Recycling in the workplace can save a business money and also make for a happier team. It’s just as important as recycling at home because nearly half the waste generated in the U.S. happens at businesses and other non-residential locations. Below are just a few of many steps you can take to reduce waste in the workplace:
Get certified as a green business through the California Green Business Program. The Green Business Network works with small to medium sized businesses to create a vibrant green economy. Led by a coalition of cities and counties, they contribute by helping to make our communities healthier and more livable while also conserving resources and saving money. Check out who’s already certified in Torrance.
Get funded for recycling market development! CalRecycle administers a Recycling Market Development Zone Loan Program to encourage California-based recycling businesses located within California financing businesses that prevent, reduce or recycle recovered waste materials through value-added processing or manufacturing.
Businesses in Torrance are also eligible for Los Angeles County’s Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) program. This program provides business and technical assistance, product marketing, and financial assistance to businesses that manufacture a recycled-content product or process materials for recycling. Read the RMDZ brochure (PDF).
Use the Cool California Climate Calculator. Calculate the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to support your business. An added planning tool is a bonus!
Get educated! Read up on How to Start an Office Recycling Program from Inc. magazine or the Top 20 Tips to Reduce Waste in the Workplace from edie.net. You can also explore CalRecycle’s extensive resources, including Information for Coordinators of Waste Reduction and Recycling Programs and Business Waste Reduction.
Replace disposable cups with reusable mugs and glasses. If an employee has one beverage a day, switching to a reusable mug or glass can save more than 200 cups from being thrown away per person each year.
Purchase only 100 percent recycled paper and as many other recycled or green office supplies as possible. Even better, implement policies to reduce overall paper usage. The NRDC’s Green Your Office offers resources for making this happen. Through simple changes like defaulting to double-sided printing and reusing scrap paper, one EPA office cut paper usage by 30 percent, saving $49,000 a year.
Implement an organics recycling program for all food scraps. To get started, read these guides by Green Action Centre and Sustainable America.
Place recycling bins in prominent locations for printer cartridges, batteries and e-waste. You can also order a free recycling bin for CRV beverage containers from CalRecycle. Consider labeling each bin appropriately to ensure that only what you accept for recycling ends up inside. Check out these labels from CalRecycle and Recycle Across America.
Get a TerraCycle® Zero Waste Box for your office supplies, printer cartridges or break room. You can also check out the full range of Zero Waste Boxes to see if your business disposes of any items that TerraCycle recycles.
Get your business off of mailing lists. To request removal from Dun & Bradstreet’s huge list, call 1-800-234-3867 or send an email to [email protected].
Host a Friday File Fling. Have office workers purge file boxes and folders to recycle unneeded documents. In Australia, one day each November is dedicated to file flinging, but you may choose to host your event any time of the year.
Use prompt cards to encourage positive behavior in the workplace. Try using these friendly reminders to get employees to turn their computers off at night. Download free prompts from Recycle Reminders.
Cut down on employee miles with these tips on How to Make a Trip-Reduction Program Successful by HRO Today.
Is your workplace part of the food and restaurant industry? Save money and food at the same time. Get connected with charities you can donate unwanted food to via Waste No Food, Food Cowboy or Full Harvest. Simplify the process with a platform such as Spoiler Alert, which helps maximize the ROI of food donation and recovery programs, or the app Copia, which streamlines everything from requesting surplus food pickups to tracking tax deductions.
If you want to go beyond recycling to achieve a green and sustainable workplace, you can receive national and local government incentives. Find out more from the Department of Energy and dsireusa.org. If your workplace partners with Staples, take advantage of their sustainably-minded resources, such as recycling programs and eco-friendly office supplies and furniture.
Share informational and motivational infographics such as this with others in your workplace:
Some of the top contaminants found in office recycling bins include: • copy paper wrappers • hanging file folders with metal bars • food waste & sandwich wrappers • non-paper envelopes (e.g. Tyvek) • sheets of peel & stick labels • rubber bands • restroom waste (paper towels, tissues)
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