Forming A Recycling Committee

Recycling takes a commitment on the part of all key stakeholders including property owner/management, tenants and your cleaning service. Whether it is cardboard, toner cartridges, phone books (slowly going away), copier paper, plastic bottles, jugs, carpet scraps, furniture and even food waste, much can be diverted from the landfill. Some, such as cardboard and aluminum cans can even generate income to help defray other costs related to recycling efforts.

It is highly recommended that a person or committee be empowered to promote and manage the recycling efforts in each account. In some instances, this might be a position that can be marketed to customers interested in recycling but not able to bring the right expertise to the table. If used properly, such a person could be a value-added service that could guide recycling efforts in several different properties with the local, onsite supervisor responding to their guidance. 

An example of their benefit would be to verify that the waste streams generate real income such as being paid for metal cans or cardboard. They would know the requirements of the trash services to maximize any potential income. They could also be a central data collector to provide regular reports as well as comparisons to similar efforts. Remember to begin with a reachable goal such as 10 percent diversion and over a period of time, incrementally increase it to 40 percent or more.

Your company may invest in special trash collection units to enhance productivity and reduce the need to go through a given area more than once. Another key aspect is training workers so that they not only know but embrace the programs in place. Over time, additional tweaking may be necessary to enhance or adjust the efforts based on the ROI (Return on Investment) for the expense and efforts required. And don’t forget composting even if it is on a limited scale. 

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.