How to set up a recycling program at your company
Step 1: Get management support.
Get management’s support to ensure the success of your recycling program.
In the long term, support from upper management and your co-workers is key. After all, you can’t do it alone; you need the participation of all employees to make your program work.
- Discuss the potential for recycling with the facility, office or building manager to get his or her support for organizing a program.
- Talk with others in your organization or send out a support-building memo describing the new program.
- Recruit volunteers from various departments for a “Green Team.”
Highlight the importance of recycling and show your management how a recycling program will benefit your company by:
- Saving money by decreasing trash pickup service
- Achieve corporate sustainability goals
- Reduce your company’s carbon footprint
- Improving employee morale – everyone wants to “do the right thing”– recycle!
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Step 2: Determine what materials to target for recycling.
Look for recyclable material in your company’s waste.
Walk through different areas of your facility and observe where and how materials are generated in your business. The most commonly targeted materials are paper, cardboard, can and bottles, but don’t overlook pallets, packing material, and office equipment. If you find materials that aren’t recyclable, try to find ways to prevent them from being thrown away in the first place!
  
Start with the basics.
Focus your recycling program on the largest volume of waste materials being thrown away. For example, if you work in an office, start by setting up a program to recycle paper and cardboard. After your initial program is working well, add recycling programs for other materials in phases. Build on your successes over time.
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Step 3: Find a recycling company to collect the materials.
Based on the materials you decide to target for recycling, ask your garbage hauler if they will collect and recycle these items. Independent recyclers are also able to collect your recyclables. Check www.recyclestuff.org for an appropriate recycler or call the Recycle Hotline at 1-800-533-8414 for help. Don’t forget that you can use different vendors for different materials. If one vendor won’t pick up all your recyclables, you can use multiple recyclers. Selecting a recycling vendor
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Step 4: Decide where to place recycling collection containers.
Recycling containers should be placed wherever materials are generated.
Commonly, this means at each work station and at centralized locations throughout your facility, such as next to copiers and printers or in break rooms. A good rule to follow is this: wherever there’s a garbage bin, place a recycling container next to it. Prominently label the containers to avoid confusion.
Decide how materials will be moved out of the facility for pick-up by the recycler. It is very important to involve your janitorial service in this process. Getting their input and buy-in is crucial to the success of your program. Point out that, in most offices, after a paper and cardboard recycling program has been implemented, there is very little “garbage” remaining. Working with janitorial service companies
  
There are a variety of options for collecting material in a facility. These are some methods that other companies currently use:
- Employees empty their desk-side recycle containers into centralized bins (one centralized container for every 10-15 employees). Janitorial service staff collects the trash from each workstation and the recycling only from the centralized bins.
- Janitorial service staff empties both recycling and trash from each workstation (either daily or on alternating days), and recycling from larger centrally located bins.
- Employees empty both their desk-side recycling and desk-side trash containers into larger, centrally located bins. Janitorial staff is only responsible for emptying these larger bins.
- Janitorial service staff collects recycling from each workstation. Employees take trash directly to centralized bins, and janitorial staff empties only these bins.
Decide what option works best for your employees and custodial service that is also within any contractual or labor agreements.
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Step 5: Educate the employees.
Train everyone on your new recycling program!
Write a recycling kick–off memo or email all employees to educate them about your new recycling program. Better yet, hold a training session and show employees the new containers and explain how the program works. Make sure your recycling program is part of new employees’ orientation training. Don’t forget to educate the custodial staff as well.
Provide incentives and reward participation.
Generate enthusiasm for your recycling program by distributing promotional items to those who participate. Be sure to keep your recycling program on everyone’s radar by sending out periodic reminders.
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Step 6: Monitor & re-educate.
Monitor your recycling program and highlight positive results in your company newsletter or email your employees to let them know about program successes. Sample update memo
Monitoring the recycling program has important benefits. First, it can help you determine where improvements, if any, are needed. Also, it helps show the program’s success, and thus build momentum among upper management and employees. In most cases, precision is not necessary and reasonable estimates of recycled material can be very useful for gauging progress.
There are several ways to gather data to measure your program’s success. Ask for tonnage or volume reports from your recycler(s) and garbage hauler and solicit input from employees. People using the program will offer useful recommendations and ideas for improvement.
Quantify the success of the program as amount of resources saved, pollution prevented, or dollars saved for the company. Remember that for every ton of paper your company recycles, 17 trees are saved. Some companies list the number of trees their company has saved on an annual basis in their newsletter or email.
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Step 7: Promote other waste reduction ideas in your company.
Promote waste prevention and re-use of materials and encourage the purchase of recycled-content supplies. Waste prevention tips
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Source: San Mateo County Recycleworks |
