How to Start a Recycling Movement in Your Office

Sometimes you can’t just wait for someone else to take the initiative. Sometimes you have to get up and put out the recycling bins yourself.

If you want to start a recycling movement in your office, start by gauging how others will receive the movement. Though it is important that they see you standing up to do it, you don’t want them seeing it as only because it is “the thing to do because everyone says so.” Figure out everyone’s stance on it, and go from there. Find out who are like minded with you, and see about getting them to help. Learn where the closest recycling centers are. Do they come by and pick up the recyclables, or will you need to take it to them? Do they charge a fee? Many stores offer recycling programs, so you just have to take a look around and see what is available.

Talk to the authorities in the office, and see if they would be open to having recycling bins placed around the area. Start with something simple. Do you use a lot of paper? See about a bin for paper. Do your coworkers throw away several soda cans during the course of the week? Go that route; start with one thing, and work your way up. If you are lucky, other coworkers will be enthusiastic and start wondering about recycling plastic bottles, glass, paper, and aluminum.

In order for this to work, though, you (and your like-minded coworkers) may have to volunteer to remove the recyclables weekly. However, this will be a small price to pay if the recycling movement takes hold. Even if other coworkers are not interested in taking a huge part of the recycling movement, if it is just as easy- if not easier- for them to recycle an item rather than trash it, you will soon see recycling taking a larger part of the office life. Consider placing recycling bins closer to the offices than the nearest trashcan. Offer to sort plastics from aluminum cans if they do the recycling. Or, if your nearest recycling center offers it, you may have the incentive of earning a few bucks going to the company or privileged employee if they recycle enough of the designated product.

Recycling is an important part of reducing landfill waste. In addition to that, when items are recycled, the cost of the products made from recycled goods goes down. Raw goods are needed in smaller quantities, helping to save you money. Not to mention, it is relatively easy to set up three small bins that contain paper, plastic, or aluminum. Though it may take some practice in order to remember to throw the pop can in with the aluminums and not with the trash, it is a good step accompanied by a pleasant feeling of having done some small part to help out your community and the environment as a whole. The more recycling that takes place, the less unpleasant hills of landfills you have to look at while traveling out of town.

Another step you can take to help reduce the amount of trash going in the dumpster is to start a compost pile if you have the space. This not only replenishes dirt so that you can grow pretty flowers, a berry bush, or other plants, but it also provides a way to get rid of those eggshells, dead flowers, rotted vegetables, and the sandwich you forgot you had in the fridge. It does not have to be a complete loss. Also consider buying such items in smaller quantities. Are you really going to use that nifty thing-a-ma-bobber? Or is it going to be found in the trash can during the next spring cleaning? Save money by holding off on such purchases, along side of helping reduce the trash produced in the average week.

Regardless of whether you succeed in starting a recycling movement in your office, you can always do this at home. Even if you only take out the recyclables every couple of weeks, or even if you have to travel a couple of extra miles to have the items recycled, it greatly reduces the amount of trash you see in the landfill. This is also a great way to see just how much you and your family do consume over the course of time. Challenge children to realize just how much of that sweet soda they have been drinking, or challenge your coworkers to seeing just how many needless e-mails they print off in the course of a week. Not only is this an eye-opener, but it also helps people to see just how much trash is really going into the dumpster, and how much of that can be reused. Recycling allows you to see just how much is really there, rather than it being a mindless task done on a regular schedule.