Recycling is a practice everyone can do, including businesses.
There are so many reasons to recycle, including reducing your carbon footprint, reducing the amount of trash in landfills, keeping harmful substances out of the environment and ensuring that future generations have a world to call home. While you may be diligent about recycling at home, your place of employment might not do the same.
It can be frustrating and sickening to see all of the paper and other recyclables getting thrown in the trash at work. It can be tempting to fish them out and take them to the nearest recycling facility, but before creating more work for yourself, consider talking to your boss about starting a recycling program. Below are a few tips to help expand your boss’s receptiveness to considering your idea.
Do your research
You can’t go to your boss with a half-cooked idea, especially if you’re serious about wanting to convince them to start a recycling program. Make phone calls and get answers to the questions you anticipate your boss will ask. The less work your boss has to do, the more inclined they might be to consider your suggestion.
How much will it cost?
No doubt budgets are tight, and your boss might initially say no because a recycling program will cost too much. Call the trash service to find out how much they charge to remove recyclables and ask if they have any recycling programs. If not, find a company in town that does and find out how much they charge. With a little luck, the prices will be comparable, or maybe even cheaper to recycle.
Who will be in charge?
Someone has to get the recycling program up and running and then ensure everyone follows the protocols. You can volunteer to take charge or suggest working with other departments in your office.
Is everyone on board with this?
Hopefully, your coworkers will agree to and show excitement toward starting a recycling program at the office, but for success, you’ll need full participation — especially the custodial crew. More than likely, they’ll keep the recyclables and trash separate, so gauge and encourage their willingness to help with the program.
Appeal to your boss’s human side
We all live on this planet, and we all have to do what we can to ensure we take care of what we have for current and future generations. Use stats to your advantage by showing your boss how much solid waste is generated year after year and how your company can help reduce those numbers.
Let them know that chemicals and other harmful substances can leach into the soil, air and water, which, in turn, can get into our food supply and make us sick. Reducing the amount of waste will reduce the harm to the environment and our health.
If cost is a major issue for your company, inform your boss that some companies will pay for recyclables, which may make them more inclined to initiate the program.
Tell them about the benefits
The company you work for likely wants to attract the best and brightest employees, serve customers and create a profit. While this model works for companies, potential customers and employees could see your company’s recycling program as an added bonus.
There are a variety of reasons green companies appeal to potential employees and customers, but the biggest reason resides in showing how the business cares. If your company can go out of their way to take care of the environment, it’ll probably do the same for its customers and employees — meaning both customers and employees will invest in your business.
Starting a recycling program at work benefits the environment and the business. It might seem daunting to talk to your boss about the subject, but it’s also possible they’re waiting for someone to bring it up. You’ll never know if you can recycle at work unless you ask.
How to get your boss on board with recycling at your workplace