Recycling in your home is one thing. You make sure all your soda cans and beer bottles go into the proper bin, and the newspaper goes in the recycle pile every Sunday. But can you carry this "green" mentality on into the office? Absolutely. Not only can businesses recycle, in some areas it's required. Talk to other businesses in your building or on your block, or get information from your garbage collector to find out what the recycling options are in your area, then determine what you will recycle.
Paper
Put a bin next to every printer, along with a sign reminding employees to recycle used paper. Office paper can be commercially recycled, but that's only one way to recycle paper. Paper can be recycled in-house simply by reusing one-sided prints for non-critical print jobs. Keep a "scrap paper" box of one-sided prints next to all printers; then when both sides are used and done with, they go in the recycling bin. If you're concerned about privacy or security issues, there are recyclers that will shred your paper first.
Toner Cartridges
Millions of used toner cartridges get thrown away each year; these cartridges end up in landfills or worse, shipped to developing countries as e-waste. Fortunately, toner cartridges are recyclable and, even better, reusable. Talk to your cartridge distributor and find out if they have a collection program; they'll probably be happy to take back your used cartridges and may even offer you a discount on your future purchases. If not, there are many companies that will help you set up a recycling program in your place of business---the collected cartridges that can be remanufactured and reused will be, and those that can't will be recycled.
Computers
What happens to the old computers at your office? The odds are good they just sit around. The EPA estimated there were 65.7 million desktop computers in storage in 2007. The recycling rate for electronic products, including computers, is only about 18 percent---1.84 million tons of electronics went into landfills. If the computers still work, donate them to charities and schools. Others can be recycled. Find out where your systems were purchased, as many manufacturers and retailers have recycling programs. Dell, for example, will accept Dell-branded products for free recycling, and Hewlett-Packard has a custom recycling program for businesses.
Cell Phones
If you have a corporate cell phone contract you may find yourself with a pile of used cell phones when the contract is up, or when it's time to upgrade. Cell phones can be particularly dangerous in landfills because of their batteries. Fortunately, many companies offer free cell phone collection and recycling---cell phones contain precious metals and copper, which are valuable and make recycling worthwhile.
Bottles and Cans
If your business has a break room, make sure there are recycling bins and signs in it. All employees should be aware that your business recycles, and that cans and bottles should stay out of the trash. Make it fun---put up a white board or sign keeping track of how many pounds of materials are recycled each month. Keeping employees engaged in the program is the key to a successful recycling program.
Member Comments