Here are five steps that show you how to start an office recycling program that can reduce your organization's environmental footprint, while saving your business money, reports Inc. magazine.
The first step is to determine which products going into the trash are recyclable and which ones you want to include in the recycling initiative. Paper products and beverage containers are typically good places to start.
Kent Forester, an environmental protection specialist at the EPA, told Inc. that one to two pounds of paper product waste is generated on average each day in U.S. workplaces with most workers drinking as many as 3 cans of beverages a day.
Step two is to encourage employee participation, which can be increased by strategically placing your recycling bins in areas where most of the trash is generated such as copy rooms, break rooms and cafeterias. Other ways to increase participation include consistent communications.
Step three is training janitorial staff about your recycling initiative by reaching out to building management or the building's landlord to notify them about your recycling initiative.
Step four details how to collect and dispose of the recyclables, which may include hiring an outside service and donating to charities particularly for electronics products.
Step five is taking more steps to recycle, reduce and reuse by expanding your company's efforts to reduce office waste and reuse existing products.
Here are four links to help your company get started on its own recycling program.
-- Environmental Protection Agency guidelines
-- CalRecycle
-- Sustainable Office Tool Kit
For additional tips, click here for 10 steps to reduce emissions in the office and here for six steps to save energy and reduce waste.
