Office Recycling Scheme - Top 5 Tips

Setting up an office recycling scheme is something that all businesses can do to help the environment.  Even if you work in a small office with 2 or 3 people, there are still steps you can take to recycle some of your waste.  This article explores five tips for setting up a successful recycling scheme at work.

Bite Size Chunks

Rather than trying to start recycling everything at once, it is a good idea to implement a recycling scheme in bite size chunks.  With the majority of offices the recyclable material that makes up the largest percentage of waste is likely to be paper.  On average paper makes up around 40% of the waste from a standard office.  It is therefore a good idea to start your recycling scheme by recycling paper.  Once this has been operational for a few weeks, other waste streams can then be introduced. 

Simplicity is the Key

From experience one of the main problems with any type of recycling scheme is down to lazyness.  In a busy office environment some people will simply use the nearest bin to dispose of their waste, rather than walk to the opposite side of the office to dispose of a few pieces of  waste paper in a recycling bin.  It is therefore important to try to eliminate this excuse by making recycling an easy option by placing recycling bins in convenient places.  A recycling bin should be places next to printers, photocopiers and other areas where a lot of paper waste is usually generated.  In large offices desk top recycling trays can be used on each desk to collect the paper waste for recycling.  These can then be emptied into the larger recycling bins at the end of each day.

Awareness

For an office recycling scheme to be successful it is important that everyone is aware of the recycling scheme and what is expected of them.  This can be done in a number of different ways, depending on the size of the office.  To start with the recycling scheme can be introduced during an office meeting, or through the use of a memo or email (preferably an email as this eliminates unneccessary waste).  Posters in prominant places, such as near photocopiers, staff notice boards near to bins, etc. is also a good idea as this provides a constant visual reminder of the recycling scheme.

Monitoring

It is important that the recycling scheme is monitored on a regular basis, especially during the initial stages.  Depending on the size of the office, it can often be beneficial to make somebody, or even a group of people, responsible for the recycling scheme.

Provide Feedback

Recycling can be a very rewarding process for the environment, the business and the people that contribute to the recycling scheme.  It is therefore important that people are kept up-to-date with the progress being made.  This can be done by sending a periodical email or placing a notice on the staff notice board detailing the amount of materials recycled.  Your waste management and recycling company should be able to help you with this if necessary.