Create an Office Recycling Program Most employees aren’t aware of what can be recycled beyond paper and aluminum cans. There are also toner cartridges, magazines, electronics, and cardboard boxes.

Survey what’s going into the trash by asking employees to do some self-monitoring of their own habits for disposing of items. Provide them with a list of what can be recycled and let them use that to compare against what they find in their trashcan.

Set out item-specific trashcans: one for items to recycle (such as paper at desks and aluminum cans in break rooms) and one for everything else (food and what is not on the recycling list). Either provide everyone with two trashcans (if there is room) or scatter bins in convenient areas.

Be sure your waste collection service (i.e., janitorial staff) also recycles. Ask to see what they do now, and let them know how you expect your recycling to be handled.

Designate and train selected internal personnel to resolve paperrelated issues – e.g., unjam a copier, or cancel a print job that is popping out sheet after sheet of blank paper. (This will also minimize your maintenance call service fees and equipment down times.)

Teach your employees how to properly use software to decrease blank pages and reduce toner usage. For example, in MS Word, setting odd/even pages, and printing in draft mode as well as duplex format. (Be sure you have at least one printer that supports duplex printing.)

Encourage black and white printing over color. Color cartridges are far more expensive than black/white cartridges. To really curtail the color printing, require that a password be entered when trying to print, and limit this functionality to specific individuals.

Remove printers from desktops. Employees might be more inclined to print less if they have to keep walking back and forth to the printer. The exception would be employees who have physical limitations or those who must print confidential material.

Offer an incentive to promote participation. Show employees how the company can make money by recycling. Use the funds for providing a lower cost or even free sodas, a monthly event based upon dollars raised, or rewards for individual groups.