Recycling at workplace

[the lynx]

Long story short, I've been tasked to start up a recycling initiative in my workplace. In existence, we have ZERO recycling effort - everyone just chuck paper, plastic, batteries in the same bin, much to my chagrin.

But I have zero experience or knowledge to start one. I guess starting a committee sounds like the standard first-move. Do you have recycling system in your workplace? How do you carry it out?

(And do you really have to hire one of those consultancy companies to advise on recycling in workplace?)

[lucassmith]

well my office has those standard recycling bins (red blue green) as we have a centralised dumping area.
perhaps you can start by providing such bins?

a committee would definitely be easier to get everyone involve, if you know what I mean..

[the lynx]

well my office has those standard recycling bins (red blue green) as we have a centralised dumping area.
perhaps you can start by providing such bins?

a committee would definitely be easier to get everyone involve, if you know what I mean..

If you work in an office complex, that's very easy to arrange because the building management probably already has own recycling programme.

[earthfriendly]

https://twitter.com/plasticbank/status/ ... 0982534147

I could not find a similar chart for commonly-used office items. Do you think placing this at the recycling station will get people thinking or turn them off as another preachy brainwashing exercise? You know your corporate culture better than I do.

At my sister's HDB, the recycling bins are constantly overflow. This makes it hard for users. Whatever you can do to make it a pleasant experience for everyone. And getting them involved. Like, maybe list the contact info for the Recycling Queen (you, right? ) and please contact you if it needs to be emptied out. Putting up short notes and information regarding the process or whatever you think is relevant and can get people involved, by the station e.g. "the more you recycle, the better you feel" ("beans, beans the musical food" type of communication is catchy ). Use cheerful looking bins, perhaps decorated and adorned by office coworkers.

And locating it in a convenient location, not the obscure office dungeon. Better still, next to the coffee/ buffet/ food service area .

I understand this all sounds a bit manipulative. Corporate America? But hey, you got a job to do and you can't do it all by yourself and got to find a way to make people wanting to be part of the process.

[x9200]

Long story short, I've been tasked to start up a recycling initiative in my workplace. In existence, we have ZERO recycling effort - everyone just chuck paper, plastic, batteries in the same bin, much to my chagrin.

But I have zero experience or knowledge to start one. I guess starting a committee sounds like the standard first-move. Do you have recycling system in your workplace? How do you carry it out?

(And do you really have to hire one of those consultancy companies to advise on recycling in workplace?)

What would you like to recycle? Is it anything so specific that you need to create your own SOP and have the committee to dissolve the responsibility for a potential failure?
If not, I would agree with a poster above, get the tri-color bins, place them in a few locations, talk to the garbage collection companies how to handle it, implement the findings, send some e-mails to make people aware, and probably that's it.

[taxico]

some commercial recycling companies will provide covered collection boxes made of cardboard (with an opening at the top) that you can put in your office.

they'll pick them up and drop off empty boxes. you don't even need to buy the bins.

[the lynx]

Thanks guys. I agree, we should start small. I guess the immediate concerns would be paper (non-essential documents, misprints etc), plastic (bottles and food container from hawker centres) and cans (from the vending machine). Bigger stuff like batteries, etc - perhaps later once the company is used to the idea of recycling.

Good point about the garbage collection companies. Unfortunately, the one we use does not handle recyclable refuse. And I called two other and they said no. There is one I found on the internet charges exorbitant price per month or per collection. Hmmm.... do you guys know any company you could recommend?

[Strong Eagle]

You need to check your company's security policies before recycling paper... at my small business, everything goes into a locked container that is shredded at the truck. The shredding company does recycle... but you get my point.