Introduce An Office Recycling Scheme Into The Workplace

Any office recycling plan should be applied bit by bit; try and introduce too many initiatives at one time it will be all too hard and you'll lose the employees, who are the ones that need to be involved.

In most offices paper is going to be the highest proportion of material that can be kept for recycling so it makes sense to start your system off by concentrating on this, which also includes card, magazines and other paper products. After this has been accepted and the system is up and running smoothly and everyone has got used to the idea and is using it properly, then you should look at other waste streams such as plastics or electronics.

One of the main reasons behind why recycling doesn't always work is down to people simply not wanting to bother as they are under the impression it involves too much work. In most places people are concerned with their workload and trying to get everything done in the time they have, and the last thing on their mind is to walk to the other side of the room to dispose of their polystyrene coffee cup in the correct recycle bin, or go to another room to collect some used paper to print out a staff memo when the realm of new paper is right next to them.

Setting up a scheme in the office you have to find ways to encourage workers to actually use it efficiently, and educate them in understanding why it's so important they use it correctly. Ensure your containers are located conveniently where people don't have to walk out of their way to get to them, try having a few small ones in each room rather than a large one in only one location if it makes the system more user-friendly.

Ideally they should be located where paper is used regularly, such as the photocopiers and printers, the obvious places that typically produce a lot of paper waste. Place a number of trays around the room where the recycled paper belongs making it easy to access for everyone. Then whoever is in charge of the scheme simply collects them all together at the end of the day or working week.

An office scheme can only work if everyone is aware of it and their role in it, and they won't go along with it if they don't even know it is there, so once you have sorted out the logistics the next thing to do is call a meeting or send out an email with all the information detailed so everyone knows and understands exactly what it is and what it's about. You could even make a poster for the notice board or staff room where it's sure to be read and this is a constant visual reminder of it. Find business recycling and waste collection services online and put your used office paper, cardboard, plastics, cans, and glass and ink cartridges to good use today.

Any plan should be supervised regularly to see if it is actually working. If the container is empty all the time then you know that your employees either haven't understood the idea, or are simply too lazy to use it, identifying the issue will help you fix it. There really is no reason why a well-thought out plan shouldn't work, so if yours isn't it is likely to be something that can be sorted out, like raising awareness of it, or making the containers more accessible.

Companies offering services for Waste management in Melbourne have a wealth of experience in implementing effective, innovative and sustainable management and industrial solutions.

Introducing an office recycling scheme in the work place can have its difficulties as people are resistant to change and one of your first problems will be to encourage the employees that it is for their benefit.

Michiel Van Kets writes article for William Sharp about Veolia Environmental Services, formerly known as Collex. Veolia offers innovative waste management and industrial services solutions including recycling for the office as well as paper recycling. Find out about recycling in Australia today.

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