Educating Your Workplace about Recycling

Onboarding and Education

To make sure that all employees start out on the same page, host a company induction of the new system. You can use this time to explain why the change is happening, go over common materials and where they should be placed after use, and answer any questions your employees may have. Educating your office on the importance of recycling can feel tedious if they don't understand the "why" of it all. When implementing and educating your office about the new recycling initiative, it's crucial to tie it into larger company goals. If your organisation has or is developing a sustainability policy, share that with your team. Educating your staff about other sustainability issues within the business will help feed into the importance of recycling. Once all the current employees are up to speed, ensure this onboarding becomes a regular part of new hires' onboarding as well.

After inducting your company, make sure there is clear signage near the bins that address all the major trash types for your office. This should be what you went over in the induction, as most people won't remember it on a daily basis. You can even get creative with your posters.

Addressing Contamination and Ongoing Success

Once the system is in place, do regular waste audits to track your waste diversion goals and uncover common contaminants. For example, do your employees regularly throw compostable packaging in the recycle bins or place recyclables in the landfill bin? You won't know where the knowledge gaps are unless you actively seek them out. Knowing these contaminants can help you address them better. Send communications about what you find, why those are wrong, and which is the best bin to place them in.

After your system is up and running, the work isn't done. Ongoing education, as well as inducting new staff when they start, will be important to maintain a functioning system. Ensure resources are available for further questions and plan to communicate changes, additional stream introductions, or industry information related to waste management. If you have a green team, this is an excellent thing for them to facilitate so that they can act as a knowledge hub for any ongoing questions. You can also link sources and articles about waste management, the importance of a circular economy, and understanding carbon, which can help add valuable education about global issues. These can be shared via email, Slack, Teams, or whatever platform works best for your organisation. Wherever you share them, allow for ongoing discussions about what the articles mean, how it impacts your business, and why it's essential.

By implementing these elements, your organisation will become recycling champs. But the work isn't done. Teach staff about the importance of reporting on waste and the impact waste diversion has on the environment. If possible, arrange a tour of a landfill site, or organise your team to be able to see how your cleaners separate the recycling. This way, they'll have a physical understanding of their power in diverting waste. You don't have to educate everyone all at once. Gradually introducing new concepts and getting people invested will lead to better results than throwing everything at them at all once. It doesn't always need to be perfect, but as long as your office continues to learn and engage with recycling, change will happen.