I let it go for a few weeks, simply taking my recyclables home. But with every plastic water bottle I saw overflowing from trashcans headed for the landfill, I got a little bit closer to making a stand. Finally, I brought it up in our weekly meeting, only then discovering that our dark, dirty recycling secret was a widespread epidemic.
Changing the Status Quo
The reason my office didn't recycle is because the company that manages our office complex didn't have a recycling receptacle on the property. Almost immediately I was tasked with changing all that, which turned out to be no easy task at all.When I contacted the management company with my recycling request, my contact promised to bring it up at the next board meeting.
To my surprise, she invited me to come - a darn good thing considering the resistance I met when I got there.I wrote a memo to the board, which was circulated at the meeting, essentially pointing out how difficult it is coming to terms with the fact that we take such care to recycle at home (which all of the board members amittedly did) yet did not have the same opportunity to do so at work.Almost immediately the nay-sayers stepped in.
"I Object"
Our waste receptacles on the property must be contained behind gated enclosures. Space is limited, leaving room for just four. Bringing in a recycling receptacle would mean eliminating one of the trash cans.
Also in attendance at this meeting was a board member who runs an environmental consulting company. Like me, he and his staff had been hoarding their recyclables and removing them from the property themselves. It's this gentleman who pointed out that much of what we'd been sending to the landfills is recyclable, naturally eliminating the need for all four trash receptacles.But it was the board's second objection that really threw me for a loop. Apparently us "business owners" already failed to follow proper trash procedure, throwing away construction materials that we're apparently responsible for disposing of ourselves. They feared we'd never be able to distinguish what's recyclable from what's not.
Again, my environmental superhero spoke up, pointing out that the company that picks up our waste sells the recyclables we give them. In other words, they have more than enough incentive to sort through everything themselves and correct our mistakes.In fact, it's the key to that last point that finally convinced the board.
The Bottom Line
The waste company we use sells our recyclables, so they charge less for the service. By replacing one trash receptacle with a recyclable, the board management company could save $50 a month. Once that revelation was brought to light, the board jumped on board.
The rest was a breeze compared to that - just getting a couple of recycling can for our office and encouraging all my colleagues to use them. Several weeks later I'm proud to report both are full to nearly overflowing just about every week!To start an office recycling program of your own, check out these tips from Earth 911.
