More than ever before, businesses measure success not only in terms of their profit margins, but also their commitment to sustainability. And while there are many different ways for companies to pursue eco-friendly objectives, one of the simplest is to get your in-house employees to recycle more.
As you seek to foster greater participation in your recycling program, here are a few strategies to win over your team members.
1) Ensure visible recycling stations.
First and foremost, make sure employees know where they can toss their recyclables. Place recycling stations in highly visible, high-traffic locations throughout your workplace.
● Think about strategic placement near the copy machine, in break rooms, and in collaborative work spaces.
● Consider labeling or color-coding recycling stations to denote areas for paper, plastic, cardboard, and/or glass.
● Work with your janitorial team or waste management vendor to ensure these recycling stations are regularly emptied.
2) Place educational signage.
Another important step is to ensure your office is filled with educational signage, alerting employees to the positive impact they can make via recycling.
● Be clear and concise, but also informative. In particular, make sure your signage explains which items can and cannot be recycled.
● Also make sure your signage is consistent, conveying the same information to employees throughout your workplace.
3) Implement an employee recognition program.
By creating a system to publicly honor employees who recycle well, you can create a more positive (and competitive) workplace environment.
● Consider offering tangible benefits, such as extra PTO hours or gift cards.
● Create a leader board to track the employees most committed to recycling.
● Announce monthly awards for the employee who recycled the most or improved the most.
4) Introduce a green office challenge.
Periodic challenges can keep your momentum going, and keep employees engaged with your broader recycling initiatives. Some tips:
● Challenge teams or departments to see who can recycle the most during a specified period.
● Have big recycling drives during Earth Day, Arbor Day, and other important points in the calendar.
● Set monthly goals for your team, then share the results afterward.
5) Create channels for employee feedback.
Finally, make sure you’re listening to employee suggestions for improving the office recycling initiative.
● Place a suggestion box in a highly visible location.
● Send out regular surveys to solicit feedback for the office recycling program.
● Ask for suggestions at town halls or other company-wide or team-wide meetings.
As you seek to win over employees to your office recycling program, be sure you have great back-end support. With questions about in-office recycling programs, reach out to WasteXperts today!
