A great way to get started with your office recycling program is to look at all available options offered by your local program. That will help your team create a baseline for what’s possible.
That said, if you do a little bit of research, local companies or organizations may also be doing innovative things in your area as well. Larger entities may be able to negotiate or work to create a zero-waste program for things like car manufacturers etc. Subaru is one example of a company that went the extra mile for sustainability and waste reduction.
For the small office user, it’s best to start off by inventorying all the products your team might use that fall outside the purview of the local recycling program. If your company uses a lot of different products, consider categorizing. This way, your team can start with the most important or impactful areas within your office.
Just following these few guidelines can help offices identify issue areas and eventually become successful at reducing waste or recycling. Remember, reuse is also a good avenue for sustainability.
What are the benefits of creating a waste stream strategy?
- Great planning can lead to great outcomes for the organization.
- Creating goals can help bring a higher level of action, and it also creates accountability.
- Brand health can be affected positively over time.
How can our team get started with developing a waste stream strategy?
The first part is simple: You need to include your whole team in this process. Of course, the next course is to look at what’s available in the local area for your waste stream, which can guide your organization’s choices.
Your team can work to inventory, potentially categorizing, areas of interest in the products used on a regular basis or those larger purchases that may take a bit more planning. If you don’t know what you have, you can’t make decisions to change it.
Once you have your inventory down, you’ll need to plan when and how things will be done. This includes choosing an individual to head up the program or parts of the program. Your team should develop and implement goals with time constraints. To benefit from your program, you want it to be successful for the morale of your team and the confidence of your stakeholders. Connecting with stakeholders outside your company can also be beneficial to the process of creating a program. Direct dialogue can be a great benefit to any company.