Sometimes, starting a recycling program can seem overwhelming, especially for a small office. But, with the help of a few colleagues, you can easily get your company recycling program up and running in no time. When resources are limited, start with paper! And expand the scope of your recycling program at a later stage.

Paper is the simplest and most common material available in an office and the easiest to recycle. As a result, it usually drives more interest from the staff than other recyclable materials

1. Kick start recycling with paper!

Here is a step by step process to help you implement a successful recycling program:

1. Get the support from your management: request the approval in principle from your management to start a paper recycling program.
2. Look for a contractor that will be willing to collect and recycle paper waste from your office, 
   • Tay Paper Recycling can provide such services in Singapore. If the quantity of paper is sufficient, you could even be paid for the collection of paper.
3. Inform the staff that your company will implement a paper recycling program.
4. Install paper recycling bins:
   • Install one next to each printer
   • Make sure the bins are clearly labelled
5. Notify staff and the cleaning company about the use of these new paper bins. To show people what will happen to the paper once collected, check out our blog post ‘How is paper recycled?’

2.   Expand your recycling program to other recyclables

Once you are getting traction from staff and support from management, consider expanding the recycling program to other materials.

1. Contact your contractor if they can collect recyclables along with your general waste.
2. If not done yet, make sure that you have a centralised bin system.
   • Check out our blog ‘Why you should move to a centralised bin system?’
3. Inform the staff about the expansion of the recycling program.
4. Install recycling bins:
   • Check our blog post ‘How to select suitable recycling bins for offices‘ for standardisation and design
   • For instance, you can get recycling bins from Peter’s Environmental, a company based in Singapore and Method Recycling, a company based in the UK and Australia.
5. Notify staff and cleaning company about the use of these new bins for recyclables.

Lastly, to ensure the long-term success of your recycling program, lead an educational program, find some guidance in our blog ‘5 Tips for improving recycling in your offices’.

Recycling is one of the best ways to drive changes towards a Zero Waste Company. Remember that it is important to engage all the staff (including management) to ensure the success of your recycling program. Through this initiative, you are not only saving money, but you are also saving our planet Earth.