Why Recycle at work?
It’s Free. It’s convenient. It’s the right thing to do.
It reduces the cost of waste disposal for your business.
It shows customers your commitment to eco-friendly practices.
It ensures that you are doing your part to reduce waste and conserve natural resources.
To start recycling at your business:
1. Know what you throw
Are you putting recyclable items in the trash? These would include: cardboard, paper, aluminum cans, metal cans, glass bottles/jars and plastic bottles. Determine which materials are feasible to collect for recycling.
2. Know where you throw
Are there multiple locations where items are put into the trash? Are there shared spaces where waste items accumulate? Determine where recycling will take place and how many containers you might need.
3. Know how much you throw
Determine an approximate amount of materials that your workplace might generate in a week’s time.
4. Know who
How many employees will be participating? Who will gather materials to a central location for collection? Determine a responsible party who will ensure that materials are placed in recycling containers for collection.
To have a successful program:
1. Set goals
Goals are a great way to demonstrate the purpose of changing procedures. They also ensure that employees can work toward a common end. Including employees in setting goals will increase participation.
2. Educate employees
Properly educating employees about changes to waste management is key to success. Employees will need to know what is going to be collected and what they need to do in order to help the business reach its waste diversion goals.
3. Engage employees
Recycling at work can be fun. Incentives and competition can be great drivers to get a program started and ensure its long-term success.
4. Use signage
Properly labeling containers is extremely beneficial. labels don’t need to be fancy, but they must be accurate and consistent to be successful.