Office Recycling Tips That Will Improve Your Waste Costs

Office Recycling Tips That Will Improve Your Waste Costs
  • Author: Fazal Umer
  • Posted On: July 14, 2021
  • Updated On: July 3, 2023

When it comes to office waste, the amount that everyone together will generate is staggering. While there are many companies who want to have a paperless office, there are still a lot of recyclable items that get left behind and should be recycled rather than thrown away.

Many companies are looking for some of the new methods they can use to help deal with all these recyclable materials and make sure they are renewed rather than thrown out. But starting a new recycling program is sometimes a challenge and getting everyone on board is not a guarantee.

Office Recycling Tips That Will Improve Your Waste Costs

If you are interested in getting your own recycling program going, some of the steps that you need to use include:

1. Easy to Reach Recycling Bins

One way that you can increase the amount of recycling that happens with your business is to add more recycling bins and make it as easy as possible for your employees to get the work done.

Consider making recycling more accessible for your colleagues so that it becomes more of an instinct rather than walking all the way through the office to use the office bin. With some plastic and paper collection points right at the end of the rows of desks, recycling will be easier and faster than ever before.

The easier you can make recycling for those in the office, the more likely they are to do the work. When they barely have to work that much to do the recycling, then it is easier to get them involved to do it.

2. Use Smaller Trash Bins

This one may not always be possible, but when it is, you can try to swap out some of the larger trash bins on the property and change them into a more modest option instead. In return, make the recycling bins a bit larger and ensure they have a prominent place in the office as well.

Researchers have found that using a smaller general waste bin is going to help increase office recycling by 20%. By making the size of the trash less, you can increase recycling and make it more common in the workplace.

Another thing to try is to label the general waste bin with a landfill kind of sign. This will catch the eyes of your employees, which will make them think twice about which of the two bins they will be able to use when getting rid of something.

3. Zero to Landfill Competitions

Zero to Landfill Competitions

Have a little competition and see how much recycling will go up with your business. One way to do this is to do a competition for zero to landfill. When you do this, each department or team will work together to see how much they can minimize the general waste that they do throughout the week or month.

At the end of the timeframe that you determine, the team that has the fewest bags or the lowest waste weight will be the team that wins. These are great competitions to use with all of your business. It provides some real engagement and provides lots of chances to send out reminders about what employees are able to recycle or not recycle.

You will also find that these competitions are great to stimulate innovation and you may be surprised at how inventive the teams will be when they look to increase their recycling and reduce the amount of waste that they use. When you keep an eye on some of the trends, these can be used as inspiration for your next recycling campaign.

4. Bring Out the Arts and Crafts

When you bring out the arts and crafts and make some posters to promote recycling, this can be a good way to help highlight how important recycling can be. One way that you would use the posters is to show which bin your employees should use for recycling.

You can also use posters that tell more facts about recycling. This can really help employees understand some of the broader implications of their actions when they choose to recycle or to throw something out.

You may choose to use displays to help highlight some of the recycling statistics as they relate to your office or your business. This will ensure that employees know how much you value all of their efforts.

5. Encourage Litterless Lunches

Another method to use is to ask employees to reduce the amount of litter that they have with their lunches. It is surprising how much litter can come with a packed lunch. If they bring a brown paper bag, then this can be thrown out. Using plastic bags can cause the same issue and any packaging around the food will all need to be thrown out.

This does not mean your employees are not able to bring lunch, they can just think more about what they bring into the office. Using a reusable lunch bag (which you can consider providing to new employees as a welcome gift), and Tupperware can make a difference in how much waste comes in.

Ask your employees to be more mindful about what they bring into the office. Turn this into an initiative that everyone can follow when they are ready to have their lunch break too.

Recycling In Your Business
Recycling In Your Business

When it comes to adding recycling to your business, you need to use the right steps to make this easier. The easier you can make recycling for your employees, the more you will see them recycle. Finding the right method that works for your company will take some time, but it can be worth it in the long run.

There are so many benefits out there when it comes to recycling and you may want to help the environment or save on waste costs down the road. When you are ready to implement your own recycling program in the office, use some of the steps above to make this a bit easier.

Avatar photo
Author: Fazal Umer

Fazal is a dedicated industry expert in the field of civil engineering. As an Editor at ConstructionHow, he leverages his experience as a civil engineer to enrich the readers looking to learn a thing or two in detail in the respective field. Over the years he has provided written verdicts to publications and exhibited a deep-seated value in providing informative pieces on infrastructure, construction, and design.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE