Isn’t It About Time you Started A Recycling Scheme At Work?

If you are not already recycling in your workplace, then now, at the start of the year would be a great time to begin!

It is so easy to set up a recycling scheme in the workplace and you will find that everyone will soon adapt to any changes that are made. Becoming greener in the workplace is an excellent goal for 2015, your business could save money and of course, you will be helping to protect the environment by reducing waste.

There is no point in sending materials to landfill sites unnecessarily, being greener at work is so easy and there is no reason why this goal should not play an integral role in your businesses ethos.

Where To Start

Start by reviewing your waste and identifying which of the materials that you are currently throwing away could be recycled instead. Depending on the scale of waste materials your business produces, you may benefit from having a professional waste review carried out. This would give you an accurate picture of how much waste your business creates and where it all comes from, highlighting the areas to target for greater waste management efficiency.

Weighing Up The Costs

Ideally, you will significantly reduce the cost of your waste disposal by reducing the amount of rubbish your business produces, as soon as you start recycling. This will help to reduce any costs associated with paying for a recycling collection service and most businesses will find that they are able to make overall savings by recycling their waste rather than paying to send it to landfill.

Getting Your Staff On Board

Considering the majority of people are used to separating materials for recycling at home, once you have clearly communicated any changes and provided the necessary facilities everyone with the information they need regarding what needs to go where, your recycling efforts will most likely be accepted enthusiastically.

That said, there is no harm in reinforcing the importance of getting on board by highlighting the environmental benefits and the financial savings to encourage participation.
Other tips to encourage participation include:

• Demonstrating that everyone is doing their bit and getting involved, at all levels within the company without exception and setting a good example.
• Making sure that every employee,( including your cleaning staff if applicable), knows which materials are being recycled and where they need to go.
• Remove the temptation of waste bins underneath desks and replace these with clearly labelled recycling points to increase the amount of correct recycling and decrease your black bag waste.
• Use posters to communicate your message, they will be a constant reminder and can help by indicating which materials can be recycled.
• Include information about recycling in any communications that are rolled out to staff in meetings, newsletters and over the intranet. This is a great way to provide general information and you could provide statistics to motivate and encourage your staff, i.e. “This month we have recycled 498 teabags” or “Last month we saved ‘X’ amount of money”!

Deciding to make your business greener in 2015 is a positive and rewarding goal to work towards. Once you have implemented change you will probably find yourself asking the question, “Why on earth didn’t we do this before?”