%20LOGO%20-%20REGISTERED%20TRADEMARK.png)
Did you know that 70% of the waste you generate at your workplace is recyclable?
Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels
Listen to this and other articles from The SustainabilityX® Magazine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Data from the EPA claims that recycling and composting of municipal solid waste was 34.7% in 2015. But it was increased to 35.2% in 2017. Here are seven ways to motivate you to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste at your workplace.
1. Explore More To Reduce Waste
New technologies and advancements have added to waste in different modes. Earlier, you only used to collect paper waste like newspapers, magazines, and pizza boxes. And there were other wastes like bulbs, cans, bottles, batteries. But now, vast E-waste is accumulated in the form of old mobile phones, computer parts, and routers. Try to divert all this waste from landfill to recycle.
2. Organic Recycling At Workplace
You must be aware that there are certain kinds of wastes that can be processed as manure. But you will be amazed to know that such waste is largely available in your workplace vicinity. Paper napkins, plates, and cutlery made of natural materials, coffee grinds, tea bags, and food scrape can be used as organic composites. You need to divert such waste to recycling companies that make manure from organic waste.
3. Reduce Waste By Encouraging Reuse
How many times do you order office chairs, stationery, phones, computers, and their parts, etc., for your new batch of employees? You can cut down on this cost by setting up an Upcycle station at the workplace. Whenever a new joiner or existing employee needs anything, they should check first at the upcycle station. If anything is there which can be reused, don’t order a new one.
4. Mass Recycling Programs
If your office is in a big building, enquire about any possibility of a combined recycling format. You can take the help of waste equipment rental and commercial trash compactors in case of a significant quantity of waste. There are recycling companies also who can collect waste from your premises. But they also take mass quantities generally. Thus try for combined efforts of recycling from your building or society.
5. Educate Your Staff About Recycling
Imposing rules won’t work until you make your team aware of the importance of recycling at the workplace. It is crucial to know what can be recycled and what can’t be recycled. Provide them with relevant training. You can distribute literature or put notices. Keep separate color-coded bins for different types of waste materials.
6. Take Follow-Ups
It is essential to take follow-up. You need to check from time to time the efforts done to reduce waste. Is your staff aware of the reuse of things before ordering a new one? It is human nature to forget good practices, which takes effort. So you might need to conduct awareness programs from time to time.
7. Appreciate & Reward Their Commitment
If any of your staff members are working hard towards ensuring the reuse, reduce, and recycle waste, you should appreciate them. An award for being environment-friendly or a title of “green warrior” will work wonders. In this way, they will be encouraged to do better. Others will also take inspiration from them.
Wrapping Up
Apart from being a sustainable practice, there are multiple benefits of recycling at the workplace. It increases employee engagement and improves your company’s goodwill. In some cases, it saves you money as well. Efforts will be required at the beginning. But reuse, reduce, and recycle will soon become the culture of your company.
Erich Lawson is passionate about saving the environment through effective recycling techniques and modern innovations. He works with Compactor Management Company and writes on a variety of topics related to recycling, including tips and advice on how balers, compactors, and shredders can be used to reduce industrial waste. He loves helping businesses understand how to lower their monthly garbage bills and increase revenue from recycling.