Recycle @ Work: Janitors Run Recycling

By: Bill Coffee
National Recycle Manager
SBM Site Services

Most businesses and offices have a recycle program, usually a desk-side paper bin. On the other side of the building is the trash compactor going to the landfill. Wouldn’t it be great to get more out of the trash and into recycling? Stepping up and expanding the program can be a significant effort.
Finding information on what can be recycled and where it can be done is a chore into itself. The web and phone book are full of recycling centers. Scrap yards, recycle centers, government and educational pages all offering information on what can be recycled, many so far away they offer no help for your program.

Still, you persevere and reach recycling companies who take materials. Each one asks what and how much you have for recycling. WHO KNOWS? IT’S ALL IN THE TRASH. Can’t we just send all the materials to the recycle center and have it handled? Unfortunately, there are few to no one-stop-recyclers that take everything. Each has a specialty (paper or metals or plastics), some have pick up service and some don’t. Each has loading, shipping and contamination requirements. You also need bins and space for everything.

Who is going to handle all of it? Trash and Recycling are generated by all departments, areas, projects and buildings. Who can control and be accountable for collecting, dumping, and shipping everything to the right place? Who can see all areas of the business and react to changes?
Consider giving it to the janitorial company!

The custodians collect all the trash from all areas of the building anyway. It is less work to add recycling to janitorial than bring in another vendor to cover the whole facility. The janitorial company can manage all shipments of materials to coincide with bins filling. They can monitor contamination for each processor and help identify solutions for continuous improvement.

Consider placing full responsibility for waste management, recycling and diversion on the custodial team. Expanding the scope of work opens up possibilities and assigns accountability for performance. The janitors are in an excellent position to control the flow of trash and recycling. Custodians who take the trash out daily can easily identify high trash and high cost areas. Monthly reports combining all trash and recycle weights provided data points to measure improvement and set goals.
In addition to recycling, the janitorial team is also in a position to set up reuse processes. Valuable materials, packaging, supplies and equipment are caught before hitting the trash compactors and sent back into the business for reuse. This saves procurement costs and landfill charges, a double win. Items not reused and often be donated to local schools or charities.

There is big opportunity to save money and the landfill by improving the recycle program at work. Managers should consider partnering with the janitors to make it happen.