling program, Buy As You View is switching to eco cars for its 500-strong sales force, saving the company over $400,000 per year while reducing its carbon footprint.

Photo RTO Online

Graham Clarke, CEO of Buy As You View, was featured in the January, 2009 issue of RTO Magazine, the Rent-to-Own industry's leading trade publication. Download the issue.

Leading UK rent to own company Buy As You View has committed to invest over $44,000 (£28,000) per year in equipment to recycle up to 80 per cent of its waste which would otherwise have gone to a landfill. The announcement coincided with World Environment Day (5 June).

Buy As You View plans to compress cardboard, plastic film and polystyrene which will be sent in batches to be pulped, reused or recycled. The company estimates that it will produce around 180 tons of recyclable materials each year.

Graham Clarke, CEO of Buy As You View, said, "Implementing a good recycling system isn't necessarily easy and does take commitment. It's not just been a case of installing the new machines, for example we have also had to modify the electricity supply to accommodate them."

Clarke says that larger companies can actually produce revenue by recycling. "We don't do it at Buy As You View as we don't produce mill-sized bails of materials." But, adds Clarke, companies that have the ability to compact recyclables into the proper format can sell your waste to mills. "It's an incentive for making a difference."

Buy As You View has further demonstrated its commitment to the environment by its switching to eco cars for its 500-strong sales force. So far, the company has replaced 160 of its existing Vauxhall Corsas with the ecoFLEX model to reduce fuel consumption and its carbon output by 225 tons per year. The new cars will also save Buy As You View over $400,000 (£250,000) per year when all cars are replaced.

Buy As You View is also marketing green products to customers from manufacturer BEKO. The new range of appliances use up to 60 per cent less energy than older models. "We are expecting high demand for the new range of energy efficient products," Clarke said. "Doing our bit for the environment is becoming ever more important and in today's economic climate, and the cost savings speak for themselves.'

Clarke said that BEKO's energy saving ratings help customers make their contribution to a safer and more stable environment and at the same time save on fuel bills.