Recycling Guide for your Business

ALL ABOUT RECYCLING

Recycling Basics

What & How to Recycle

Hard to Recycle Items

FAQs

Start at Home

Start at Work

Waste or Resource?

Pick-up Services

Drop-Off Hours

Education & Outreach

Steps to Setting up Recycling for your Business or Office
 

Evaluate

• What supplies are purchased by the business?
• Review purchase receipts
• What is thrown away?
• Review waste removal services and receipts
• What items are accepted at the VCRS recycling center?

Plan

• How can you “Reduce” & “Reuse” items?
• What will you recycle?
• Look at the building floor plan - identify space for containers & storage.
• Decide on type of recycling bins
• How will you handle larger items such as corrugated cardboard?
• Build a team of recycler’s
• How will recyclables be transported, how often?

Educate

• Enlist employees who may be experienced recyclers to educate your staff
• Post signs about the recycling program & benefits of recycling
• Identify recycling bins and label them clearly
• Check the web and VCRS for recycling information

Practice - Recycle it!

• Separate recyclables from waste products
  Place recyclables in clearly marked recycle bins
  Sort, bundle, remove caps from plastic bottles, etcetera
• Make recycling a standard office procedure through policy
• Encourage reducing: Make double-side copies
  Communicate electronically
  Resist the urge to print emails
  Circulate and post memorandums
• Purchase wisely: Encourage purchase of products containing recycled materials.
  Buy in bulk when you can

Transport

• Take recyclables to your community recycling center
• Conserve fuel - haul recyclables only when containers are full or combine with other trips
• Seek other small businesses to combine recycling efforts

See also 'Recycling Guide for the Home'