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Recycle at Work
WHY RECYCLE???
Recycling saves natural resources.
By recycling, trees used to make paper products can be preserved. Recycling one ton of paper saves:
* 17 trees * 462 gallons of oil
* 7,000 gallons * 4,575 kilowatt hours of energy
* 6.7 cubic yards of landfill space * $20-$35 in landfill disposal costs
Typical business offices generate about 1.5 pounds of waste paper per employee per day. Financial businesses generate over 2 pounds per employee per working day. Nearly half of typical office waste is comprised of high grade paper, for which there is a strong recycling demand.
Recycling may save money by reducing waste.
Recycling can be beneficial to your business by cutting down on garbage disposal costs, making others aware of environmental concerns, and helping to reduce waste instead of creating it. Eliminating office paper from your waste stream may cut your bill by 50 percent or more.
Recycling also helps "Save the Earth".
Recycling can reduce the amount of pollution created. Recycling means that the material will not be put in a landfill, but placed back in the system to be made into another product. Recycling also allows you to be responsible for yourself. Take care of the trash you create in a positive, productive way. By just placing it in the trash can or dumpster and forgetting about it, your are taking the lazy way out.
What do I do first?
To start a successful recycling program, you should begin with one or two areas and then build the program from there. It is very important that the recycling program be organized and everyone is informed.
Participation is the key factor; if no one participates, then the program will not succeed. To spark interest, explain how important it is to recycle, begin an educational campaign, and encourage input from everyone.
What items are recyclable?
This will depend on what your local recycling center or hauler will accept, but many of the following items are usually recycled:
* envelopes and colored paper * newspaper
* copier machine paper * plastic labeled HDPE #2
* corrugated cardboard * steel cans (coffee cans)
* computer paper * styrofoam (coffee cups)
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Determine what kinds of recyclables the local recycling centers accept.
Call the Lapeer County Recycling/Environmental Coordinator to get more information. There may be a hauler in your area who will come and pick up the recyclables.
Form a team.
Ask people who should be involved in planning your recycling program to volunteer. Include at least one supervisor and one janitor and then add employees who are interested and care about recycling.
Target an item to recycle first.
Perform a waste audit to determine what items you generate that may be recycled. Start with an item you have alot of and may be handled easily.
Determine a plan to collect and store the material.
Develop estimates of the amount of materials that you expect to collect daily. In larger businesses you may do this by starting with a test program in one area. This will let you know how big your bins should be, figure out program costs, set a collection schedule, and find out how much storage space is needed to keep collected materials until a suitable amount can be shipped to market. Janitors normally collect the recyclables, as they handled the material when it was placed in the trash rather than in the recycling bin.
Place bins in strategic locations.
When you get the recycling bins, put them where the recyclables are generated, depending on which material is targeted first. For example, if you are recycling white paper, the bins should be placed near copying machines and printers.
Decide how the material will be hauled.
Determine if the material will be picked up by a recycler or hauled to the recycling center. Estimate the budget needed and prepare a report. Inform the administration of how much money could be saved on waste disposal and how much money it will cost you to recycle. You might have to request start up money in order to buy the items which will get your program started, such as containers if the hauler doesn't supply them.
Technical and promotional assistance is starting an office recycling program is available by contacting the County Recycling/Environmental Coordinator at (810) 667-0452.
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