Starting an office recycling program may seem like a monument, but it’s not so difficult to disassemble it. With the help of a few colleagues, you can easily operate the company’s recycling program in just a few weeks.
Please be in charge
One or small team team must be responsible for successful office cycle programs. The team manages every aspect of the program and determines whether it has finally succeeded.
If you work in an office that doesn’t focus on the green, but want to start a program, there are some things you can do.
- First, talk to your boss or personnel affairs about the reason why the recycling program is suitable for the office, including the fact that you can save your company’s money.
- Second, you can talk to other colleagues about the start of the recycling program. Ask anyone in charge of your office, the more people you are on board, tell you that others feel the same as you.
- Finally, make a plan. When I tried to implement a new idea at work, I found that it was much more effective when I completely layed out my plan. Thus, check some of the following steps and think about practical plans that you can take with you when presenting ideas.
Execute waste audits
If there is approval to advance the recycling plan with the team, it is important to audit. This audit gives the idea of ​​how much waste you are currently sending garbage that you may go to recycling. You need to conduct this audit before the new recycling plan is introduced.
I personally executed a considerable number of waste audits, so I think it sounds a little gloss. Passing in office garbage is not a way for most people to spend in the afternoon, but I can guarantee you, not bad to hear it. Unfortunately, office waste audits are not as easy as conducting home audits.
In order to audit, you need a pen where gloves, scales, paper, and pens record the weight. You need to collect as many office garbage as possible. If possible, it will be separated by the department. If you have an office custodian, you can have a daily garbage aside instead of throwing it in a bottle.
Pick up each of the garbage bags, weigh, and record this weight on the sheet. Next, look inside the bag and estimate the ratio of the weight that can be recycled. Record this percentage. There is no need to disassemble it depending on the material. Just give the best estimate of the weight of the material that can be recycled. At the end of the audit, you need to have the total weight of the office waste and its recycling weight. This is your bass line. A few months after the recycling program is implemented, you can perform such another audit.
In some organizations, it is not possible to execute audits. In that case, don’t worry that you can’t recycle programs. We are convinced that waste audits can help your company, but it is better to have a recycling program that does not contain waste audits rather than having no recycling programs.
Please find a carrier
You need to find a carrier before starting a recycling program. If you are in a small office, this may be as easy as collecting all recycled materials in one bottle and driving at your local recycling facilities once a week.
Large -scale offices that produce more waste may need to find a carrier to come in and pick up recycling. In many cases, the garbage service provider may provide recycling services, so please contact us first. If your real estate management company is a company that manages your waste, you talk to your property manager and see if they have already signed a contract with the carrier to recycle. You may need to.
If the current waste provider does not provide this service, they may be able to recommend the company. If not, you need to spend time finding a local company that provides this service. In general, your carrier will inform you about the materials you accept.
Do you need a pickup solution for recycling? I recommend Earth911 Check ammyA recycling service provider that allows you to arrange regular pickups for a wide range of materials provided to appropriate specialized recycling companies everywhere in North America.
We will publish a new program
If you sign a contract with a carrier, you can publish a recycling program and accurately inform you of what you should not recycle. Make sure that you want to create a program as easily as possible, so everyone has enough recycled bin to easily reach one.
Please inform all of the offices about the rules for recycling programs. Do I need to wash my food container before recycling? Is lap and film accepted? Also, consider placing on a poster that is accepted near a large -scale recycling bin that is spreading throughout the office.
Perform regular audits
Once the office cycle program is executed for several months, another audit must be executed. This process is exactly the same as before, but this time we will collect all recycled bags. Compare garbage, recycle, and record the percentage that should be in recycled bin. Also, weigh the recycling bag and check the pollution. Be careful of pollutants. Once you get all numbers, you can compare the previous weight and percentage. If you are lucky, you can see improvements.
After executing the audit, let everyone in the office know how they are doing. After positive, let them know if there is an area that can be improved. As needed, let everyone remember which items are recycled and which items are not.
We recommend that you execute waste audits on a regular basis. Considering the schedule every quarter or every six months, you can find problems and improve the recycling rate.
Editor memo: This article was originally released on January 28, 2018 and updated in January 2025.
