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My local council provides me with two bins, two boxes and a canvas sack, and I now seem to spend a large part of my leisure hours with my head buried in this apparatus of rubbish removal. On a Monday night, when everybody in the neighbourhood is doing the same thing, we must look like a community of particularly enthusiastic freegans.

Not that I’m moaning. I’m one of these people who thinks they should do their bit, but lethargy prevents me from being too proactive. Sifting rubbish in the privacy of my home is about the right level for me (however, I do wonder whether the fact I have to wash all of the cans and bottles before they are put out and that extra delivery vehicles are needed to pick up all these different bins and boxes doesn’t somewhat undermine all the good work).

Anyway, green issues have dominated the news this week, what with the Copenhagen summit and newspapers such as the Daily Express continuing to publicise the views of those flat earth types who insist that global warming isn’t man made.

My view is that a mixture of coercion, persuasion and peer group pressure can also get businesses to do the right thing. Many companies will be thinking that with day-to-day survival their priority, green issues can take a backseat for the moment. It’s an understandable attitude on the face of it, but when you learn that businesses that have gone green are winning business because of it, it’s an attitude that probably needs re-thinking. The recent news that Coventry electric van maker Modec has signed a joint venture agreement with American trucking giant Navistar that will see its vehicles produced in the US is just the tip of the iceberg.

Jane Lodge, head of the manufacturing group at Deloitte in Birmingham, knows a bit about these things and she's convinced that Midlands manufacturers – with their tradition of product innovation and their ability to adapt to circumstances – are well placed to lead this green revolution.

In the commercial property market, smart developers saw the lay of the land a few years ago and have produced nothing but sustainable buildings ever since. Public-sector occupiers demand no less, while energy performance certificates (EPCs) effectively put buildings into a local league table with the most sustainable at the top. Going forward, how many occupiers will be interested into moving into a building with a low EPC?

Because this isn’t just about a company and its own corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Some large companies (Marks & Spencer being a well known example) insist on a green supply chain. Not being green could mean losing contracts to your rivals.

This stuff isn’t going to go away - despite the best efforts of the Daily Express. Most businesses want to be good corporate citizens, and the chances are that their business prospects will improve if they succeed in that ambition. Those companies that snub their nose at such advances risk becoming pariahs and, even worse, out of touch with the needs and demands of their clients and suppliers. In other words, don’t be caught putting tin cans in your paper bin.

This is my last blog before Christmas. Have a great break and see you in the New Year.

Andy Coyne, editor, Insider