Forward-Thinking Recycling Programs for Modern Offices

Forward-Thinking Recycling Programs for Modern Offices

Eco-friendly practices are a required part of doing business today, but your efforts shouldn’t all be outward focused. Recycling programs within your office demonstrate to your employees that your commitment to going green isn’t just a sales tool. Make a recycling program part of the norm for your office with these ideas.

Survey the Office

To build a solid recycling program, you have to know what can and can’t be recycled in your office. To do so, you have to undertake a survey of all of the things you use to do business. You can start by contacting your local recycling collection program to find out what they can take. For example, you probably know that your local program takes paper and plastic, but can they take electronic waste or printer ink cartridges. Once you know what can be recycled in your area, identify the items in your office that fit the bill. Typically, about 90% of office waste can be recycled.

Set Participation Goals

As with any kind of change in the workplace, starting slowly is the best way to get employees on board. Give employees a target list of things you want to eradicate from your trashcans, and offer incentives for reaching certain participation benchmarks. For example, if you want to ensure that all plastic eating utensils go in the recycling bin, reward employees with a pizza lunch if you don’t see any utensils in the trash for one month. Gradually add more things to the recycling list, and remember to offer regular education about your recycling program as well as regular incentives.

Find a Recycling Partner

For small offices, working with your local recycling program is probably sufficient, but larger offices may need an outside recycling partner. Commercial recycling programs make it easier to manage large amounts of recycling waste, including things like copiers and printers.

 

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