Recycling at the Office - It's Not Just for Home!

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent this bulletin on 03/23/2018 02:15 PM EDT
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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Recycling at the Office - It's Not Just for Home!


Businesses are becoming increasingly more conscious of eco-friendly and socially responsible practices. A great way you can take action to create a more sustainable workplace is by starting an office recycling program. Not only do office recycling programs protect ecosystems and keep valuable materials out of the landfill, they show your business or agency's commitment to the environment and sustainability initiatives. Looking to start a program of your own? Follow the steps below to get started:

Step 1: Form Your Team

recycling bin

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified!"
Don't worry - this is unchartered territory for many people, but you don't have to tackle it solo. Find like-minded people at your office who are willing to take on the challenge with you.

Step 2: Make A Plan

  • Do you have a waste hauler for recyclables?

Check with supervisors and building maintenance staff to see if your office has an existing contract with a waste hauler and if that hauler also picks up recyclables. If your office doesn't have a waste hauler, you'll need to find one so that your recyclables can be picked up.

Find out what materials your hauler accepts for recycling. Use the Recycling Partnership's Acceptable Materials Worksheet (PDF) to help guide your conversation with your local hauler as to what is and what is not accepted.

  • Do you have recycling bins?

Check to see if your office has recycling bins and enough of them. You will have to consider how many people are in your office, how many bins you'll need in certain areas or on each floor, and what size the bins should be to fit into the available space. It is also important to stay consistent with your messaging and bin colors throughout the office (e.g. recycling is a blue container, composting a green container and garbage/landfill a black container).

Step 3: Office Outreach and Education

Make recycling easy. Newsletters, emails, websites and social media are helpful tools for communicating your message to staff. Keep your messages consistent to encourage participation. Most importantly, design signs or ask your waste hauler if they have signage for your recycling and garbage/landfill containers to direct employees about what is and is not allowed in each bin. If you design signs for your office recycling program, highlight frequently used office items and display your signs prominently.

  • Visit Recycle Your Plastics for plastic recycling tips and free images to help develop your messaging and signage.
  • Inform staff about the popular How2Recycle label that instructs people on proper disposal methods.

Step 4: Take Action

Now it's time to put your recycling bins out around the office. Your office recycling and garbage/landfill collection system should be as convenient as possible to encourage use. In general, place recycling containers wherever you have garbage/landfill containers. If possible, place containers in all kitchen areas, common rooms, meeting rooms and at desk spaces.

Step 5: Monitor Progress

Ongoing outreach and education is key to improving and maintaining your recycling program. Perform random bin checks to see if your recycling containers are contaminated with food waste or garbage, and check garbage bins to see if recyclables are being thrown away. Contact your waste hauler periodically for any changes regarding acceptable materials and edit your signage accordingly.

Additional Resources:Big Dreams Recycling

Have more questions about recycling? Email us at recycling@dec.ny.gov or visit DEC's website for further information on waste reduction, recycling and composting.

From our waste reduction and recycling team to yours - happy recycling!

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We Want To Hear From You!

Is there a topic you'd like to learn more about? Or a public event or workshop related to recycling (organics, textiles, electronics, traditional recyclables, etc.) you'd like the greater community to know about? Email us at organicrecycling@dec.ny.gov