Chances are your business has the opportunity to recycle a lot of materials, but getting your employees to buy-in is the first step. Luckily, employees are more receptive to recycling when it's made convenient and easy for them. Check out our helpful guide below on how to increase recycling participation in the office.
Learning what and how to recycle is crucial. A lot of companies don't have clear policies which can make recycling confusing. To clear things up, teach your employees what they can recycle and the best practices for doing so.
It’s beneficial to define recycling so your employees have as much of an understanding about the process as possible. Explain your business’ unique recycling plan to ensure your materials are correctly recycled.
Offering containers in convenient and accessible places will make recycling easy for your employees. We recommend placing a paper recycling bin next to every employees desk and in copy rooms, as well as in other convenient places like the kitchen or lobby.
Educational materials are a great reminder of how and what to recycle. Place a list or image on your bin to clearly outline what can be recycled in your office. It encourages participation and helps avoid contamination.
Color coding can increase participation because it associates a specific recycling stream with a color. For example, note that all paper can go in the blue bin, all food scraps can go into the green bin, and so on. This method differentiates the recycling streams which will eliminate confusion.
Setting goals and offering incentives encourages more recycling. Recycling can become a positive experience among employees because they are working together towards a common goal. Offering rewards based on reaching milestones or goals is always a compelling way to get people to buy-into recycling at the office!
Reflecting on the progress your company has made keeps people motivated and allows for you to make improvements or adjustments to your recycling plan.
This guide is guaranteed to increase recycling participation in your office! Leave a comment below and let us know some of your recycling goals! Interested in learning more? Contact us to find out how RoadRunner can help you today.