Recycling programs
and environmental awareness have advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years.
The effects humans can have on their environment and the amount of waste we
generate on a yearly basis has come to light in a startling manner. Recycling
programs, once relegated to small, far-off communities, has become the normal
across the country and the world. Homes, businesses, and industries are
embracing the recycling paradigm in a big way.
Business owners and
operators are joining in by recycling their waste. Large companies are a big
contributor to annual waste production and have implemented programs to rectify
that problem. Growing companies are even better suited at integrating a
recycling program as they can be more flexible in its implementation. Let’s
investigate some of the specifics of implementing a recycling program from
placing recycling containers
to encouraging employees to embrace the green paradigm.
A successful program
should not complicate recycling. A hurdle to implementing such a program is
that employees often find it too difficult or inconvenient to recycle their
waste all the time. A busy department is going to be resistant if they have to
affect their own productivity. The sales department is not going to put a
potential client on hold just to hunt down recycling bins when they have to
throw away an old memo.
Making recycling easy
will engage employees to fully participate in the program. By making recycling
have an appeal, staff will more easily come to embrace it. For example,
attractive steel recycling containers can be placed in the workplace. Roll out
carts and utility bins can be used in non-office settings like a warehouse.
Another option would be to invest in nondescript fiberglass recycling
containers and have them in each department.
Since we are talking
about the placement of recycling containers, having a good outline or floor
plan will help a recycling program get off of its feet. Containers have to be
convenient to use as well as easy to dump.
Good places are
niches or recesses that are near wide doorways and halls. Recycling bins will need that room
in order to maneuver when they need to be dumped. Having very small recycling
containers in tight spots will quickly overflow and be a royal pain to clean
out. Place a priority on stationing containers near the area where waste is
being produced. For example, the mailroom and the office printer/copier/fax
machine will be producing a lot of paper waste which typically accounts for the
lion’s share of a business’s recyclable garbage. Also, keep in mind local
regulations for keeping fire lanes and exits free and accessible.
Containers are
available for renting, borrowing, or buying. Growing companies, and even larger
companies on a strict budget, often find that the cost of buying recycling bins
to be prohibitive. Thankfully, many municipalities offer incentive programs for
owning a set of bins and more programs are added on a constant basis. Owning a
set of recycling bins allows a company to personalize them with the company
logo and slogan. In the long run, they will pay for themselves versus just
renting and offer a lot more flexibility.
It can be a touchy
subject when considering creating a recycling program and making participation
mandatory. Sometimes the firm approach can have the opposite effect. A well
written office policy, however, can deflect those issues and allow for a more
fluid implementation.
Instead of directly
mandating participation, creating an office policy that indirectly encourages
recycling is a good step. Emphasizing the benefits of recycling programs and
pointing out the absurdly high levels of waste that Americans produce can be
more persuasive than a simple order. Another option would be to explain the
recycling program to show how easy it is, reducing resistance to participation.
An inventive approach can work wonders.
In the end, the reality is that it's simple to incorporate recycling bins in your company. Encouraging employee participation will come naturally with a solid recycling plan. At the end of the day, an easy recycling program will engage employees all by itself.