Help me instill a recycling program at my work! I have no idea how though.
August 10, 2010 4:41 PM Subscribe
I want to start a recycling program at my work. How feasible is this, how do I get support and prove that it's worth the cost to whoever I need to prove it to, etc, as an employee very far down the food chain?
The place I work for throws away a lot of things we could recycle. Money is very tight so if this costs a billion kajillion dollars no one will go for it. Even if I just set up one in my department (I work in the kitchen part) I think it would be beneficial. The place I work for is very large so I don't know if I could instill a program everywhere, but perhaps I could just where I work.
Problem is, I have no idea how to do this. I'm a bit worried if I even bring this up to my boss I will get shut down immediately and if I go above him he might get angry. I'm protected under the union so I doubt I would get fired.. but I still want to be on management's good side.
So should I go directly to my boss or should I go to the head of the facility where I work or what?
What do I do? How do I make a plan of action? Where can we recycle cheaply or for free? I know the city this facility is in has a very good recycling program for the residents but I don't know what it does for businesses.
I think we already recycle cardboard but we throw away a lot of other things, like plastic milk cartons, etc.
Help me make the environment a little bit better please! I have no idea how to begin or how to do this or what. I am a very lowly employee with no clout (except that my boss likes me).
The place I work for throws away a lot of things we could recycle. Money is very tight so if this costs a billion kajillion dollars no one will go for it. Even if I just set up one in my department (I work in the kitchen part) I think it would be beneficial. The place I work for is very large so I don't know if I could instill a program everywhere, but perhaps I could just where I work.
Problem is, I have no idea how to do this. I'm a bit worried if I even bring this up to my boss I will get shut down immediately and if I go above him he might get angry. I'm protected under the union so I doubt I would get fired.. but I still want to be on management's good side.
So should I go directly to my boss or should I go to the head of the facility where I work or what?
What do I do? How do I make a plan of action? Where can we recycle cheaply or for free? I know the city this facility is in has a very good recycling program for the residents but I don't know what it does for businesses.
I think we already recycle cardboard but we throw away a lot of other things, like plastic milk cartons, etc.
Help me make the environment a little bit better please! I have no idea how to begin or how to do this or what. I am a very lowly employee with no clout (except that my boss likes me).
It might be worthwhile to add that at the start I was emptying the compost bin. In the end it was written into our cleaners' contract that they were to do it. I still do it occasionally just to check the critters out.
posted by WayOutWest at 5:01 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by WayOutWest at 5:01 PM on August 10, 2010
Your city recycling service probably has a number you can call (or an email address) to talk to a staff member there to get information and advice about improving the recycling program at a business. Even if you can only find a number for the residential program, that might be helpful too. Every city program is different in terms of what materials they accept and where, and whether they charge for this, so it's helpful to be armed with those details before you start thinking about how to obtain various bins and organizing volunteers to empty them.
posted by dreamyshade at 5:05 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by dreamyshade at 5:05 PM on August 10, 2010
2nding your city waste mgmt. Whoever does the trash would probably do the recycling.
The snag might be the janitorial staff/union. Based on a previous implementation I was a part of, the janitors didn't want the extra work without extra pay. (Rightly.)
posted by k8t at 5:09 PM on August 10, 2010
The snag might be the janitorial staff/union. Based on a previous implementation I was a part of, the janitors didn't want the extra work without extra pay. (Rightly.)
posted by k8t at 5:09 PM on August 10, 2010
If you work for a big place, money is going to be the foundation of any successful campaign for change.
Find out some money facts.
-Does the company pay money to dispose of garbage? Is your company charged by volume, or is there a different sort of contract? Reducing the volume of garbage might mean savings.
-Does the company throw out anything that other companies pay money for? Deposit containers are an easy save here, but you can maybe figure out other things that fit this description.
-Is there a community program or tax refund that rewards companies for "green" corporate policies? Your department might be able to qualify your company for something like this.
Visible social responsibility is almost as good as money when convincing a big company to do something.
-Do you throw out food that is still suitable to eat, but not suitable because of corporate business rules? (i.e. day old baked goods, dented cans, bruised but edible fruit, etc.)? Organizations like Second Harvest take donations of this nature and use them to feed the hungry.
-Do you throw away things like egg cartons? Some small egg producers (with "green" policies of their own) are glad to reuse clean donated egg flats and cartons.
-Yogurt containers, butter tubs, ice cream buckets, jars and the like are popular donations at our local reuse centre, which in turn is a place where school art teachers come to get cheap supplies.
If your company has a suggestion policy or employee reward system, try to go through there. For example, General Electric has a company-wide suggestion box that lets anyone in any division suggest improvements to process. Their employees can earn a percentage of their savings as a bonus -- I remember reading about a guy who suggested that instead of paying money to recycle the cores out of adding machine rolls, and instead of paying money to buy little cardboard cylinders (used for something else) that the company could save money by reusing in-house. He got a multi-thousand dollar bonus.
Don't be afraid to suggest something that will make things better. Part of how your boss is evaluated most likely includes adherence to budget, so saving money with little effort is something he or she can't afford to ignore. Couch things so as to make your boss and your department look good, and they will have no reason to turn you down.
posted by Sallyfur at 5:27 PM on August 10, 2010
Find out some money facts.
-Does the company pay money to dispose of garbage? Is your company charged by volume, or is there a different sort of contract? Reducing the volume of garbage might mean savings.
-Does the company throw out anything that other companies pay money for? Deposit containers are an easy save here, but you can maybe figure out other things that fit this description.
-Is there a community program or tax refund that rewards companies for "green" corporate policies? Your department might be able to qualify your company for something like this.
Visible social responsibility is almost as good as money when convincing a big company to do something.
-Do you throw out food that is still suitable to eat, but not suitable because of corporate business rules? (i.e. day old baked goods, dented cans, bruised but edible fruit, etc.)? Organizations like Second Harvest take donations of this nature and use them to feed the hungry.
-Do you throw away things like egg cartons? Some small egg producers (with "green" policies of their own) are glad to reuse clean donated egg flats and cartons.
-Yogurt containers, butter tubs, ice cream buckets, jars and the like are popular donations at our local reuse centre, which in turn is a place where school art teachers come to get cheap supplies.
If your company has a suggestion policy or employee reward system, try to go through there. For example, General Electric has a company-wide suggestion box that lets anyone in any division suggest improvements to process. Their employees can earn a percentage of their savings as a bonus -- I remember reading about a guy who suggested that instead of paying money to recycle the cores out of adding machine rolls, and instead of paying money to buy little cardboard cylinders (used for something else) that the company could save money by reusing in-house. He got a multi-thousand dollar bonus.
Don't be afraid to suggest something that will make things better. Part of how your boss is evaluated most likely includes adherence to budget, so saving money with little effort is something he or she can't afford to ignore. Couch things so as to make your boss and your department look good, and they will have no reason to turn you down.
posted by Sallyfur at 5:27 PM on August 10, 2010
1) Feel free to borrow others ideas, like these opens as a word doc from the state of Pennsylvania). Google "how to start a recycling program at work" to find many more examples.
2) Determine your goals. Do you want people to simply recycle the vast amount of paper that gets wasted? Do you want to recycle electronics, or ink cartridges, or scrap metal? You need to have a plan that shows how it is gathered, who is responsible for monitoring the gathering points, and who is responsible for collecting the full boxes/bins and setting them out on the correct day. Do you eventually want the company to consider purchasing recycled supplies?
3) Do your homework. Find out if your current waste collection company also provides recycling services (it won't do you any good to collect #6 plastic if your local waste management company can't recycle it) - if so, do they charge extra for recycling pickup? If the waste management company does charge extra for recycling services, can you collect enough money-making recyclables to help pay for the extra cost, or convince management that it is worth paying for? If your waste collection company doesn't offer recycling services, is there another company in the area that does? Be prepared to answer questions management will have about how this is actually going to work.
4) This (along with commitment to your program) is really the make-or-break point of your proposal...you need to convince your management of the benefits recycling will bring to the company. Will it save them money? How, and how much? Will it raise your company's standing in the community? Good PR is as much a benefit as income. Will it increase employee morale? Employees like working for ethical and aware companies. List as many realistic benefits as you can think of.
5). Don't be afraid to start small and simple. Paper and pop cans are usually very easy starts for most people. No paper gets put into the recycle box until it has been used on both sides (scratch paper), and pop cans never go into the trash, but always into the bin marked 'cans'. Many people already do this at home, and don't find it a particular burden to do this at work as well. When one system is solidly in use and demonstrably successful, it is easier to introduce more ambitious recycling goals.
Hope that helps some - this is a great idea, and I wish you the best in getting your program started.
posted by faineant at 5:46 PM on August 10, 2010
2) Determine your goals. Do you want people to simply recycle the vast amount of paper that gets wasted? Do you want to recycle electronics, or ink cartridges, or scrap metal? You need to have a plan that shows how it is gathered, who is responsible for monitoring the gathering points, and who is responsible for collecting the full boxes/bins and setting them out on the correct day. Do you eventually want the company to consider purchasing recycled supplies?
3) Do your homework. Find out if your current waste collection company also provides recycling services (it won't do you any good to collect #6 plastic if your local waste management company can't recycle it) - if so, do they charge extra for recycling pickup? If the waste management company does charge extra for recycling services, can you collect enough money-making recyclables to help pay for the extra cost, or convince management that it is worth paying for? If your waste collection company doesn't offer recycling services, is there another company in the area that does? Be prepared to answer questions management will have about how this is actually going to work.
4) This (along with commitment to your program) is really the make-or-break point of your proposal...you need to convince your management of the benefits recycling will bring to the company. Will it save them money? How, and how much? Will it raise your company's standing in the community? Good PR is as much a benefit as income. Will it increase employee morale? Employees like working for ethical and aware companies. List as many realistic benefits as you can think of.
5). Don't be afraid to start small and simple. Paper and pop cans are usually very easy starts for most people. No paper gets put into the recycle box until it has been used on both sides (scratch paper), and pop cans never go into the trash, but always into the bin marked 'cans'. Many people already do this at home, and don't find it a particular burden to do this at work as well. When one system is solidly in use and demonstrably successful, it is easier to introduce more ambitious recycling goals.
Hope that helps some - this is a great idea, and I wish you the best in getting your program started.
posted by faineant at 5:46 PM on August 10, 2010
dammit - that should be (opens as a word doc from the state of Pennsylvania). Sorry about any confusion!
posted by faineant at 5:46 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by faineant at 5:46 PM on August 10, 2010
Storing compostable stuff in big tupperware containers will decrease bugs around the trash.
If you're in a state with deposits for cans, you can make a little money back.
A lot will depend on what your locality recycles anyway and what you can get them to take. For example, it costs more to recycle boxboard than it does to throw it away, so if you want to recycle that, it might be a struggle.
It might also be beneficial if there's a recycling pick-up program that doesn't ask you to sort things- a lot of people are resistant to sorting.
posted by emilyd22222 at 6:05 PM on August 10, 2010
If you're in a state with deposits for cans, you can make a little money back.
A lot will depend on what your locality recycles anyway and what you can get them to take. For example, it costs more to recycle boxboard than it does to throw it away, so if you want to recycle that, it might be a struggle.
It might also be beneficial if there's a recycling pick-up program that doesn't ask you to sort things- a lot of people are resistant to sorting.
posted by emilyd22222 at 6:05 PM on August 10, 2010
How to implement a recycling policy and begin the journey towards 'zero waste'.
posted by Kerasia at 7:09 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by Kerasia at 7:09 PM on August 10, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I did this at work, with the help of our "Green team" (which I am a part of). We set up a clearly labeled recycling station in our tea room that holds bins for organic compost (we have worm farms), plastics/glass/aluminum and rubbish. We already had a paper/cardboard collection.
Turns out the same company that recycles our paper, also had a plastics/glass/aluminum arm and could look after the collection.
We also now recycle our light globes and batteries.
I found management in general have been quite supportive, it's the staff that we have an issue with. There is one bad egg that is constantly putting bar wrappers and glad wrap in the compost.
Good luck! It's worth asking. You might just get what you want.
posted by WayOutWest at 4:58 PM on August 10, 2010