10 Easy Steps to a Successful Office Recycling Program

Workplaces across the country are literally throwing away valuable resources. Nearly 90 percent of an office’s solid waste could instead be recycled, benefiting both the environment and the company’s bottom line. As a building owner or manager, you can help stem the tide of wastefulness by setting up a successful recycling program for your tenants. The tips below can help you get started.

1. Find a good partner. Look for a recycling services provider who collects a wide range of recyclable materials in the volumes typically generated by your building. Make sure your partner can provide educational support like bin signage and decals to encourage correct recycling. Your provider should be able to train your staff and tenants in proper recycling processes, and track and share recycling progress.
2. Evaluate your current standing by conducting a waste assessment. You and your services provider will identify the composition and quantity of your waste stream — for example, 50 percent office paper, 20 percent plastics (bottles), and 20 percent metal (cans). In addition, a certain percentage may include hard-to-recycle items such as electronic waste, batteries, fluorescent tubes and ink cartridges.

   Next, identify any weaknesses in your current system. Do you have containers dedicated to various materials? Where are those containers placed? How often are they emptied? Why aren’t items being recycled?

3. Set goals. You can’t measure how far you’ve come unless you know where you want to go. Once you learn what your current diversion rate is, you can work with your waste services provider to set achievable goals and a timeline for reaching them.
4. Develop a plan. Driving system-wide improvements through service optimization and recycling diversion opportunities is the cornerstone of a recycling program. Ask yourself how you can make the most efficient use of trash compactors, dumpsters, and other waste-collection assets. How many of these assets are required and in what sizes? How often should collections occur? Would a monitoring service be worthwhile? Would solar-powered compactors make financial and environmental sense? Would a desk-side recycling program be beneficial?

   Also, which programs and tools could help you reach your recycling and diversion goals while minimizing costs? Single-stream recycling boosts participation because tenants don’t have to segregate the waste themselves. It may be beneficial to offer an organics program to manage waste from food-service areas or a recycling program for electronic waste and fluorescent tubes.

5. Provide clear direction. In addition to providing easily accessible recycling containers, you should provide signage that makes it clear to tenants what to put in them. The easier it is for your tenants to understand the expectations of the program, the more likely they will be to participate. Providing engagement programs and contests, holding a kickoff event, and discussing progress in a newsletter, will raise awareness and inspire participation.
6. Train the troops. Training your building and office cleaning staff is critical to make sure your recycled materials don’t end up in the dumpster. By partnering with a provider that implements training and educational support, you ensure that recyclable materials are collected properly throughout the building and placed in the correct container for pick up.
7. Track your progress. How will you know if your efforts are succeeding? Work with a partner who can offer you a waste management, diversion, and tracking tool that shows your progress at a glance. If you manage more than one property, having a partner who can help you benchmark properties across your portfolio will save you time and pinpoint properties with the most room for improvement.
8. Don’t be intimidated by information overload. Sustainability issues can get complicated fast. Your recycling partner should have expertise in complying with applicable environmental regulations and be able to guide you in implementing any of the steps covered here.
9. Recognize the size of the opportunity. A comprehensive office recycling program goes beyond printer paper and used cans. Other materials that should be recycled include batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, old computers and cell phones, cardboard boxes and printer cartridges. What other materials are going out with your trash that could be recycled instead?
10. Get started today. There’s no time to waste. With the right partner, you can have a recycling program up and running in just a few days.