From coffee cups to cardboard shipping boxes, your business produces plenty of recyclable material throughout the year. However, with so much already on their plate, you may be apprehensive about adding recycling to your employees’ to-do list. Luckily, the rewards of this process greatly exceed the effort that’s required. To help your teams transition to a greener office atmosphere, implement these tips.

3 Ways to Encourage Your Employees to Recycle

1. Lead by Example

As a business owner, your employees will look to you for guidance and inspiration. Therefore, the best way to put your efforts in motion is to show your team what this eco-friendly practice means to you.

In your next meeting, create a presentation on the benefits of recycling for businesses, both for your bottom line and your reputation in the industry. Send out monthly memos to remind your employees, and post laminated reminders in break rooms and bathrooms. You might even be able to spread awareness by posting about your personal commitment to recycling on your public social media accounts.

2. Create a Recycling Station

Once you’ve made your mission clear, you can begin implementing the infrastructure. Start by getting rid of individual trash cans and bins, whether they’re in cubicles, or scattered throughout the hallways. These serve as an easy catch-all for all materials, which can tempt your employees to forgo recycling altogether.

Instead, create a centralized recycling station, complete with separate, color-coded bins for paper, plastic, and metal items. If your office goes through plenty of cardboard boxes, you can also add a baler. This way, your employees will have no choice but to go to the station when they have trash, where they’ll need to sort their items according to your company policies.

3. Offer Incentives

Whether during a meeting or in an online memo, notify your employees of your new recycling incentives. For example, if the company reduces its landfill waste by a certain percentage each month, you’ll offer catered lunches for the next four Fridays.

If you’re running a larger company, you might even want to create friendly competitions between departments, offering gift cards or days off to the teams that recycle the most.

If you’re interested in improving your business’s recycling efforts, reach out to RTI Trash of Russellville, AR. This garbage collection company will provide the roll-off dumpsters you need to contain large amounts of commercial waste, followed by the cardboard, paper, and metal recycling services that will reduce your carbon footprint. To learn more about their work in the River Valley area, visit them online. You can also call (479) 890-2662 to inquire about your waste management needs.