Start A Recycling Program At Your Office With Roll Off Dumpsters

Posted on: 3 January 2017

The workplace can be a tremendously wasteful environment. Every day, office workers throw away paper, plastic, and other recyclable materials. According to Recycling Across America, people in the United States toss about 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour. Many of those bottles are being used at work. Often, people don't recycle at work simply because there isn't a program in place. You can change this by starting a recycling program in your office. Here's how. 

Gather Support

The first step is to let others know what you're planning and get them on board to help. Start by talking to management about why your office needs a recycling program. Explain that leaving a smaller ecological footprint is not only good for the planet, but also for your company's reputation. Discuss the ways a recycling program will benefit your company, such as how working together for a common goal builds employee loyalty. 

Once you've put together a group of helpers, it's time to take action. 

Rent a Roll Off Dumpster

Roll off dumpsters are perfect for a company recycling program. Employees and other participants simply fill the containers, which can then be easily transported to a recycling facility when full. 

  • Place dumpsters in a common area like a parking lot, behind the office building, or in a courtyard. 
  • Rent several dumpsters in order to separate materials like metals, paper, and plastic. 
  • Make dumpsters easily accessible to everyone; place dumpsters in more than one area if necessary. 

Place Smaller Containers Throughout the Workplace

Part of making a recycling program successful is making it easy. This means that office workers should never be very far from a recycling receptacle. Place trash cans or other containers marked specifically for recycling on every floor of the office, in break rooms, and in other areas where people congregate. Placing a recycling container next to every trash container is ideal. 

Designate one person on each floor or in each department to empty recycling containers into the roll off dumpsters at the end of every day. If the recycling needs to be separated, designate someone for that job as well. Ask managers or owners if they can provide an incentive to employees who are willing to take on these jobs. 

Promote the Program

Get co-workers excited about recycling and motivated to participate in the program by keeping them informed and giving them a sense of ownership and pride in what you are doing. 

Send weekly emails letting everyone know how well things are going and what you've accomplished. Report how much has been recycled, and include fun information like the number of trees that have been saved or how far the number of bottles you've recycled would stretch laid end to end. 

Offer informational meetings where office workers can learn the benefits of recycling and just what happens when paper, metals, and plastics are sent to the recycling center. 

Create competition between floors, departments, or other groups to see who can recycle the most. Give prizes to the most successful teams. You could even challenge another office or workplace to see who can recycle the most. 

Start a fun and friendly game of trying to catch other departments or floors not recycling. Give prizes or recognition to those departments who catch someone else throwing something recyclable into the trash. 

The workplace is the perfect environment for starting and maintaining a recycling program. When you get management and your co-workers excited about recycling and contributing to a green environment, you are not only helping the planet, but creating a more dynamic workplace as well. Grab some help, rent some dumpsters from a company like East Central Sanitation & Recycling, and get your recycling program started today.

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