California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)

Waste Reduction: Waste Prevention World

Waste Prevention and Recycling at the Office

This page presents an outline of how waste-conscious businesses manage their offices. You may also be interested in CalRecycle's general directory of waste reduction information for businesses.

A question frequently asked the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) is, how do I start a paper recycling program at my business or organization? This page answers that question. However, in general, CalRecycle recommends that instead of initiating a recycling program, businesses and organizations initiate combined recycling and waste prevention programs to address not only recycling, but also practices to reduce paper consumption and to reuse office supplies such as paper and toner cartridges.

CalRecycle also suggests not neglecting organics. If the business or organization has some sort of yard or landscape to manage, there are opportunities to prevent waste, recycle, and reduce waster use. Some businesses and organizations have cafeterias or restaurants, and can thus divert food scraps and left over food from the trash to other uses. Even businesses without food establishments or landscape can recycle organics if staff eat food in the office. Office vermicomposting can recycle apple cores, banana peels, and other food scraps left over from lunch.

Waste is a symptom of an inefficient process. Preventing waste increases efficiency. Increasing efficiency increases profits. Theoretically speaking, it is better to prevent the generation of waste than it is to recycle. You can only recycle waste that you have failed to prevent. So, place your emphasis on reducing waste if you can, then recycle the waste that you must generate.

However, there is an old saying, "In theory, practice and theory are the same, in practice, they are not." You might need to start with the concepts and practices that staff are most familiar with, and are thus more likely to rapidly embrace. Go for the low hanging fruit first. Do what is easy just to get staff started. Even those easy things require commitment to making changes in people's daily habits, and habits are hard to change. For many, recycling is the best place to start.

Reduce

  • Set your photocopiers and printers to print on both sides by default.

  • Make computer files, not paper files when possible. If you have not explored computer alternatives to paper in a couple years, then you really have a lot of catching up to do. Numerous free or inexpensive software programs, such as Stickies or NoteWhen can reduce or eliminate the need for sticky notes and note pads. These programs, as well as most electronic calendars and task lists, can be set to remind you of some event or task with a special message at any time in the future. Small handheld computers, such as the Zire sold by palmOne, the iPaq sold by HP, and all the others models and brands are especially good for reminding, note taking, calendar scheduling, and other paper-consuming tasks.

    Recent advances in computer software make it easy to create documents that are encrypted, password protected, and safe from either unauthorized access or alteration. This can be done with very sophisticated free and low cost software. Electronic signatures are widely accepted and legally binding. Over the long run, electronic files save floor and file space. In most cases electronic documents are safer than paper. Backup copies can be easily transferred to high capacity low cost removable media, such as compact discs or removable hard drives, and stored off-site. Backups can also be transferred over secure internet connections for off-site storage. You never need to loose documents to fire or flood or theft.

    Computer magazines such as PC Magazine and Computer World have searchable websites that can get you started. You can also contact bzassist@calrecycle.ca.gov for ideas.

  • Fight junk mail--Take steps to reduce the amount of junk mail that your office receives. See Reducing Unsolicited Mail at Your Business.

Reuse

  • Reuse envelopes and send them through the mail again whenever possible. We understand that business do not like to send some types of mail in used envelopes for reasons of corporate image. However, many businesses conduct a fair amount of mailing of types where corporate image in not a factor. For this type of mailing, use labels to cover the old address on used envelopes. Some companies sell reuse labels for envelopes, which have a discrete message at the bottom explaining that this envelope was reused to save trees.
  • Have each staff persons set aside paper that they use on only one side, so that it can be reused for printing drafts in your printer, or glued together to make scratch pads. As staff accumulate paper, they can transfer it to a centrally located storage box, possibly next to a printer or photocopiers.
  • Use padding compound, the glue that holds paper together in tablets, to make scratch pads form your paper that was used only on one side. Padding compound is available from many office supply stores. You can clamp the edge of the paper together with blocks of wood and C-clamps, or you can invest in a small paper padding press. Several types are sold for well under $150.
  • Buy "recycled" toner cartridges, and send your spent toner cartridges to be "recycled". Commercially, this is referred to as recycling, but it is actually a form of reuse.
  • Encourage staff to use reusable coffee mugs when they pick up coffee in the morning on their way into the office. Hang a mug reuse poster in your break room.
  • Invest in rechargeable batteries and battery chargers for digital cameras, flashlights, and other small devices. If your staff can be trusted to not accidentally throw away or lose the rechargeable batteries, in the long run it would be cheaper and better for the environment. For more information on recycling and proper disposal of batteries, please visit CalRecycle's Batteries home page.

Recycle

Recycle glass, plastic, metal cans, white paper, and mixed paper and organics as you do at home. (You do that at home, don't you?)

How to Start Recycling Paper. To start a recycling program, determine which material you want to recycle, find someone to pick up the material, put recycling bins around your office, and get staff to participate. That is "all" there is to it. Having commitment from your management to encourage staff will help. But it is even more important to have management participate. For a more through exploration of how to start, see Creating a Paper Reduction Campaign In Your Office.

Yellow pages directories generally have recycling vendors who will pick up your recyclables. Look under headings such as recycling, refuse, waste disposal, etc. One yellow page directory has a heading called, Waste Disposal Reduction and Recycling. Call around to see who can offer you the best pickup service. Each vendor will have their own requirements and conditions. Schedules and prices can be negotiated. Sample contracts are also available for download from the Waste Prevention Information Exchange, a program of CalRecycle. Most vendors will supply large bins to keep in the yard. Some will provide smaller bins to place around the office. The types of services provided by local recycling vendors varies throughout the state. Shop around and compare. You can buy your own bins if need be. See the list of bin manufactures.

Some counties and cities have recycling coordinators who can help you. To find the recycling coordinator in your community, look in the government section of your phone directory. The public works department for your county or city is the most likely place to find the recycling coordinator. Also see The Waste Prevention Information Exchange's page on Local Contacts for Waste Prevention and Recycling.

Recycle Organics, Inside and Out

  • Keep worms in your office.

Make your worm bins, or buy them from any of the worm bin vendors listed in our vermicomposting section of this website.

Worm suppliers are also listed on this website. It is generally better to buy your worms from a supplier who can sell you a type of worm that is well suited for worm bins. Unless you are pretty well brushed up on oligochaetology, do not try to dig up worms from your back yard. There are likely to be at least a few varieties wiggling around in the soil, and most of them do not do well in worm bins.

Download The Worm Guide (PDF, 1.2 MB) to read all you need to know about starting a small worm bin.

  • If you have a cafeteria or café, look into food diversion and vermicomposting. See the food waste page of the Waste Prevention Information Exchange, as well as the food recycling and food scrap management pages on this website.
  • Grasscycle your lawn clippings if you maintain landscape, and compost your yard pruning. To learn how to compost on a small scale, see the CalRecycle home composting page or contact your city or county government. If you prefer to compost in a bin instead of an open pile, or if compost bins are required in you community, see the CalRecycle compost bin resource list. You might have noticed that some of the recycling bin vendors listed in this section of this website make compost bins, but if compost bins are your main interest, the compost bin resource list is a more complete list. Reduce water use wherever you can. Use mulch to reduce weeds and water use. See the Mulching Trees and Shrubs page, by North Carolina State University. For additional information about organics, see the CalRecycle Organic Materials Management Page.

Buy Recycled

  • You are not recycling if you send your waste to be recycled, but you do not buy products made from recycled content.
  • Look for the type and the amount of recycled content in anything that you buy. Postconsumer content is better than postmanufacturer content. If the paper has postconsumer content it will most likely say so. Otherwise, assume the claimed recycled content is postmanufacturer.

Other Purchasing Considerations

  • Buy only what you know you will use. This may seem obvious, but keep in mind that there is an environmental cost to buying something and letting it sit on the shelf forever. If that something is a solvent, or a solvent-containing liquid such as paint or some cleaners, by the time that product spoils, the solvents will have evaporated and contributed needlessly to air pollution. Many items have a useable shelf life. Some paper manufacturers claim that even paper should be used within a couple years to prevent jams in copy machines and printers. The adhesive on envelopes goes bad in time. Bulk purchasing can be a excellent way to reduce costs, and the use of packaging and fossil fuels for transport, but find the balance.
  • Intersperse regular use of strong cleaners and solvents with less toxic and water based cleaners. Everything from process machinery to toilets need to be cleaned occasionally, but if you clean regularly, you don't need to use the strongest chemicals known to humankind each and every time. A growing practice is to use the strong stuff about every fourth time, and use milder alternatives in between. U. S. EPA maintains a Database of Environmental Information for Products and Services. Greenseal is another good source of information on environmentally preferable products. You might also try the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing section of the Waste Prevention Information Exchange, and the CalRecycle Environmentally Preferable Purchasing page for other sources of information.

Reduce Packaging

  • Select products from suppliers and manufactures that use minimal packaging. If you buy paper by the case, by paper that is not packaged in individual reams. If you buy cleaning agents by the case, buy those that do not have cardboard dividers between the bottles. Look for similar waste reduction opportunities in all your purchasing. If you work for company large enough to make a difference, tell the manufactures that your selections are based on the amount of packaging that they use.
  • Reuse packing material whenever possible, and look for ways to reduce its use when you send products to customers.
  • See the CalRecycle packaging website for more ideas.

Spread The Word

Publicize your waste prevention efforts. In brochures and advertisements that you print, discretely display a small paragraph somewhere that tactfully boasts of your office waste prevention practices. Many of your clients will be favorably impressed; probably none will find it distasteful. A good example is the best motivator, and you might help persuade other businesses to practice waste prevention.

Apply for Awards

After you have given yourself a gold star for your waste prevention efforts, let us give you one too. CalRecycle has an awards program that each year recognizes businesses of all sizes that have enthusiastically embraced waste prevention. However, you must apply for the award. See the Waste Reduction Awards Program. More award programs are listed under the topic Award Programs, in the Waste Prevention Information Exchange.

Resources

Waste Prevention World Home | Business Waste Reduction Home

Last updated: March 02, 2012
Waste Reduction: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/ReduceWaste/
Waste Prevention Information Exchange: wpinfoex@calrecycle.ca.gov, (916) 341-6363