Get started with workplace recycling. With these five tips, you can get started quickly and easily
It's hardly escaped anyone's notice that the future is going to be about getting better at recycling. We overproduce and overconsume on a grand scale. In Denmark alone, we live as if the Earth has four times as many resources as it actually has. We hardly need to explain why overconsumption is a problem, we can only conclude that we are using too much of the resources we have available.
We've created a list to help your workplace become better at recycling, and hopefully it can spread to all departments in your organization. Together we can make a difference to reduce our consumption and achieve a more sustainable everyday life.
5 tips and tricks for workplace recycling
1. Go to the thrift store.
For example, if your office needs new furniture, ask your local thrift store if they have anything that might be interesting for your office. It's both cheaper and better for the environment. Recycled furniture can give your office a unique look while reducing waste and resource consumption.
2. Encourage employees to donate old furniture and materials to the workplace
If some employees have something they would otherwise throw away, you can set up a swap station in the workplace. Anything from old coffee machines to books could be shared here. The only limit is your imagination. Either they can be donated to the workplace (e.g. a coffee machine), or it could be that colleagues find a good book exciting.
3. Barter economy
Good old-fashioned horse trading can sometimes be a good thing. This can be both between employees and between employers and employees. For example, if your workplace is short of an electric kettle and you bring one in, you can negotiate for various benefits at the workplace. Maybe a half day off? A pay rise? New tasks? Whatever makes sense is of course individual, but the workplace can encourage a good and healthy barter economy.
4. Development of policy and guidelines
Create a recycling policy. Write clear guidelines for recycling and waste management. Follow up on it regularly. You may also want to set up a committee of selected employees to promote and continuously evaluate recycling efforts.
5. Signs and guidance
Set up both signs and instructions on how to recycle in the workplace. At the same time, you can also highlight that this is a workplace that cares about waste sorting and recycling. Create some educational signs or clear markings for how waste is handled. Make it easy for everyone to understand the message. That way, employees can better sort and handle the waste that may arise.
Conclusion
By following these simple strategies, your workplace can become better at recycling and contribute to a more sustainable future. Recycling is not only good for the environment, it can also be financially beneficial and strengthen the workplace community. Together, we can end our overuse. It's about a cultural change in society, and we can achieve this by working together, becoming better at sorting waste and recycling. Both on a micro and macro level.
